Bill Solomon

West Coast Group composers John Cage, Henry Cowell, and Lou Harrison wrote some of the earliest works for percussion ensemble. They were also all queer men, suggesting that there was a possibly a connection between their queer sexualities and their engagement with the percussion ensemble in the 1930s and early 1940s. Part I of this essay explores the relationship between queer sexuality and percussion by examining the various ways in which the composers’ queer lives intersected with the creation of the percussion ensemble. This discussion results in a deeper understanding of the queer sensibility that informed the development of the percussion ensemble, including interactions with modern dance, Asian influences, and collaborative working methods. An analysis of Cage and Harrison’s Double Music brings together the various discussions presented in relation to queerness and the percussion ensemble. In Part II, a detailed look at the influence modern dance exerted upon the West Coast percussion ensemble will further demonstrate one critical queer influence on early percussion works. An important musical device used in dance music was the ostinato; the use of the ostinato in early percussion ensemble repertoire reveals the ensemble’s codependence on early modern dance. Analysis of percussion works by Beyer, Cage, Cowell, Harrison, Humphrey, and Strang, will show how percussion developed alongside modern dance in four distinct stages; particular focus on usage of the ostinato will show how dance tangibly impacted the repertoire.
“Cage, Cowell, Harrison, and Queer Influences on the Percussion Ensemble, 1932 - 1943” by William Solomon, University of Hartford, Hartt School, Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance, 2016.