Four Systems by John Bickerton

Four Systems (1954) is an early and influential example of Earle Brown’s open-form approach to composition. Written as a graphic score, the work replaces traditional notation with visual elements that suggest relationships of pitch, duration, dynamics, and rhythm rather than prescribing exact sounds.

Four Systems may be performed by any number of musicians using any instruments, and its duration is equally open: the piece may last as long as desired, provided the time frame is agreed upon in advance. The realization unfolds through the performers’ moment-to-moment decisions, both individually and as an ensemble. As a result, no two performances are the same—each becomes a distinct version shaped by interpretation, interaction, and chance, guided by the score’s graphic language rather than fixed notation.

On this album, composer John Bickerton offers four distinct realizations of the score, each tracing a different path through its terrain. The page is turned upside down and read in reverse, and the four systems unfold in changing orders. Through these shifting perspectives, the performances reveal the extraordinary range of possibilities that arise when a performer steps inside the open architecture of a graphic score.

John Bickerton is a composer and pianist with a background in both classical composition and jazz improvisation. He has recorded jazz trio albums for Leo Lab Records (UK) and for the CIMP (Creative Improvised Music Projects) label.

johnbickerton.com
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