Dick Higgins

Danger Music Number One

Spontaneously catch hold of a hoist hook and be raised up at least three stories.
 
 

April 1961


Danger Music Number Two

Hat. Rags. Paper. Heave. Shave.
 
 

May 1961


Danger Music Number Nine

(for Nam June Paik)

Volunteer to have your spine removed.
 
 

February 1962


Danger Music Number Eleven (for George)

Change your mind repeatedly in a lyrical manner about Roman Catholicism
 
 

February 1962


Danger Music Number Twelve

Write a thousand symphonies.
 
 

March l962


Danger Music Number Fourteen

From a magnetic tape with anything on it, remove a predetermined length of tape. Splice the ends of this length together to form a loop, then insert one side of the loop into a tape recorder, and hook the other side over an insulated nail, hook, pencil or other similar object, to hold the tape and to provide the minimum of slack needed for playing of the loop. Play the loop as long as useful.
 
 

May 1962


Danger Music Number Fifteen (for the Dance)

Work with butter and eggs for a time.
 
 

May 1962


Danger Music Number Seventeen

Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream! Scream!
 
 

May 1962


Danger Music Number Twenty- Nine

Get a job for its own sake.
 
 

March 1963


Danger Music Number Thirty-One

Liberty and committee work!
 
 

March 1963
 
 

Danger Music Number Thirty-Two

(for George Maciunas)

Do not abide by your decision.
 
 

April 1, 1963


Danger Music Number Thirty-Three

(for Henning Christiansen)

Have a ball show.
 
 

May 1963


Judgment for String and Brass

A brass musical instrument, string, and a performer are required for this piece.

 The performer slowly wraps the brass instrument in the string, exercising the greatest economy of movement.
 
 

Spring 1963


Anger Song Number 6 ('Smash')

1. Inviting the people to come free, if they bring whistles and hammers.
 
 

2. Arraying and hanging as many breakable images around the room as possible -- fine bottles, decanters, flower pots and vases, busts of Wagner, religious sculptures, etc.
 
 

3. When they come, explaining the rules: a) They surround the ringleader. b) He turns, ad lib. c) When he has his back to anyone, this person is as silent as possible. d) When he has his side to anyone, this person blows his whistle repeatedly, not too loud. e) When he faces anyone, this person blows his whistle as loudly and violently as possible. f) When he actually looks into anyone's face, this person smashes an image with his hammer.
 
 

4. Continuing from beginning until all of the images are smashed.
 
 

Summer 1966


From Twelve Lectures about the Same Thing or Bartenders Who have no Wings

Act Three

A cigar store. An Apollo emerges from behind the counter. He says, 'I am not really an APOLLO.'
 
 

Act Six

A very pretty naked girl. After a time she notices that she is naked and is somewhat embarrassed.
 
 

Act Seven

A man with a Belgian flag, a woman with a Greek flag, and a man with a Guyanese flag. The man with the Belgian flag says, 'This is not a Cuban flag.' The woman with the Greek flag says, 'This is not a Guyanese flag.' The man with the Guyanese flag says, 'I am not French.'
 
 

May 31, 1966


Constellation No. 4

A sound is made. The sound is to have a clearly-defined percussive attack and decay (such as produced by plucking strings, hitting gongs, bells, helmets or tubes). Each performer produces his sound efficiently and almost simultaneously with other performers' sounds. Each sound is produced only once.
 
 

Date unknown