Eight Whiskus (1984)

Eight Whiskus was originally written for solo voice, its lyrics comprising eight mesostics ("whiskus" is a lovely portmanteau of "whistling" and "haikus", and I think it captures the mood of the music quite well). In 1985, Cage wrote a version for solo violin, reworked, according to johncage.org, "such that the vowel and consonant qualities of the poem are transformed into various bowing positions, gradations of bowing pressure, and forms of articulation".

The most notable aspect of the piece is just how musically traditional it is; this is particularly clear to me with the violin version, though that's perhaps just because I'm more accustomed to solo violin than solo voice. Both versions however consist entirely of traditional, monophonic melodies, bringing to mind pieces like Cheap Imitation and Litany for the Whale. But whereas those were long pieces that didn't seem to go anywhere, this is short enough - only four to six minutes overall, and containing eight movements - that the impression of meandering aimlessness doesn't really arise, at least not with such force. I'm guessing that for most people, this would be a much easier listen.

Nevertheless, like those pieces, this certainly has a mood of stillness and tranquility. It is quiet - lonely, even - and the melody is reserved and cerebral, though perhaps with a tinge of sadness. Simple and low-key but beautiful in my opinion.

I don't know what the method was of converting vowels and consonants into violin sounds, but the result is that the violin version has plenty of subtle but interesting variations in timbre: some notes are scratchy, some smooth, some airy, some short and muted, there's a little vibrato here and there, etc. Occasionally, a high-pitched scraping sound, presumably the sound of the bow against the strings, occurs along with the note. All of this adds a lot of character to the music and makes it an intriguing listen despite its more traditional approach. The vocal version is of course rather more straightforward, though still lovely and it complements the violin version very well. Eight Whiskus is not a particularly important composition, but I find it quite impressive.