''Imaginary Landscape No. 2 (March No. 1)'' is a composition for five

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

ists by American composer

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

and the second in the series of Imaginary Landscapes. It was also the first march in the set, the second being ''

Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (March No. 2) ''Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (March No. 2)'' is a composition for 24 performers on 12 radios and conductor by American composer John Cage and the fourth in the series of '' Imaginary Landscapes''. It is the first installment not to include any percu ...

''. It was composed in 1942.

Composition

The title ''Imaginary Landscape No. 2'' was first used in 1940, after Cage composed '' Bacchanale'' and premiered it on April 28, 1940, for a solo recital at the

Repertory Playhouse A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

given by Bonnie Bird's student

Syvilla Fort Syvilla Fort (July 3, 1917 – November 8, 1975) was an American dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher. Born in Seattle, she drew on her African-American heritage in her original dance works. American composer John Cage wrote his first piece fo ...

. The piece that was meant to be played at the recital was a piece for percussion ensemble. However, given the small space left on stage for performers, it seemed impractical and Cage decided to write ''Bacchanale'', which is scored for a solo

prepared piano A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sounds temporarily altered by placing bolts, screws, mutes, rubber erasers, and/or other objects on or between the strings. Its invention is usually traced to John Cage's dance music for ''Works for pr ...

. Two weeks after this recital, Bird presented a new series of recitals to take place between May 7 to 11, 1940, and they would feature Cage's ''Imaginary Landscape No. 2'', a composition for four percussionists. This piece was recorded in a radio studio by four players, two assistants, and a technician. As in Imaginary Landscape No. 1, this work would feature two

turntables A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...

, a

tom-tom A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, thoug ...

, chinese cymbal and a prepared piano, and the turntables would shift speeds as specified in the score. The two assistants would just regulate the dynamics of the piece, raising or lowering the volume of the microphones where necessary. However, this piece was recorded and withdrawn shortly afterwards. It was not until 1942, when Cage moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and started working with

Lou Harrison Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his for ...

, that Cage wrote the piece entitled '' Fourth Construction''. This piece was scored for five percussionists and featured no turntables nor pianos. It was composed in San Francisco in 1942 and premiere exactly two years later, on May 7, 1942, merely two months after premiering his

Imaginary Landscape No. 3 ''Imaginary Landscape No. 3'' is a composition for six percussionists by American composer John Cage and the third in the series of Imaginary Landscapes. It is the last ''Imaginary Landscape'' to feature percussion instruments and, therefore, the ...

in Chicago. After its premiere, Cage changed its title to ''March (Imaginary Landscape No. 2)'' and, subsequently, ''Imaginary Landscape No. 2 (March No. 1)''. It was dedicated to Lou Harrison and was eventually published by

Edition Peters Edition Peters is a classical music publisher founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1800. History The company came into being on 1 December 1800 when the Viennese composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) and the local organist Ambrosius Kühn ...

Structure

This piece consists of only one movement and has a total duration of seven minutes. It is scored for five percussionists playing

tin can A steel can, tin can, tin (especially in British English, Australian English, Canadian English and South African English), or can is a container made of thin metal, for distribution or storage of goods. Some cans are opened by removing the to ...

s, a

conch shell Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ends). Conchs ...

, a

ratchet Ratchet may refer to: Devices * Ratchet (device), a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction * Ratchet effect in sociology and economics * Ratchet, metonymic name for a socket wrench incorporating a ratcheting device * Ratc ...

, a

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

, a

buzzer A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric (''piezo'' for short). Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers, train and confirmation of user input such ...

s, a water gong, a metal wastebasket, a lion's roar and an amplified coil of wire attached to a phonographic tone arm. This latter technique was first used in '' Imaginary Landscape No. 2'', composed just two months before. Cage learned to use it after talking to a sound effects producer. According to Cage himself, "when I got to Chicago, I had a commission to do a piece for CBS and I worked with a sound effects engineer at the radio station in Chicago, and he showed me the thunderous sound of the coil wire in contact with the microphone - which I loved". As was the case of ''

'', this is no conventional march and offers no recognizable traits as such to the listener.

Recordings

The following is an incomplete list of recordings of ''Imaginary Landscape No. 2'': * The

Maelström Percussion Ensemble A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

recorded of the piece. The recording took place between May 28 and June 1, 1995 and was released by

Hat Hut Hathut Records is a Swiss record company and label founded by Werner Xavier Uehlinger in 1974 that specializes in jazz and classical music. The name of the label comes from the artwork of Klaus Baumgartner. Hathut encompasses the labels hat ART, ...

. * The Italian

Ensemble Prometeo Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * ''Ensemble'' (Kendji Girac album), 2015 * ''Ensemble'' (Ensemble album), 2006 * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), ...

recorded this piece in 2009. The recording was later released in 2012 by

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...

. * The

Percussion Group Cincinnati A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

also performed this piece in 2011. It was recorded and released by

Mode Records Mode Records is an American record label in New York City that concentrates on contemporary classical music and other forms of avant-garde music. The label was founded by Brian Brandt in 1984, with a goal of releasing music composed by John Cage. ...

both on CD and DVD.

References

{{John Cage 1942 compositions Compositions by John Cage