The word aleatory is derived from the Latin alea,
that is, a die. (Julius Caesar exclaimed after crossing the Rubicon, Alea jacta est.
) Aleatory music in the literal sense is not a new invention. Dice music
was a popular parlor game in the eighteenth century. A celebrated example is Musikaisches Warfespiel, attributed to Mozart. In the second half of the twentieth century, composers of the avant-garde introduced true aleatory methods. A pioneer work was Music of Changes by
John CageJohn Cage...
