Cage notes

prepared piano= tonal relationships of scale or key are absent

no conventional tonality- doesn't explore contrasts of key and modulation

passages repeat- emphasising certain pitches

the pitched otes that exist often form pentatonic patterns

no traditional harmony

some "harmonic moments"

g7 chords at opening

parallel chords at bar 20

Binary Form

micro-macro cosmic structure

sonata 1=28

sonata 2=31

melody is a prominant feature

repetition of patterns

arch shaped melodies

limited number of pitches- pentatonicism 

grace notes

in sonata 3 treatment of motifs involve repetition, sequence, inversion and augmentation

rhythmic ideas repeated immediatley but not referred back to as the music progresses

patterns places unpredicatably against the metre

irregular rhythmic groupings

rhythmic displacement

metre changes

irregular metres are used freely

significant periods of silence

the textures in these sonatas are often sparse, involve

chords

monophony

two part homorhytm

treble movement over static or ostinato accompaniment

layered textures