John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer, philosopher, poet, music theorist, artist, printmaker, and amateur mycologist and mushroom collector. A pioneer of chance music, electronic 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 American composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance Read Full BioJohn Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer, philosopher, poet, music theorist, artist, printmaker, and amateur mycologist and mushroom collector. A pioneer of chance music, electronic 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 American 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″, the three movements of which are performed without a single note being played. The content of the composition is meant to be perceived as the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, rather than merely as four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence, and the piece became one of the most controversial compositions of the twentieth century. Another famous creation of Cage's is the prepared piano (a piano with its sound altered by placing various objects in the strings), for which he wrote numerous dance-related works and a few concert pieces, the best known of which is Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48).
His teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933–35), both known for their radical innovations in music and coincidentally their shared love of mushrooms, but Cage's major influences lay in various Eastern cultures. Through his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism in the late 1940s, Cage came to the idea of chance-controlled music, which he started composing in 1951. The I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic text on changing events, became Cage's standard composition tool for the rest of his life. In a 1957 lecture, Experimental Music, he described music as "a purposeless play" which is "an affirmation of life – not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we're living".
Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4′33″, the three movements of which are performed without a single note being played. The content of the composition is meant to be perceived as the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, rather than merely as four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence, and the piece became one of the most controversial compositions of the twentieth century. Another famous creation of Cage's is the prepared piano (a piano with its sound altered by placing various objects in the strings), for which he wrote numerous dance-related works and a few concert pieces, the best known of which is Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48).
His teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933–35), both known for their radical innovations in music and coincidentally their shared love of mushrooms, but Cage's major influences lay in various Eastern cultures. Through his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism in the late 1940s, Cage came to the idea of chance-controlled music, which he started composing in 1951. The I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic text on changing events, became Cage's standard composition tool for the rest of his life. In a 1957 lecture, Experimental Music, he described music as "a purposeless play" which is "an affirmation of life – not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we're living".
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Seventy-Four
John Cage Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Seventy-Four' by these artists:
The Slip You were just a baby I was four years old Playing war…
The lyrics can frequently be found in the comments below or by filtering for lyric videos.
Tom Furgas
Cage's "Number Pieces" are among his most poetic and mysterious works. The "time bracket" technique proved to be a very enduring idea, as it was used in about 40 works composed in the last years of Cage's life. The indeterminacy is still there; each performance of these pieces will sound different due to the unpredictable placement of the notes in the various parts. Additionally, in this work the percussion part will always sound different, since the performer can select the various percussion instruments used. The player numbers the instruments in any way then plays them in accordance with the numbers in the score.
notaire2
Dieses einzigartige und anspruchsvolle Meisterwerk braucht die tiefste Virtuosität von allen Solisten. Wahrlich spannende Aufführung!
Mark Jolyon
Pure genius—
lemurian chick
This reminds me of the part in "L'Eclisse" by Antonioni where the lights go on...
Oliver NP
They need to use this piece in a horror film...
Paul Szikora
Celesta sound was "celestial" until Bartok made it "scary". A sound can be "celestial" or "scary". But cinema habits makes us believe that a sound signify one only thing, like a word in a dictionnary.. It's false. There is many sense you can give to a sound. Unorganized pitches can calm your mind in a forest. Don't give up listening that kind of music. It is the way out of the matrix
All Art
Wow
Yves Tenret
Ecouté en lisant Anne de Fournel.
坂巻洋
💙🌱🙄🌾
Ethan Hill
What one does not hear is the music in JOHN CAGE's compositions.