05 September 2012

three passacaglias and a coda for John Cage


three passacaglias and a coda for John Cage’s one hundredth birthday


i.


Composer, artist, gnostic, explorer’s
centennial anniversary. Gaudeamus. Everything
changes. Avant garde-ist enters
chamber (anechoic), gets ears
cleaned. Afterwards generally employs
cointosses and graphs events
chronologically—audible gleanings egolessly
composed, anarchistically generated. Everything
changes. Aural gnosis experienced.
Chance actions generating ephemeral
compositions and gaining emptiness,
challenging all givens. Everything
changes. A great experimenter
come and gone. Eternity…


ii.

(Cage's story about dinner with D. T.  Suzuki, syntax retained, words  replaced randomly)

Collateral approximation gerrymandered everything
circa astronomer, garbled extermination
compendium adlibs gapingly. Everything
committed. Astride gnarl, everything
calibrated a gopher. Excuse
conjugated abroad ‘gainst everything.
Chorale aped gaps, except
cumulative abduction, gimlet embarrassed,
conducively apathetic. Global, everything
cured astigmatisim, gritty era
ceased after germane except
cinema. Among guts everything
coincided, abused grimy escapades
chained, a gyrating errant
curio and ganders eviscerated
community attacked. ‘Gainst eggshell,
creosote anthrax gelled except
catholic applicants; glimmers exercised
chartreuse animi; gustatory emplacement
cobbled a gush except conducive
artificial grim energy; circular
assonances garnered elsewhere
crassly adverse ‘gainst ejaculation
circa antiseptic goner except
cocksure alarm. ‘Gainst election,
chevre abused ‘gainst elementary
clam, anulling gnomically experienced
consonant accord gave, “Equally
censure everything, Gravy?
Everything combusts grackle enlisting
contortion affidavits; germ evinces.”
Condom arrested, garrisonned, “Everyone’s
crap, anything grits except
cascade: all grab.” Earthquake


iii.

(writing through Lecture on Nothing)

ctur I am h is nothin g to s e who wish to
nc but what sil t I go on t ive
d produc that nothing to s tis poetry
c aniz king it ke
c a gl ss of milk we n
ss into which at nything m y be pour
y or c  ur in this talk. I h g s somethin
cross Kans sting lmost too inter
cially for ing inter
t is it corn? Do s it matt ss nothing. Our poetry now is th
ht (sinc ss it) and thus n st: it is gone;
d it; but sinc and so lling poetry is oft
call light lies in not poss
ch mom nts what h it strug le; th
climax th kingly be
com down in a v of string or sunset, poss
continuity happ ns. Nothing more th
can b ring or m this in music is not differ  
cans ‘s willingness to
c  limitations of stru thought out fi ured out, m 
disciplin ha s sug ves tr
How could I b ll what stru s long? t forty minutes h
ch unit is divid a squ pting s you se
I can s nything. It m kes v
inc what I s ssing throw h the fourth p
unit which is th ond part. Now th ngth s the third part
cond unit. Now b ond part. Now th ngth s the third p
nc of this talk from ssing the h
cond large p
mbling discussion of nothin , of form and willing to ept its limit
ch s ar nd signifi kbirds rise from
licious b ompar girls’ finishin llowed m
c ar th ‘s youngest
coll has r signed,
into politics. L I also h ring emin
nt music laim th nough to se
craz ginnin third part lking bout structure. It must b
cl ar from th gin in to get nowh
crops up about it th sting? It is n’t. But one thin
c rtain. If on king somethin
which is to b makin thing wher
chniqu of handling m teri
t structur as ning nothin. r took  musi lking bout somethin
nd of cours o on talking for time.) Th
to compos a m lody using only thre
con r mat ling, ther
cam thing by not bein
ls char t ought to et us som
ctual qu utobiogr lly. I rem
child lovin all th r on I gr lly liked
octav of Grie
cam t puppy-dog love, for th
music: it mad ying the works of
rn music, I took lik a duc ny things went to
rn music fas single ton
rn music that it f ing f ted by it I d
cid it at first is diffi t is, putting the mind on it t
call s m king lone I b
ch arn ning; they
ctually pr ling for it: for inst e: th
c ad n is this: progress in
such a w ing fooled? Not th
ctual. How ving ressions th
ctually pr voiding did not ppe
cl an sl nt- g rde.” I us
ctualiz to go throu them.


iv.