John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 - August 12, 1992) was an American composer, philosopher, poet, music theorist, artist, printmaker, and amateur mycologist and mushroom collector. A pioneer of chance music, electronic music and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Critics have lauded him as one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives. Source: Wikipedia.
Variations III is one of a series of eight of Cage's "Indeterminate"
compositions in which performers are expected to "compose" their
performances, using chance processes. Each performer's part is
created by the use of chance events (interpreting 42 dropped
transparent sheets -- upon which are printed circles -- one on
another)
...and the performance itself is influenced by chance events (deliberately uncoordinated performer's actions.)
Variations I through Variations VII were published between 1958 and 1966. (Variations VIII, a special case, came much later, in 1978.)
Cage often said during this period that he "wanted to make performers free." To do this in the Variations series he specified less and less from one piece to the next, giving the performers increasingly more discretion (and responsibility). Variations I involves many plastic sheets, and comparatively specific instructions. Variations VIII, the last in the series, contains no transparent sheets and no instructions, only a page of unexplained sketches and scribbled comments. The performer has been given total discretion.
For tonight's performance each player has prepared a part independently, and all have agreed in advance to use radios for all sounds.