Benjamin Patterson | The Scores Project

4. Benjamin Patterson: Paper Piece (1960)

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Benjamin Patterson:

Benjamin Patterson:

Benjamin Patterson:

Benjamin Patterson:

Benjamin Patterson:

Paper

Paper

Paper

Paper

Paper

Piece

Piece

Piece

Piece

Piece

(1960)

(1960)

(1960)

(1960)

(1960)

Double bassist, composer, and founding Fluxus member Benjamin Patterson wrote Paper Piece in 1960 as part of a holiday letter written from Cologne, Germany, to his parents in Pittsburgh. It is a work of experimental notation that nearly any group can play; one need only assemble sheets and bags of paper and follow the instructions to shake, break, tear, crumple, rumple, bumple, rub, scrub, twist, poof, and pop! Democratic in spirit and undeniably fun, Paper Piece would go on to become one of the most loved and performed Fluxus event scores from the 1960s and ’70s.

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Vertical rectangular red page with printed text in English. Titled “Paper Piece for 5 Performers” at top left below large margin. The page is broken into seven sections by horizontal boarders, each with five to six lines of text instructions for performance. Many lines begin with transitive verbs such as “TEAR” and “RUMPLE.” Text runs the length of the page. — Printed score of Paper Piece in English (1960)

Vertical rectangular red page with printed text in German. Titled “Papierstück für fünf Spieler “ at top left followed by a horizontal line of large circles and “Benjamin Patterson” in bold font. The page is broken into five sections by bold horizontal lines, each with five to six lines of text instructions for performance. Many lines begin with transitive verbs such as “TEAR” and “RUMPLE.” Bottom quarter of page blank. Red page pasted onto larger white page with handwritten English language text in right margin reading “P.S. do not be afraid of long and/or many silences.” — Printed score of Paper Piece in German with a handwritten note (1960)

Black-and-white photocopy of vertical rectangular page with printed text in German. Titled “Papierstück für fünf Spieler “ at top left followed by a horizontal line of large circles and “Benjamin Patterson” in bold font. The page is broken into five sections by bold horizontal lines, each with five to six lines of text instructions for performance. Many lines begin with transitive verbs such as “TEAR” and “RUMPLE.” Bottom quarter of page blank. Large boarders surround all four sides of the photocopy. — Photostat copy of printed score of Paper Piece in German (1960)

White page with six vertical black printed staves and handwritten English language text in blue pen. Top quarter of page contains list of materials, each on their own line. Bottom three quarters of page contains three sections, each with heading (“Duration,” “Procedure,” and “Dynamics”) on left side of page followed by indented instructions. Procedure section covers over half of the page. “Köln August 1960” at bottom right. — Handwritten score of Paper Piece in English on musical staff paper (1960)

White page with black handwritten text in English titled “‘Paper Piece’ for 1 to 5 performers” at top center. Page contains three sections with left-aligned headers “Instruments,” “Duration,” and “Procedure,” each followed by indented text list of instructions, some full sentences, others single words. Text runs the length of the page with procedure section covering more than two thirds of the page. — Handwritten score of Paper Piece in English on paper (1960)

White page with blue typewritten text in English titled “Paper Piece” at top center followed by three sections with left-aligned headers “instrumentation,” “duration,” “procedure,” and “By each performer” each followed by indented text list of instructions, some full sentences, others single words. Text covers two thirds length of the page, with “by each performer” section covering more than half of the page. “benjamin patterson sept. 1960, köln” below text, aligned right. Bottom third of page blank. — Typed score of Paper Piece in English (1960)

White page with three evenly spaced horizontal creases containing black handwritten text in English. Title “Paper Piece for Five Performers” “Benjamin Patterson Sept: 1960” in top margin crossed through with large X. Below, text runs the length of the page. Three sections labeled at left, “Instrumentation,” “Duration,” and “Procedure,” the last covering over half of the page. — Alternate two-page score for Paper Piece (1960)

Black-and-white film depicting audience members in a large hall receiving, tearing, passing, and throwing masses of large and small scraps of paper, as well as empty egg cartons, that have been tossed out to them from figures on a stage. Voiceover by Ben Vautier (added at a later date) describes the performance and audience members’ joyful reactions. — Performance of Paper Piece in Nice, France (1964)

Black-and-white film depicting seated audience members in an auditorium pulling segments of paper from a large roll of paper positioned near the stage and passing them all the way to the back of the hall. More and more audience members stand up as the space becomes littered with paper all around. Voiceover by Ben Vautier (added at a later date) describes with laughter the performance and audience members’ reactions. — Performance of Paper Piece in Nice, France (1964–72)

Color video of Benjamin Patterson and nine other performers mounting a stage littered with many kinds and sizes of paper, then manipulating those materials to make a diverse array of sounds. Then Patterson introduces a roll of butcher paper threaded onto a wooden pole that is quickly unfurled into the audience, which begins to make sounds with the paper also. The sound is roaring and oceanic. — Excerpt of Paper Piece performed by Benjamin Patterson, Ben Vautier, Alison Knowles, Eric Andersen, Willem de Ridder, Bengt af Klintberg, Philip Corner, Dick Higgins, Emmett Williams, and Geoffrey Hendricks, in Malmö, Sweden (1992)

Delicate rustling sounds made with paper are joined by occasional, distinct thuds, rips, abrasive scraping, and loud pops (also made with paper) until the sounds calm again to soft rustling. — Paper Piece, originally from the album Early Works, with Benjamin Patterson (director) and performers Davide Mosconi, Gabriele Bonomo, Philip Corner, Phoebe Neville, and Walter Marchetti (paper) (1999)

Fixed frame color video of five people on well lit stage behind two long tables stacked with paper. Shadowed heads of audience members are visible in left and right bottom corners. Individuals pick up newspaper sheets, magazine pages, printer pages, paper lunch bags, shopping bags and alter them in the following manner: crumple, crush, tear into small and large pieces, wave, shake, and blow. Once one sheet is altered, the individual discards it on the floor and picks up another. Process continues for almost ten minutes. By the end of the video, all of the paper that began on the table is in heaps at the performers’ feet. — Paper Piece performed by Ensemble for Experimental Music and Theater at Shinjuku Bunka Center (31 October 2012)

Audio sampler of Benjamin Patterson’s Paper Piece (1960)

Highlights

White two-page spread with black symbols and handwritten text in English. Left page contains title “String Music” at top left, followed by three paragraphs beginning one quarter from the top of the page. Large left margin contains drawing resembling tree and one short paragraph of text. Right page contains list of symbols, each some variation of an outlined circle, labeled with a word or a few short sentences. Circles are modified with hashes, short curves, letters, and crosses. List of over thirty symbols covers entire page. — String Music (1960)

Black-and-white landscape-oriented photograph of people sat in one row of auditorium chairs ripping and tossing paper into the air. Photograph shot from an aisle showing audience from the side. Paper strewn about floor in between chairs and a stage that is just visible at right edge of frame. — Performance of Benjamin Patterson’s Paper Piece at the Fluxus Festival, Hypokriterion Theater, Amsterdam (23 June 1963)

Binder notebook with white unlined pages and black cover. Pages 1–21 contain loose leaf notes, flyers, and hand drawn diagrams. Most pages contain handwritten English language text in pen or pencil. Pages 22–94 contain two page spreads in bound notebook, most with handwritten pen or pencil notes in English, hand drawn diagrams, lists, and doodles. Most densely packed pages contain around fifteen lines of text, although most pages contain less. Pages 95–138 contain loose leaf white pages with typed or handwritten notes, lined and graph paper with handwritten notes, and pages ripped from books. Some pages contain hand drawn diagrams. — Benjamin Patterson’s notes on philosophy and art (selections) (1960s)

Cream square page with matrix of diagonal lines crossing the page from one side to another to create an array of polygons, many with a single letter A, B, C, or D inside. — Décollage Solo for Wolf Vostell, with a letter from Wolf Vostell (April 1960)

White page with black typewritten text in English. Two columns run the length of the page and bisect it vertically. Title “Variations for Double-Bass” at top of first column followed by seventeen-point list of instructive sentences that continues into the second column. “cologne, 1961. revised Pittsburgh, 1962” at bottom of second column. — Variations for Double-Bass (1961, rev. 1962)

Scores (9 items)

White page with black diagrams and handwritten text in English. Titled “Situations for 3 Pianos” at top center, followed by Patterson’s signature, two sections that run the length of the page, each with one paragraph of text followed by a row of diagrams containing boxes, dots, and connecting lines. Some diagrams contain extra explanatory text below. — “Situations” for 3 Pianos (1960)

White two-page spread with black symbols and handwritten text in English. Left page contains title “String Music” at top left, followed by three paragraphs beginning one quarter from the top of the page. Large left margin contains drawing resembling tree and one short paragraph of text. Right page contains list of symbols, each some variation of an outlined circle, labeled with a word or a few short sentences. Circles are modified with hashes, short curves, letters, and crosses. List of over thirty symbols covers entire page. — String Music (1960)

White page with short, uneven line segments placed sparsely throughout. Otherwise, blank. — Ants (1960)

Cream square page with matrix of diagonal lines crossing the page from one side to another to create an array of polygons, many with a single letter A, B, C, or D inside. — Décollage Solo for Wolf Vostell, with a letter from Wolf Vostell (April 1960)

White page with black hand drawn symbols and handwritten text in English. Titled “Duo 1961” at top center below upper margin, followed by Patterson’s signature and one paragraph of text that covers one half of the page. Bottom half of page contains list of symbols and corresponding labels, some single words and others short phrases. — Duo for Voice and a String Instrument (1961)

White page with black typewritten text in English. Two columns run the length of the page and bisect it vertically. Title “Variations for Double-Bass” at top of first column followed by seventeen-point list of instructive sentences that continues into the second column. “cologne, 1961. revised Pittsburgh, 1962” at bottom of second column. — Variations for Double-Bass (1961, rev. 1962)

White page with black typewritten text in English. Two columns run the length of the page, bisecting it vertically. Columns contain paragraphs of text and lists grouped into four sections across both columns. Each begins with title in all capitalized letters: “Overture,” Septet from “Lemons’“ “Solo Dance from ‘Lemons’“ and “Traffic Light - A Very Lawful Dance - For Ennis.” — Assorted text scores (1961–62)

White page with black typewritten text in English. Titled “‘Pond’“ at top followed by “benjamin patterson” at top center below margin. Three paragraphs of double spaced text begin just below center and run to the end of the page. — Pond (1962)

White page with typewritten text “methods and processes” and “benjamin patterson” on two lines just above center, aligned left. Arrow-pointed line arcs out from bottom right to middle center. “grasp here” at bottom right near base of line. — Methods and Processes (1962)

Programs and flyers (2 items)

White paper two-page spread flyer with black printed text in German. Left contains program with composers and composition titles at center in an outlined rectangular box. Time, date, and location of performance at bottom. ““Herr David Tudor”“ in blue pen at top center. Right contains full-page text ad for Galerie Parnass. — Invitation and program sent to David Tudor for the exhibition Kleinen Sommerfest: Après John Cage, organized by George Maciunas and Benjamin Patterson at Galerie Parnass, Wuppertal, West Germany (9 June 1962)

White envelope with handwritten address of Pyla and Ben Patterson at bottom center, black ink and sticker stamp at top right, and address of Fischbach gallery at left, oriented vertically. — Postcard from George Brecht to Benjamin Patterson (7 April 1965)

Photographs (5 items)

Black-and-white landscape-oriented photograph of four men and three women sat indoors in an arc around a table. Most are looking to the man sat furthest right whose hands are in motion. — Benjamin Patterson, Hans G. Helms, Ursula Kagel, Khris Helms, David Tudor, and others performing George Brecht’s Card-Piece for Voice (1959) as part of the “Contre-Festival,” organized during the IGNM-Weltmusikfestes, Atelier Mary Bauermeister, Cologne, Germany (15 June 1960)

Black-and-white photograph with overhead view of four men punching holes in suspended sheet of paper. At the top of frame, just in view, seated audience faces the opposite side of the sheet. — Photos of the Neo-Dada in der Musik festival, Kammerspiele, Düsseldorf (1962)

Black-and-white full-body photograph of man in suit turned away from camera to play upright base while holding a hammer. In the background, a man behind lectern on raised stage smiles to camera. — Benjamin Patterson performing Variations for Double-Bass at Kleinen Sommerfest: Après John Cage, Galerie Parnass, Wuppertal, West Germany (9 June 1962)

Black-and-white landscape-oriented photograph of people sat in one row of auditorium chairs ripping and tossing paper into the air. Photograph shot from an aisle showing audience from the side. Paper strewn about floor in between chairs and a stage that is just visible at right edge of frame. — Performance of Benjamin Patterson’s Paper Piece at the Fluxus Festival, Hypokriterion Theater, Amsterdam (23 June 1963)

Black-and-white photograph of stage shot from house right. Suspended sheet of white paper spans width of stage and contains one human-sized gash at left and large hole at right. Stage floor in front of sheet strewn with ripped and crumpled paper. — Benjamin Patterson and Oscar van Alphen performing Paper Piece at the Fluxus Festival, Hypokriterion Theater, Amsterdam (23 June 1963)

Audio / Video (1 item)

Color video showing Benjamin Patterson and four other performers pick up from the floor of a stage pieces of paper of various sizes and weights and make sounds with them by throwing, tearing, rubbing, and crumpling them. A large roll of paper is passed into the audience, and the entire hall of spectators begin to participate in the performance. — Performance of Very Lawful Dance for Ennis at Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (2012)

Press clippings (1 item)

Yellowing newspaper sheet containing black-and-white photographs and black printed text. Two photos and title graphic “Way Way Way Out” on left and two columns of text in English on right. Photographs show men on a stage in motion, the first a man smashing a violin. Text columns run the length of the page. — Interview with Benjamin Patterson in Emmett Williams’s “Way Way Way Out,” in The Stars and Stripes, 11 (30 August 1962)

Correspondence (4 items)

White lined notebook page with black handwritten correspondence in English. Addressed ““David”“ at left below margin followed by four short paragraphs that end just above the final quarter of the page. Signature at right below text. Address in top margin at right. Empty right margin is three quarters width of the page. — Letter from Benjamin Patterson to David Tudor (14 December 1960)

Recto of white lined notebook page with black handwritten correspondence in English. Thin lines of text cover entire page; no margins. Use of all-capitalized words throughout. Small diagram of funnel, rectangle and circle at bottom left. “Dear Ben” at top left. — Letter from George Maciunas to Benjamin Patterson (January 1963)

Verso of white rectangular postcard with black ink stamp at center reading “After April I will be unreachable by Fluxus” followed by black signature of George Brecht. Otherwise, blank. — Postcard from George Brecht to Benjamin Patterson (22 April 1963)

Verso of white rectangular postcard with black printed text in English. “8 Rooms” at bottom left, address for George Brecht at top left, black ink and sticker stamps at top right, and handwritten address for Pyla and Ben Patterson at center right. — Postcard from George Brecht to Benjamin Patterson (21 January 1964)

Manuscript (1 item)

White page with black typewritten text in English titled “Regimental History (fragments) for Jackson MacLow” at top center below margin. Page contains twelve groupings (three across and four down) of seven lines each. Lines contain a single word or phrase, with the majority either “died” “discharged” or “deserted.” — Poems (1960s)

Archival materials (3 items)

Binder notebook with white unlined pages and black cover. Pages 1–21 contain loose leaf notes, flyers, and hand drawn diagrams. Most pages contain handwritten English language text in pen or pencil. Pages 22–94 contain two page spreads in bound notebook, most with handwritten pen or pencil notes in English, hand drawn diagrams, lists, and doodles. Most densely packed pages contain around fifteen lines of text, although most pages contain less. Pages 95–138 contain loose leaf white pages with typed or handwritten notes, lined and graph paper with handwritten notes, and pages ripped from books. Some pages contain hand drawn diagrams. — Benjamin Patterson’s notes on philosophy and art (selections) (1960s)

Yellow legal pad page with typewritten text in English. Top fifth contains title and section titled procedure. Bottom four fifths contain two single spaced paragraphs that run the length of the page. Four sets of three numbers on left margin spaced at irregular intervals. — Written documentation by Alison Knowles of her performance of Benjamin Patterson’s Final Exam (1 June 1965)

White page with black line portrait of man in glasses smoking from a pipe at his lips. — Portrait of Benjamin Patterson