John Cage
Background
John Milton Cage, Jr. was both a significant musical and cultural influence in New York City in the post-World War II era. As a composer, he played an important role in shaping the music of the time. John Cage was born in Los Angeles, California on September 5, 1912 to John Milton Cage, Sr. and Lucretia Harvey. An educated man bent on becoming a writer, Cage attended Pomona College in 1928, only to drop out two years later. Instead, he convinced his parents that a trip through Europe would be more beneficial to his studies rather than college courses. When he returned in 1931, John Cage worked as a private lecturer on contemporary art and in 1933, he decided to turn to music. Throughout his early career, Cage focused on composing music while utilizing the twelve-tone technique; which was originally implemented by his mentor, Arnold Schoenberg during the 1930s. In fact, Schonenberg acted much like a mentor for John Cage during his earlier career. In 1935, he married fellow artist Xenia Andreyevna.
It wasn’t until 1942 when John Cage moved to New York City. While there, he composed The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs, which quickly became one of his most popular pieces at the time. Despite the fame he earned, Cage was poverty-stricken throughout the beginning of the 1950s. It wasn’t until his creation of 4’33” that John Cage gained the notoriety he is associated with today. It was quite an unconventional and controversial piece. 4’33” consisted of three sections; throughout these sections, the performer is instructed not to play his instrument at all. The reason behind his work was not to invite the listener to pay attention to the performance but rather to the ambience of the hall in which the piece is being performed. He quickly became recognized by his minimalist and experimental music. In the sixties, Cage published novels, such as Silence, which only bolstered his prominence in the culture at the time. However, Cage returned and stuck with his drive for experimental music towards the end of his career as well. One of John Cage’s more unorthodox pieces is HPSCHD, which is an implementation of the works of Mozart and Beethoven with computer technology. It wasn’t until August 11, 1992 that the musician finally passed away in Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan.
Influences on his Work
During his time studying with Schoenberg, Cage realized that the music he was interested in was radically different from the music of his time. He believed that music should reflect nature to make his music more organic. Rather than just showing the beauty of a piece, Cage wanted to incorporate ugliness, chaos, and spontaneity along with beauty, order, and predictability. He was inspired by others like him, who wanted to break away from tradition and the norm. Marcel Duchamp, for example, revolutionized 20th century art by presenting unaltered, commonplace objects in museums as finished works of art. Along the same lines as Duchamp, Cage sought to show that music was already in nature and all we had to do was listen. This was known as “found sound” because it basically derived music from one’s surroundings.
Cage’s first experiments involved altering standard instruments to try to meet his needs. He realized that traditional instruments would not work for him and that he needed to create entirely new instruments. A few years after moving to New York, Cage developed an interest in Eastern philosophy that eventually influenced his work. In particular, he studied Zen Buddhism which emphasized separating music from life. This meant that music shouldn’t be a routine in everyday life, but rather a separate entity to make it true art. He began to experiment with “chance procedures.” For example, during the 20th century, technology was advancing pretty rapidly. This was around the time radios and tape recorders were improving with every passing decade. By utilizing the radio, what ever happened to be broadcasting became the music. Cage was notable for doing this because he left it up to chance to decide the course of the piece. As a result, much of Cage’s works were different from the one before. The drawback was the wavering opinions of Cage’s audience, since not every single one of Cage’s pieces were taken favorably. Over time, his work continued to evolve as he kept experimenting with his music. He tried using other electronics and was even further impacted by the advent of computers. He was an unorthodox musician who really devoted his life to music.
Seminar Themes
John Cage and his work relates a lot to the seminar themes we have learned about in class. For instance, he sought to answer the question “What is art and what is its purpose?” to begin, it would be reasonable to say that Cage’s more experimental pieces cannot be identified as music, but they can, however, be classified as art. Art is a sort of experience rather than an explicit thing that can be commented on and critiqued. Cage sought to redefine what may be considered music and art and was a pioneer in the experimental and electronic music genres. At the time, this was very unorthodox and thus created plenty of controversy. But through the stigmas surrounding his work, Cage managed to redefine an entire musical art successfully and moreover answered what art is and can be.
John Cage’s work also shows the seminar theme of “What makes New York City unique?” From the start, he knew that he wanted his work to be different from all the other musicians and artists. He wanted to break away from the “classics” of his time and really reinvent the way people listen to music. He transformed the music industry and the foundations of music composition through his work. By showing reality through music, he opened up the senses of the people to what is real. He even had to create new instruments to express his music. Although he wasn’t always praised for his music, his music allowed for music to grow from the long- established ways. His contributions helped music evolve in New York City and beyond.
By Herrick Lam and Justin Bischof
Works Cited
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “John Cage.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Aug. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/John-Cage.
“John Cage Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-cage-john.htm.
Rodman, Michael. “John Cage | Biography & History.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/john-cage-mn0000183867/biography.
“John Cage.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. . Encyclopedia.com. 13 Nov. 2017 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
“John Cage.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 5 Aug. 2015, www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/john-cage-about-the-composer/471/.
December 14, 2017 at 6:58 pm
I was definitely shocked when I saw the video of absolute silence. It definitely requires a deal of patience and acquired appreciation for this kind of art/music. But it was definitely interesting nonetheless, and I commend John Cage for pushing the musical boundaries. There’s always somebody that has to do it first, and it’s normal that it feels strange and no one really understands it yet. It will be interesting to see whether or not this catches actual momentum and becomes legitimized, or kind of just dies down, staying in the background. The combination of new with old traditional techniques Cage uses in HPSCHD reminds me of the opera, The Exterminating Angel. Thomas Ades also incorporated techno-like sounds and beats in conjunction with the traditional orchestra. Perhaps this is the future of music!
December 16, 2017 at 9:28 pm
Very interesting musician choice Herrick and Justin. I see that you both have connected John Cage to the seminar theme of “What makes New York City Unique” but I would argue and connect Mr. Cage to the seminar theme of “What is Art?” Looking at John Cage’s multi-movement musical piece 4’33”, after hearing this piece for the first time I am sure everybody would ask the same exact question, “What did I just listen too?” A musical piece in which the composer instructs for the performers not to perform anything and just sit quietly definitely pushes the boundaries of what is art and has people questioning how is this musical piece considered to be art or music at all since the performers are silent.
December 18, 2017 at 12:33 am
Your presentation in class was definitely one of the most interesting out of the entire semester. Cage is an artist I have never heard of, and is definitely and artist that is unique and unprecedented to any of the artists I have learned about in my lifetime. When you guys played a video of an orchestra playing the piece ” 4’33” ” in class, I almost started laughing because of how shocking it was that they weren’t playing their instruments, but just sitting in silence! I think that Cage and his work really connects to the seminar theme of meaningfulness, and how even if something seems purposeless, such a song without sound or an orchestra of musicians not playing their instruments, it is meaningful to the bigger picture of art and the boundaries within what constitutes music.
December 18, 2017 at 11:25 am
Before your presentation, I learned about John Cage in my music class. I think that it’s important to note the fact that Cage’s father was an inventor. In a different piece, Cage alters a piano to make whatever he plays sound different than normal. He plays on a “prepared piano” which would have various different items in between the strings of the piano to alter the sound/pitch the chord would give. I think his song 4’33”makes the audience question if this is music or not. Just like how art is beginning to change, music is too at this time. This song is “silence” as there is no musical score, however, Cage believed that everything was music, even the “noise” in the background. Because of this, he made this piece to explore those background noises and call them music. This would fall under chance music because Cage leaves the music to chance on what type of audience is there at the time. It can vary depending on when this is performed and by what audience members are there. For example, to have this performed now someone’s phone could go off or someone could drop their phone. There could also be babies or children in the audience that contribute to the sound that 4’33” makes. The seminar theme of What is Art? in my opinion, is perfect for this composer. The music we listen to now has changed and evolved so much since Mozart or Bach.
December 18, 2017 at 12:15 pm
It was quite surprising to me to see that 4’33” is the reason that John Cage gained so much attention and fame. This unique and controversial piece in which performers are directed not to play made it hard for me to understand as to why people would appreciate it so much. When I read that he did this so that the listener would pay attention to the ambiance of the hall rather than the piece itself, it made me understand how he pushes the boundaries of the seminar theme “What is Art?.” It was really interesting to read how he transforms the music industry and how he redefines art.
December 18, 2017 at 11:54 pm
Like Alan said, this is a very unique piece. The usual question would be what did I listen to? Or rather, what did I not listen to? John Cage’s 4’33” is indeed very unique as it gives the audience more control over the interpretation. In addition, it is very dynamic as the piece can vary between each performance. Traditional art pieces such as paintings, sculptures, or even photos retain its original form, resulting in a similar interpretation as time passes. Going back to the question of what the audience didn’t listen to. That is the beauty of this piece because you can’t see this piece as a traditional orchestra. Rather, see it as a means to reflect upon oneself using the surrounding environment.
December 19, 2017 at 12:40 pm
This was by far my favorite musician from the entirety of our IDC class as he broke social norms and tested the limits of art through his musical compositions. John Cage, in my eyes, represents not only a musician but rather an innovator and an experimenter. Through his work four minutes and thirty three seconds, Cage introduced a new kind of music to the audience- the music of their surrounding. He forced them to focus on their atmosphere by having all the instruments sit there silently and evoke an emotion of extravagance from the audience solely through the surrounding objects. Although some people may find his art not really art, I think it is cool to experiment with different styles and explore the line between silence and music.
December 22, 2017 at 3:04 am
Ok, so it’s no secret anymore. Without a doubt, John Cage’s work 4’ 33” is the best thing we’ve heard in this entire class, no debate about it. There is a simple elegance and great meaning behind a statement like a piece of music without anyone playing. Additionally, I like how you focused on the seminar theme, “What makes New York City unique?” I definitely think that if anyone wants to break away from traditions as John Cage did, New York City is the best place to go. We can see this even with some of the other people we’ve seen throughout the semester, including people like Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman, Andy Warhol, etc.
December 24, 2017 at 6:02 am
Out of all the music we have listened to in this class, I think 4’33” was easily one of the best pieces, if only because John Cage had managed to make a name for himself by producing a song that might not even be considered a song at all. Beyond the amusing moment when most of the class silently awaited the beginning of the song, only to hear absolutely nothing, Cage’s work also fosters discussion about what constitutes music. The fine line between music and noise is nonexistent in the context of 4’33” because the combination of noises that happen within the span of four minutes and thirty-three seconds makes up the song, so it is technically never the same song. Cage’s experience in an anechoic chamber had led him to conclude that the future of music was not in danger, as he was able to hear the sounds of his own body systems, and I can only agree when I see people in the classrooms making music out of the tapping of their pens.
December 25, 2017 at 10:59 pm
I really enjoyed John Cage’s minimalist style. It amazed me how he was able to orchestrate the music so well as to make it sound good yet with only a few simple changes. I also found Cage’s minimalist philosophy quite interesting; especially with the silence part of his performance. It takes a person with a deep understanding to really admire the sound of our surroundings and I thought it was really interesting for a musician to feel this way.