# Notations > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Notations > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Notations.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notations > Source revision: 1332414603 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1969 book by John Cage This article is about the book. For other uses, see [Notation (disambiguation)](/source/Notation_(disambiguation)). First edition ***Notations*** is a book that was edited and compiled by American [avant-garde](/source/Avant-garde) [composer](/source/Composer) [John Cage](/source/John_Cage) (1912–1992) with [Alison Knowles](/source/Alison_Knowles) and first published in 1969 by Something Else Press.[1][2] The book is made up of a large collection of [graphical scores](/source/Graphical_scores), [facsimiles](/source/Facsimile) of [holographs](/source/Holograph), from the [Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts](/source/Foundation_for_Contemporary_Arts), with text by 269 [composers](/source/Composer), which are presented in alphabetical order, with each score allotted equal space, and in which the editor has no more authority than the reader in assigning value to the work.[3] The book includes the handwritten lyric sheet for [the Beatles](/source/The_Beatles)' song "[The Word](/source/The_Word_(song))" from the album *[Rubber Soul](/source/Rubber_Soul)* (1965). The text of the book was created using chance procedures to determine which of the 269 composers would be asked to write about their work, and how many words each entry was to consist of. These pieces of writing, which contain from one to sixty-four words, are preceded by paragraph signs. The typesetting was done by Alison Knowles using chance-derived mixtures of typefaces and sizes. There are also comments by Cage and other writers included throughout the book, typeset using similar procedures. In 2009, Theresa Sauer produced the follow-up *Notations 21* published by Mark Batty Publisher.[4] Inspired by the work of Cage and Knowles, it contained illustrated musical scores from more than 100 composers along with commentary from each composer. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECageKnowles1969_1-0)** [Cage & Knowles 1969](#CITEREFCageKnowles1969). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJohn_Cage_Collection_2-0)** [John Cage Collection](#CITEREFJohn_Cage_Collection). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKostelanetz_3-0)** [Kostelanetz](#CITEREFKostelanetz). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESauer_4-0)** [Sauer](#CITEREFSauer). ### Sources - Cage, John; Knowles, Alison (1969). *Notations*. New York: Something Else Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0871100002](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0871100002). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [33372429](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/33372429). - ["John Cage Collection"](http://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/evanston-campus/music-library/collections/special-collections/john-cage). Northwestern University Library. - Kostelanetz, Richard. ["The Anarchist Art of John Cage"](http://www.sterneck.net/john-cage/kostelanetz/index.php). sterneck.net. - Sauer, Theresa (2009). *Notations 21*. Mark Batty Publisher. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0979554643](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0979554643). v t e John Cage List of compositions Works for prepared piano Music Constructions (1939–41) Imaginary Landscapes No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 (1939–52) Music for an Aquatic Ballet (1938) Living Room Music (1940) "The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs" (1942) Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48) The Seasons (1947) String Quartet in Four Parts (1950) "A Flower" (1950) Music of Changes (1951) 4′33″ (1952) 27' 10.554" (1956) Variations (1958–67) Variations VII (1966) Cheap Imitation (1969) HPSCHD (1969) Song Books (1970) Etudes Australes (1974–75) Apartment House 1776 (1976) Etudes Boreales (1978) Freeman Etudes (1977–90) Roaratorio (1979) As Slow as Possible (1985/1987) But What About the Noise ... (1986) Europeras (1987–91) Number Pieces (1987–92) Books Silence (1961) A Year from Monday (1968) Notations (1969) M (1973) Empty Words (1979) X (1983) Depictions The Revenge of the Dead Indians (1993) Related Crete Cage (mother) Xenia Cage (wife) Indeterminacy in music West Coast School Foundation for Contemporary Arts Category This article about a music publication is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Music-publication-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AMusic-publication-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Music-publication-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Notations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notations) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notations?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.