g companions - "in love and in work" (Hines, 1994, p. 93). While in Seattle, Cage began developing a name for himself by performing with his percussion orchestras in the area. In 1938, his interest in percussion music led him to one of the most important inventions of his musical career. This was the "prepared piano," in which objects made of metal, rubber, wood and paper were placed between the strings of the piano (Griffiths, 1994, p. 110). This procedure caused the piano to sound like a strange, exotic percussion instrument. Cage's first piece for prepared piano, Bacchanale, was written for a dance by Syvilla Fort. Cage wanted to use percussion instruments for this music; however, there was only room for a piano on the stage in the theater where the performance was to be held. In order to overcome this problem, Cage decided to transform the piano "into a percussion orchestra" by "placing objects between the strings" (Cage "An Autobiographical Statement," 1993, p. 240). Cage's work of 1946-1948, Sonatas and Interludes, provides his fullest e
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