Walther Bothe
German physicist (*1891 - +1957)
John Cage was an influential American composer and music theorist who pioneered indeterminacy and non-standard use of musical instruments. He was a leading figure of the post-war avant-garde and played a significant role in the development of modern dance through his collaboration with choreographer Merce Cunningham.
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About the John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr.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’s teachers included Henry Cowelland Arnold Schoenberg (1933-35), both known for their radical innovations in music, but Cage’s major influences lay in various East and South Asian cultures. Through his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism in the late 1940s, Cage came to the idea of aleatoric or chance-controlled music, which he started composing in 1951. The I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic text and decision-making tool, 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’s best known work is the 1952 composition 4’33”, a piece performed in the absence of deliberate sound; musicians who present the work do nothing but be present for the duration specified by the title. The content of the composition is intended to be 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. These include Sonatas and Interludes (1946-48).
Frequently Asked Questions
John Cage was an American composer and music theorist known for his pioneering work in indeterminacy, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments. He was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde.
John Cage’s best known work is the 1952 composition 4’33,, a piece performed in the absence of deliberate sound, where the content of the composition is intended to be the sounds of the environment heard by the audience during the performance.
Through his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism in the late 1940s, John Cage came to the idea of aleatoric or chance-controlled music, which he started composing in 1951. The I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic text, became Cage’s standard composition tool for the rest of his life.
John Cage was a pioneer of the prepared piano, for which he wrote numerous dance-related works and a few concert pieces, such as the Sonatas and Interludes composed between 1946-48.
John Cage’s teachers included Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, both known for their radical innovations in music. However, Cage’s major influences lay in various East and South Asian cultures.
John Cage was 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.
In a 1957 lecture, ,Experimental Music,, John Cage 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,.
14 Quotes by John Cage
- 1.
Ideas are one thing and what happens is another.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 2.
The highest purpose is to have no purpose at all. This puts one in accord with nature, in her manner of operation.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 3.
There is poetry as soon as we realize that we possess nothing.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 4.
It is better to make a piece of music than to perform one, better to perform one than to listen to one, better to listen to one than to misuse it as a means of distraction, entertainment, or acquisition of “culture.”
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 5.
If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 6.
We are involved in a life that passes understanding and our highest business is our daily life.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 7.
There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 8.
It’s useless to play lullabies for those who cannot sleep.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 9.
I have nothing to say, I am saying it, and that is poetry.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 10.
We need not destroy the past. It is gone.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 11.
The first question I ask myself when something doesn’t seem to be beautiful is why do I think it’s not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 12.
I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 13.
We carry our homes within us which enables us to fly.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
- 14.
When we separate music from life we get art.
John CageAmerican avant-garde composer (1912-1992)