"John Cage seeks to explore the early part of the composer's life and career, concentrating on the "pre-chance" period between 1933 and 1950 that is crucial to understanding his later work. The essays consider Cage's influences, his evolving aesthetic, and his movement toward ideology that would later shape his work.

Introduction, Charles Hamm; Chapter 1 1. John Cage, Arnold Schoenberg, and the Musical Idea, David W. Bernstein; Chapter 2 2. Cultural Intersections: John Cage in Seattle (1938-1940), Leta E. Miller; Chapter 3 3. No Ear for Music: Timbre in the Early Percussion Music of John Cage, Christopher Shultis; Chapter 4 4. John Cage's Imaginary Landscape No. 1: Through the Looking Glass, Susan Key; Chapter 5 5. "A Therapeutic Value for City Dwellers": The Development of John Cage's Early Avant-Garde Aesthetic Position, Branden W. Joseph; Chapter 6 6. The Picture That Is Not in the Colors: Cage, Coomaraswamy, and the Impact of India, David W. Patterson; Chapter 7 7. An Imaginary Grid: Rhythmic Structure in Cage's Music Up to circa 1950, Paul van Emmerik; Chapter 8 8. Structure vs. Form in The Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, Chadwick Jenkins; Contributors Index;

David Patterson is at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.