UCLA

In this dissertation, I examine the Freeman Etudes composed by American composer, artist, writer, and philosopher, John Cage (1912-1992). Written towards the end of his life, the Freeman Etudes maturely encapsulates the versatile qualities of Cage’s compositional mannerism — his love affair with Orientalism and Aleatoricism. Unfortunately, this collection of solo violin etudes are rarely performed by modern violinists. There is scant scholarly discourse regarding this collection when considering the amount of scholarship centred on John Cage. The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate the rationale behind Freeman Etudes’ elusiveness and argue that this collection could be of more relevance for violinists of today.