John Cage - Sonata II

Sonata II by John Cage that is part of his work Sonatas and Interludes which consist of 20 piano pieces and was composed in the post-WWII era, can be described as unusual, out-of-line and different for me. 

For my listening response, I first sat down and listened to the piece without a visual input and my eyes closed. Right in the beginning, the first sounds awoke my mind and the irregular sequence of sounds create a feeling of unsteadiness that can almost be described as a nervous, anxious and stressful feeling. 

This feeling is emphasized when the rhythm picks up and about a minute in of listening to Sonata II the music feels like a hustle or run due to its fast repetition of the same tone, which then peaks into the extremely speedy and rapid repetition of the sounds, which reminded me of a construction side since it sounded like something is hit or a hammer/tools are used on steel. 

After the first peak of sound, the Sonata gets smoother again, sounding more melodic and rhythmic for me, due to the use of a little darker/lower tunes. This is followed by a sequence that reminded me of the beginning of the piece. 

In the end, the piece repeats the peak of fast sound again, leaving me as a listener with an almost exhausted feeling, almost like one could image to feel after a chase. 

For my second listening approach, I decided to watch Sonata II with visual input and listened to the version by Inara Ferreira. The visual addition supported my perception of the piece and the emotions of restlessness and unsteadiness. However, having the visual impact of seeing the piano and the vision of nails being stuck in the piano empathized these emotions and made them feel even harder ("like steel") and the piece even more "chopped off" for me. Additionally, the peaks of Sonata II also felt more intense with the addition of the visual component because the rushing movement of piano keys, the inside of the piano and the artist fingers supported the rushing movement of the music. 

Another aspect that was added to my perception of Sonata II by seeing an artist perform the piece was the acknowledgment for the art and the work that was put into this piece composing it and is until today put into the piece by an artist practicing and performing it. The piece performed by the artist  made the art of John Cage's music, and it's genius more visible for me as a listener and left me with an unsteady but amazed and impressed feeling after listening to Sonata II.