TABLE OF CONTENTS

holds a unique position within the composer’s oeuvre as the first work based in part on chance-derived compositional procedures. Cage entered into such practice gradually, incrementally abandoning subjective taste and personal expression through the course of the work. Drawing from the philosophical framework provided by Cage’s “Lecture on Nothing ” (1950) and “Lecture on Something ” (c. 1951-52), this thesis explores the aesthetic foundations of the concerto and examines Cage’s compositional methodology throughout its three movements. Special attention is paid to the procedure underlying the first movement, whose analysis is based largely on the composer’s manuscript materials for the work. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Access to the manuscript compositional materials that formed the basis of this study was made possible by the John Cage Trust via its executive director, Laura Kuhn. I wish to thank the Trust for granting me permission to photocopy these materials in the course of research and for supporting the study of John Cage’s music