If you're a fan of John Cage or you've ever wanted to experiment with “prepared” piano, this library is the ultimate resource. Based on Cage's written instructions, the two-CD set meticulously re-creates the preparation used in Sonatas & Interludes, the composer's landmark work from the mid-1940s. Nuts, bolts, screws, and pieces of rubber and wood (most from the original collection) were wedged between the strings of a Steinway model B according to Cage's detailed Table of Preparation at the head of the score.



The piano was then sampled in 24-bit resolution at three dynamic levels (p, mf, f) for staccato and sustained notes with all pedals up and also with the soft pedal down. The wide-ranging collection of presets is the only sample library authorized by the John Cage Trust. It affords a rare opportunity to accurately reproduce the music of John Cage without jamming a bunch of hardware into the family piano.



If you're not interested in its historical value, you can use the library as a palette for creating new sonic textures. Improvising on many of the patches produces an Indonesian-gamelan-meets-American-Steinway sound that is both fascinating and fun to play.