Earle Brown's Music for Cello and Piano: Analysis 

Tom Furgas So happy to hear it was useful for you.

Ivan Labra Thank you, Ivan. I'll be posting a new video very shortly.

Hello, welcome & nice to hear from you. As a quick introduction, my videos usually have a general discussion of aesthetics and historical context in the 1st half, and in the 2nd part, I go into more analytical detail about a given piece. If something is too technical you can just skip over it. For the time being I'm focusing on modern and contemporary repertoire, but I will be making a Bach video soon. Hope you enjoy my channel!

I'm afraid I don't know it very well. I've only heard one or two pieces, but he's someone I plan on getting to know in greater depth. Thanks for your comment.

Ellie McEla thank you. I may do a video on Ainsi la nuit at some point.. new video on Ives coming very soon!

thefrankonion Sure. I'm not saying Brown invented the concept of spontaneity. He rather sought a means to integrate it into the world of notated music.

I haven't had a close look at the Cage number pieces, but speaking generally, Cage was more preoccupied with the notion of compositional process than Brown was..

John Cage's number pieces utilize time brackets for each instrument. Each bracket will be a sound event. It provides a starting time for the event "e.g. begin the event between 10 seconds to a minute and a half into the piece" and ending time "e.g. end the event between 1 minute and 2 minutes into the piece" and includes typically 1 to a few number of pitches (notated with a cleff on a staff, typically as a whole note or a black head without a stem) to be played and sometimes a dynamic marking. Therefore each instrument can treat the event lengthily or as a short snippet of sound. that's the basic arrangement of the handful of scores I've studied. I thoroughly enjoy listening to performances of the number pieces as well. Hope this was helpful/informative.

I don't find that to be an unforgiveable transgression.

Thanks for your comments. No, I don't see all modern composers as equal in stature. If I did, it would mean I had no critical sense or powers of discernment.

@@samuel_andreyev What I'm driving at is Webern, Feldman, Farleybrough might be presented in equal footing "stature" musically with Stravinsky, Bartok, VWilliams, Johannes and I'd hope you somewhat agree. There are many of us outside of classical circles that despise what happened to post modern classic music. If you see all of it as musically valid then please say so. If you don't, please differentiate in order for many younger musicians can gain your insights. In other words...Call the charlatans out!

Well, in jazz the spontaneity is limited to changes or melodic improvisation derived from the head. You do get more experimental improvisation in the mid-60s, but not in 1952!

There is also Cage.