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''Sonatas and Interludes'' is a collection of twenty pieces for prepared piano by American avant-garde composer John Cage (1912–1992). It was composed in 1946–1948, 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,〔Reiko Ishii. ''The Development of Extended Piano Techniques in Twentieth-Century American Music'', pp. 38–41. The Florida State University, College of Music, 2005. (Available online ) (accessed December 29, 2007).〕〔Pritchett, p. 32.〕 ''Sonatas and Interludes'' is generally recognized as one of Cage's finest achievements.〔Pritchett, Grove: "''Sonatas and Interludes'' is a truly exceptional work and may be said to mark the real start of Cage's mature compositional life."〕〔Nicholls, p. 80: "Most critics agree that ''Sonatas and Interludes'' (1946–48) is the finest composition of Cage's early period."〕 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.〔 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.〔Cage, p. 57.〕 == History of composition == Cage underwent an artistic crisis in the early 1940s.〔Nicholls, p. 81. In addition to problems in his artistic life, Cage also had to deal with personal troubles: a divorce from his wife of ten years in 1945, and a change in his sexuality that had happened by 1942. For details on this topic, see Marjorie Perloff, Charles Junkerman: ''John Cage: Composed in America'', University of Chicago Press, 1994. ISBN 0-226-66057-5.〕 His compositions were rarely accepted by the public,〔Pritchett, p. 36.〕 and he grew more and more disillusioned with the idea of art as communication. He later gave an account of the reasons: "Frequently I misunderstood what another composer was saying simply because I had little understanding of his language. And I found other people misunderstanding what I myself was saying when I was saying something pointed and direct".〔John Cage interview by Johnatan Cott, 1963. Available as streaming audio at (the Internet Archive ) (accessed December 29, 2007).〕 At the beginning of 1946, Cage met Gita Sarabhai, an Indian musician who came to the United States concerned about Western influence on the music of her country. Sarabhai wanted to spend several months in the US, studying Western music. She took lessons in counterpoint and contemporary music with Cage, who offered to teach her for free if she taught him about Indian music in return.〔Cage, p. 127.〕 Sarabhai agreed and through her Cage became acquainted with Indian music and philosophy. The purpose of music, according to Sarabhai's teacher in India, was "to sober and quiet the mind, thus rendering it susceptible to divine influences",〔〔Cage, pp. 158, 226.〕 and this definition became one of the cornerstones of Cage's view on music and art in general. At around the same time, Cage began studying the writings of the Indian art historian Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. Among the ideas that influenced Cage was the description of the rasa aesthetic and of its eight "permanent emotions". These emotions are divided into two groups: four white (humor, wonder, erotic, and heroic—"accepting one's experience", in Cage's words〔) and four black (anger, fear, disgust, and sorrow). They are the first eight of the ''navarasas'' or ''navrasas'' ("nine emotions"), and they have a common tendency towards the ninth of the ''navarasas'': tranquility.〔Cage quoted in Kostelanetz, p. 67.〕 Cage never specified which of the pieces relate to which emotions, or whether there even exists such direct correspondence between them.〔Pritchett, p. 30.〕 He mentioned, though, that the "pieces with bell-like sounds suggest Europe and others with a drum-like resonance suggest the East".〔Cage, booklet text for Ajemian's recording of the cycle: ''John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes'', Composers Recordings Inc. CRI 700 (reissue).〕 (A short excerpt from Sonata II, which is clearly inspired by Eastern music: .〔Perry, p. 48.〕) Cage also stated that Sonata XVI, the last of the cycle (), is "clearly European. It was the signature of a composer from the West."〔Kostelanetz, p. 67.〕 Cage started working on the cycle in February 1946, while living in New York City. The idea of a collection of short pieces was apparently prompted by the poet Edwin Denby, who had remarked that short pieces "can have in them just as much as long pieces can".〔Cage quoted in Pritchett, p. 29.〕 The choice of materials and the technique of piano preparation in ''Sonatas and Interludes'' were largely dependent on improvisation: Cage later wrote that the cycle was composed "by playing the piano, listening to differences () making a choice".〔Cage, pp. 19–57, essay ''Composition as Process''. Cage uses the same description of the process several times, but it is unclear whether he refers to piano preparation only or composition as well.〕 On several accounts he offered a poetic metaphor for this process, comparing it with collecting shells while walking along a beach.〔〔Cage, p. 25.〕 Work on the project was interrupted in early 1947, when Cage made a break to compose ''The Seasons'', a ballet in one act also inspired by ideas from Indian philosophy. Immediately after ''The Seasons'' Cage returned to ''Sonatas and Interludes'', and by March 1948 it was completed. Cage dedicated ''Sonatas and Interludes'' to Maro Ajemian, a pianist and friend. Ajemian performed the work many times since 1949, including one of the first performances of the complete cycle on January 12, 1949, in Carnegie Hall. On many other occasions in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Cage performed it himself. Critical reaction was uneven, but mostly positive,〔''The New York Times'' review of the Carnegie Hall concert quoted in Pritchett, p. 35: "The work "left one with the feeling that Mr. Cage is one of this country's finest composers."〕 and the success of ''Sonatas and Interludes'' led to a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, which Cage received in 1949, allowing him to make a six-month trip to Europe. There he met Olivier Messiaen, who helped organize a performance of the work for his students in Paris on June 7, 1949; and he befriended Pierre Boulez, who became an early admirer of the work and wrote a lecture about it for the June 17, 1949 performance at the salon of Suzanne Tézenas in Paris.〔For details and the full text of Boulez' lecture, see Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Robert Samuels, Jean-Jacques Nattiez, ''The Boulez-Cage Correspondence'', translated by Robert Samuels, Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-521-48558-4.〕 While still living in Paris, Cage began writing ''String Quartet in Four Parts'', yet another work influenced by Indian philosophy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sonatas and Interludes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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