A Flower

A Flower is a song for voice and closed piano by John Cage. It was composed in 1950, for a choreography by Louise Lippold, wife of sculptor Richard Lippold. There is no text; the singer vocalises a small number of phonemes such as "uh", "wah", etc., without vibrato. Instructions given in the score include, for some passages, "like a pigeon" and "like a wild duck". The entire vocal line is constructed of just four pitches, except for a single bar near the end where a fifth pitch is used. The pianist plays by hitting the piano lid in various ways - with his fingers, with his knuckles, etc. The composition is somewhat similar to the earlier work for voice and closed piano, The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs.

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References

  1. ↑ Cage, John (1960). A Flower: voice and closed piano (Peters Edition 6711 ed.). Henmar Press. ISBN 9790300735160. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  2. ↑ Cage, John. "A Flower". Oxford Lieder. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  3. ↑ "A Flower (1950) - John Cage". Wise Music Classical. Retrieved January 23, 2026.