Sonatas and Interludes is a cycle of twenty pieces for prepared piano by American avant-garde composer John Cage (1912–1992). It was composed in 1946–48, shortly after Cage's introduction to Indian philosophy and the teachings of art historian Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, both of which became major influences on the composer's later work. Significantly more complex than his other works for prepared piano,[1][2] Sonatas and Interludes is generally recognized as one of Cage's finest achievements.[not verified in body][3][4]
The cycle consists of sixteen sonatas (thirteen of which are cast in binary form, the remaining three in ternary form) and four more freely structured interludes. The aim of the pieces is to express the eight permanent emotions of the rasa Indian tradition. In Sonatas and Interludes, Cage elevated his technique of rhythmic proportions to a new level of complexity.[2] In each sonata a short sequence of natural numbers and fractions defines the structure of the work and that of its parts, informing structures as localized as individual melodic lines.[5]
- ^ Reiko Ishii. The Development of Extended Piano Techniques in Twentieth-Century American Music, pp. 38–41. Florida State University, College of Music, 2005. Available online Archived 2008-01-15 at the Wayback Machine (accessed December 29, 2007).
- ^ a b Pritchett 1993, p. 32
- ^ Pritchett & Kuhn 2001: "Sonatas and Interludes is a truly exceptional work and may be said to mark the real start of Cage's mature compositional life."
- ^ Nicholls 2002, p. 80: "Most critics agree that Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48) is the finest composition of Cage's early period."
- ^ Cage 1973, p. 57