Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
On this day, Sptember 5, 1912, John Cage was born.
John Cage
Cage in 1988
Born: John Milton Cage Jr.; September 5, 1912; Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died: August 12, 1992 (aged 79); New York City, U.S.
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Critics have lauded him as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives.
Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4?33?, which is performed in the absence of deliberate sound; musicians who present the work do nothing aside from being present for the duration specified by the title. The content of the composition is not "four minutes and 33 seconds of silence," as is often assumed, but rather the sounds of the environment heard by the audience during performance. The work's challenge to assumed definitions about musicianship and musical experience made it a popular and controversial topic both in musicology and the broader aesthetics of art and performance. Cage was also a pioneer of the prepared piano (a piano with its sound altered by objects placed between or on its strings or hammers), for which he wrote numerous dance-related works and a few concert pieces. The best known of these is Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48).
{snip}
Cage in 1988
Born: John Milton Cage Jr.; September 5, 1912; Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died: August 12, 1992 (aged 79); New York City, U.S.
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Critics have lauded him as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives.
Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4?33?, which is performed in the absence of deliberate sound; musicians who present the work do nothing aside from being present for the duration specified by the title. The content of the composition is not "four minutes and 33 seconds of silence," as is often assumed, but rather the sounds of the environment heard by the audience during performance. The work's challenge to assumed definitions about musicianship and musical experience made it a popular and controversial topic both in musicology and the broader aesthetics of art and performance. Cage was also a pioneer of the prepared piano (a piano with its sound altered by objects placed between or on its strings or hammers), for which he wrote numerous dance-related works and a few concert pieces. The best known of these is Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48).
{snip}
John Cage's 4'33"
Joel Hochberg
5.2K subscribers
A performance by William Marx of John Cage's 4'33.
Filmed at McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert, CA.
Composer John Adams wrote the following in The New York Times review of Mr. Cage's new biography, "The Zen of Silence" :
"John Cage....prodded us to reevaluate how we define not only music but the entire experience of encountering art."
{snip}
Joel Hochberg
5.2K subscribers
A performance by William Marx of John Cage's 4'33.
Filmed at McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert, CA.
Composer John Adams wrote the following in The New York Times review of Mr. Cage's new biography, "The Zen of Silence" :
"John Cage....prodded us to reevaluate how we define not only music but the entire experience of encountering art."
{snip}
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
