In 1969, composer, philosopher and musical innovator John Cage compiled examples of written music by composers of his time including Milton Babbitt, Leonard Bernstein, George Crumb, Nam June Paik, Dick Higgins, Luc Ferrari, Igor Stravinsky and the Beatles among many, many others. They were presented at random, with guidance from the I Ching with only a few words of description and designed/co-edited by Alison Knowles. Notations, published by Something Else Press in (1969) became an instant classic, an introduction for the public at large to the fascinating, innovative forms of notation that had started to emerge. Cage simply wrote a letter to hundreds of composers asking them to provide one sheet and one comment if they wished, on what they thought music notation is/was, should be, could be, and is not. The result was and is an open question of the meaning of notation and it's possibilities. This question continues today. That is why I felt the need to put together another anthology of notation. Not one that would or could mimic Cage's but only to continue in the process of discovery and fascination.
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| The Circle Series - Theresa Sauer - 2011 |
Notations 21, published by Mark Batty Publisher (2009), is a compendium and anthology including composers from around the globe exploring experimental notation in the last 40 years, deriving its inspiration from Cage's seminal work. Thousands of new composers are creating scores, that are graphic in nature, inspired by technology, science, and visual art, etc. liberated from the traditional staff, that intrigue the eyes of the viewer in presentation. The modern music world did not cease its notational experiments but has continued on with many new developments that are represented in Notations 21. The Notations 21 Project goes well beyond that of the scores within the book and works to advocate these forward-looking ideas in communication.