The Selected Letters of John Cage. John Cage
music but cannot pay for it. They say, for instance, that even though they gave only board and room to six people, that that has to be paid for by someone. Dr. Reinhardt has given me a letter stating their interest in the work to be done, their desire to have it at Mills, and their lack of funds. We are hoping that one of the companies above or corporations or some individuals will support the project.
Have you any suggestions? If support for the project is obtained, would it be possible for me to use the Rhythmicon50 which you mentioned is at Stanford? I would continue to arrange percussion concerts with the gradual introduction of whatever is practical and possible in the field of electronic music. I would like to have a laboratory donated by one of the big companies mentioned above. I would need the cooperation of a scientist. In the neighborhood of Mills there is an experimentally minded radio technician, who helped in the last concert with the amplification of the marimbula.
Moholy-Nagy also wants the project in Chicago in connection with the School of Design,51 also has no funds. Xenia is busy translating Russolo’s Art of Noise, published by the Italian Futurists in Italy in 1916. Their instruments were apparently mechanical, rotating bodies, having sliding ranges of about two octaves. I am at present making a library research of what has been accomplished in the field of electronic music.
I would deeply appreciate any suggestions that you may have about any aspect of this work.
I am glad that, as you say, things are opening up. Please write to me soon, and let me know what your ideas are.
To Henry Cowell
August 16, 1940 | Location not indicated
Dear Henry:
Thanks for your letter and all the fine suggestions. Things are going ahead. I am to have an interview with an executive engineer of the research dept. of General Electric. My father has invented a new instrument which may be capable of marvels. An engineer in the Federal Radio Co. here was so interested that he has gone ahead on its construction at his own expense so that he can tell his grandchildren about it. The Federal Radio is a subsidiary of the Conn Instruments, and this engineer believes that the Conn Instr. Co. might be interested in supporting the project at Mills. I cannot wait to hear the instrument. The first one will be simple, but should be capable of varying the wave-form, frequency, amplitude and to do some very interesting things with durations from my father’s description of it. I shall write to Lucille Rosen right away.52 I hope that she will loan us the theremin instruments. Varese is very interested and hopes the project goes through.53 He would like to be at Mills say two months out of each year, which I shall attempt to make a part of the plans. I shall send you scores for consideration for N.M. as soon as I return to S.F. where they are. I shall see Bender at that time too.
Reply from Carnegie Corp. not promising. Keppel says that they are faced with a decreased budget.
Guggenheim sent me ordinary blanks for fellowship application which doesn’t seem to me to apply in this situation where several people will be involved.
I have also written to Rockefeller Foundation, Whitney Found[ation]. Am making as many contacts with individuals as I can.
Conversations with Varese were very exciting.
As soon as the thing becomes settled, shall write possibilities of instruments to you. One of the most important things will be to have music to play on these new instruments. Concerts will also present percussion music. Am enclosing list of percussion instruments.*
I am going to try to get G.E. to donate amplifiers, microphones, loudspeakers, etc. in abundance. I am certain that this project will take place, because the idea is so good and so necessary.
JOHN CAGE
JULY 8, 1940
LIST OF PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
| 1 snare drum | 8 pr. snare sticks |
| 8 bass drums | 5 misc. snare sticks |
| 5 Chinese tom toms (black) | 1 bass drum beater |
| 5 Chinese tom toms (small painted) | 2 pr. tymp. sticks (good) |
| 1 Japanese Noh drum | 1 pr. tymp. sticks (bamboo) |
| 8 wood blocks | 3 odd tymp. sticks |
| 6 dragons’ mouths | 8 pr. hard felt beaters |
| 1 tortoise shell | 3 wire brushes |
| 1 pr. bones | 1 pr. cymbal beaters |
| 3 pr. metal beaters | |
| 1 pr. bongos | 3 gong beaters |
| 1 quijadas | 3 Chinese cloth beaters |
| 1 guiro | 1 odd hard felt beater (bamboo) |
| 1 marimbula | 1 reg. triangle beater |
| 4 pr. claves | 3 metal sticks |
| 1 leather beater | |
| 4 pr. maracas | 1 pr. hard rubber beaters (black) |
| 1 Indo-Chinese rattle | 1 " " " " (gray-green) |
| 1 Indian rattle | 2 " " " " (red) |
| 1 sistrum | 2 odd " " " |
| 1 tambourine | 1 tam tam beater |
| 7 misc. wooden beaters | |
| 2 pr. finger cymbals | 3 leather beaters (temple gongs) |
| 1 pr. crash cymbals | 3 small beaters (cup gongs) |
| 1 Zildjian cymbal (Turkish) | 9 chopsticks (not marked) |
| 4 Chinese cymbals | 1 saw blade |
| 1 pr. jazz cymbals | 1 hand saw |
| 3 metal cylinders | |
| 5 gongs | 2 forks |
| 1 tam tam | 1 slap stick |
| 1 Chinese painted gong | 1 bass drum foot pedal |
| 1 metronome | |
| 3 Temple gongs with stands | 1 snare stand (2 pieces) |
| 5 Japanese cup gongs with stands | 1 jazz cymbal holder |
| 4 rice bowls | 3 standards |
| 1 wind bell | 1 keyboard-length board (felt) |
| 6 curtains | |
| 1 string of oxen bells (13 bells) | °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° |
| 1 set orchestral bells | 4 triangles |
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