John Cage
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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Ghostdog
It's raining. I was walking through the streets and this music was everywhere, in the puddles on the roads, in the sky covered with thick lead clouds, in the branches of naked trees, in the cold wind blowing in my face. I was wondering whether it was me tired of all the routine and monotonous stream of the days, or it was the nature trying to focus my gaze on all the simple beauties I was ignoring though it always appeared right in front of my eyes. In fact, I just wanted to sit somewhere and let the music merge me with it and turn to a tiny peace of an immortal beauty.
Big Brother TV
Just simply say "I meditated", hahaha. Palabras conmovedoras, gracias por tu paisaje
Poby Wu
someone make this top comment
Gabi Grandy
@kalyna vickers its called humanity, there are simply some things that shouldn't be cringy. Its good to enjoy the simple things around you
Gabi Grandy
It feels amazing to know that all around the world there are people that think like you, and to realize that after all, we are humans, and we have so much in common. It's incredible the effect that music can have in a simple view, in a simple moment, in a simple thought. It can change everything, it can change people...the universal language. I love to read someone elses thoughts and imagine how their lives could be, in another part of the world.
Gabi Grandy
@kalyna vickers not cringe at all
Jeff Dawson
Pierre Boulez said that Cage was not a composer, but an inventor. And I say he was an inventor of perceiving sound in new ways. Maybe an inventor and a philosopher. To me, this is like slowed down Debussy. Peaceful.
JOSE CLEITON DE LIMA MOURA
Bom dia! Hoje iremos realizar uma atividade que estimulará nossa audição e criatividade. Após escutar várias vezes a canção, peço que retratem por meio de desenho, envio de áudio ou texto, relatando tudo o que você sentiu durante o processo. Durante sua escuta aconselho a criar uma paisagem na sua mente. Estimule sua mente, reflita e pense
Игорь Дымченко
It's hard to believe that this Masterpiece composed by Cage. Other, experimental, pieces by Him is SO DIFFERENT TO THIS!
Luis R. Irizarry Agosto
Composers often write a dialogue that only the spirit understands.