"The Cage" by Charles Ives

 Noah Schlottman 3/9/15 MUSC 1050 “The Cage” by Charles Ives It s ev!ent "rom the start that “The Cage” s b#lt on a "o#n!aton o" "o#rths$ The harmony s %#artal thro#gho#t& consstng almost solely o" chor!s o" stac'e! "o#rths$ The "rst seven chor!s that ntro!#ce the song an! are re(eate! “) or 3 tmes” (rov!e a harmonc "rame*or' +a seven chor! se%#ence, that s e-(an!e! #(on n the rest o" the song$ The "rst s- o"  these are stac'e! "o#rth chor!s that move n (arallel moton an! e-(an! nto a non."o#rth chor! that em(hases the M nterval +the chor! tsel" s an m(le! 2 mnor seventh over a  mnor chor!,$ 4"ter the "rst bar& bar& ths se%#ence s (laye! agan& no* trans(ose! #( a (er"ect "o#rth an! n !""erent rhythm$ y trans(osng ths se%#ence yet agan& ths tme #( t*o (er"ect "o#rths& *e "n! the ""teenth chor!& startng the cycle agan$ Ths tme the se%#ence s nters(erse! *th “(assng” %#artal +on C2& & 2, an! %#ntal +on 4♭& 6& 2, chor!s that move n hal".ste( moton$ 4ltho#gh 4ltho#gh t retans some o" ts orgnal conto#r& ths teraton o" the se%#ence !oes n ot ncl#!e all o" the orgnal seven& omttng o mttng *hat *ere orgnally the "o#rth an! s-th chor!s n the seres an! vastly e-(an!ng on the last chor!$ Ths last chor! brea's o#t o" the a lrea!y o(en %#artal harmonc s(ace by s(ellng o#t a com(lete *hole.tone scale n the rght han! an! a !omnant seventh chor! n the le"t *th smooth voce lea!ng n contrary o#t*ar! moton$ The "nal three chor!s are a restatement o" the very "rst three *th !""erent rhythm$ The melo!y n an! o" o " tsel" moves thro#gh "ve *hole.tone collectons that brea' #( the  (oem nto "ve (hrases +accor!ng to the slashes,7 “4 leo(ar! *ent aro#n! hs cage/"rom one s!e  bac' to the other s!e8 he sto((e!/only *hen the 'ee(er came aro#n! *th meat/4 boy *ho ha!  been there three ho#rs began to *on!er/Is l"e anythng l'e that” ""erent *hole.tone *hole.tone collectons are s#ng n each (hrase& transtonng by hal".ste( bet*een all b#t the last (hrase& *hch starts a mnor thr! belo* the "o#rth (hrase$ The ma:orty o" the notes n the melo!y are also n the harmony& b#t there are !evatons "rom ths *thn each (hrase$ The harmonc an! melo!c str#ct#res !emonstrate a layerng o" !""erent cycles o" m#scal !eas that come together n a s#r(rsngly rg!.so#n!ng "rame*or'$ The mechancal tmng *th *hch t s to be (laye! as *ell as the recyclng o" %#artal harmonc relatonsh(s #(  (er"ect "o#rths are :#st t*o e-am(les o" ho* Ives m#scally !e(cts the cage;"o#r *alls enclosng "o#r constantly (acng "eet$
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 (er"orm allo*s s#ch vocal artc#laton& b#t also gves t a stlte! stlte! %#alty& snce the (ace s :#st slghtly slo*er than reg#lar s(eech b#t m#ch more en#ncate!$ The choce to (er"orm the  begnnng (ano se%#ence three tmes +*hch ma'es #( hal" the length o" the (ece, also em(hases the cyclcal elements o" the (ece an! creates an e-stng harmonc s(ace that the te-t& the boy& the melo!y only vst$ 4"ter the vocal nterr#(ton& the song en!s& b#t t s m(le! that the harmonc cycle contn#es on& :#st as t !! n the begnnng$