Cage's “26'1.1499, for String Player,” Paris France

Item Details

Italy, Pari editori & Dispari

Vintage color photograph. SiGNED with the date 6/24/75, titled with the date 5/65 by Charlotte Moorman, stamped by Pari editori & Dispari on the backside.  Unknown photographer. 17 AP/15 out of a 3 album edition- Charlotte Moorman Nam June Paik 1964-1974.
25 1/2h in x 19 5/8w (64.77h cm x 49.85w cm)

This photo captures Charlotte Moorman playing John Cage's “26'1.1499, for String Player.”  Completed in 1955, this work is part of "The Ten Thousand Things" project. It is a graph work, wherein space is equal to time. It incorporates 5 earlier Cage works: “57 /2” for a String Player,” “1' 5 1/2" for a String Player,” “1' 1/2" for a String Player,”“ 1' 18" for a String Player,” and “1' 14" for a String Player.” It may be performed with “27' 10.554" for a Percussionist,” “31' 57.9864" for a Pianist,” “34' 46.776" for a Pianist,” and “45' for a Speaker,” either as a solo or to form an ensemble piece for any combination of pianists, string players, percussionists, and speaker. The rhythmic structure is 3-7-2-5-11. The compositional means are chance operations and the use of imperfections found in the paper upon which the work is written.

Charlotte Moorman (1933–1991) was a Juilliard-trained cellist, avant-garde performance artist, and longtime collaborator of Korean-American artist Nam June Paik.  Moorman and Paik began their relationship after meeting at the 1964 New York Avant Garde Festival, which Moorman herself had organized. Through her performance of Fluxus compositions, Moorman forged a unique career in the gray area between composer and performer.