Modern Composition John Cage

hey, have ever john cage said anything about this piece? why he did it...what was in his mind, and if it was in agreeing with what critics said and ppl thought about it? i mean...sometimes u write a piece just to write music u like to hear, and then somebody sees in it things that maybe you never thought about....so, hope i made the question clear....

hahah yes

Originally Posted by SimenN

Ohh!, well i dont

Obviously.
That's why I said, you need to open your mind. 300 and 400 year old music is 300 and 400 years old. There's been centuries of musical development and centuries of discussion on what "music" really is.
Music has progressed since the times of Bach, and Palestrina before him. While I acknowledge the greatness of the old masters, I also realize that good things have happened to music since then. Just check out some more recent music, that's all I'm saying.

yes this concerto or what ever it is, is the proof of the good progression! silence!

Originally Posted by SimenN

yes this concerto or what ever it is, is the proof of the good progression! silence!

Exactly.
That really is progression, whther you think it is or not. I personally don't like Cage's pieces, but I know that what he did was art nonetheless. You have to open yourself to new things to mature musically.

Music is intentionally calling attention to sound.

4'33", to me, is thousands of times better than Fall Out Boy. It's not music, but it is a statement. I just think it's fucking retarded, especially because the Cage estate apparently tried to sue somebody for writing a shorter version of the piece (you know, like a 1'44" or something). That pisses me off.

This is genious, I love this piece.

SimenN:

Don't be so quick to dismiss something you don't understand. You ridicule something solely because it's foreign to you. Take off the blinders and try and open your mind a little bit.

Expand your definition of 'composition'. Cage 'composed' a truly unique concept with 4'33", and (as Daniel mentioned) the philosophical implications are profound. With many of these 'avant-garde' performance pieces, each performance becomes in and of itself a unique and special moment in time - musical or otherwise. It's all about creating something to be experienced and witnessed.

Dig: La Monte Young's Piano Piece for David Tudor #1

Bring a bale of hay and a bucket of water onto the stage for the piano to eat and drink. The performer may then feed the piano or leave it to eat by itself. If the former, the piece is over after the piano has been fed. If the latter, it is over after the piano eats or decides not to. (October 1960)

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YouTube Video

John Cage, Rahsaan Roland Kirk: S O U N D

(Original Source)

what I think cage was trying to say was that all it takes to create art or music is recognition, and in doing so we can empower ourselves and our subject(s). its liked sticking a transparent picture frame over any given space. and imagine the spiritual power of 4'33 specifically, a hall filled with awareness and a common goal. really counters the modern lifestlye and how we take for granted the things that are naturally given to us