MESOSTIC – a technique used by Cage for writing texts.  A new text is developed around the letters of a “key” text (a person's name, the subject of the text, or an opening phrase, such as, in the original vocal version of Eight Whiskus, “whistlin is did”), the letters of which are placed down a middle row and preceded and followed by either newly written text or (as in the Whiskus) fragments of the original source text which contain the key letter.  The syllables containing the key letter in Eight Whiskus are always set as an A natural.  (In the violin version, the whole melodic line has been transposed so that the key is expressed by an F natural.)  The other notes of the little melodies develop a limited GAMUT of MODALLY related pitches.