John Cage

John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992 - Τι κρίμα που πέθανε μετά τη γέννησή μου και απέκλεισε την πιθανότητα να είμαι εγώ η μετεμψύχωσή του!) 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.

Εδώ, μπορεί κανείς να απολαύσει τη σύνθεση " 4'33" "και μετά να αναρωτηθεί εάν θα πλήρωνε για να πάει σε ένα τέτοιο concerto.




Ανατριχιάζω από θαυμασμό και δέος όταν μαθαίνω για τόσο καινοτομικούς και πρωτοποριακούς ανθρώπους. Όση κατάκριση, αμφισβήτηση, δυσπιστία, ή ακόμη και περιφρόνηση και να εισπράττουν στη διάρκεια της ζωής του, στο τέλος η ιστορία, ο πιο αμερόληπτος κριτής όλων τους δικαιώνει. Αποδεικνύεται ότι αυτά που είπαν, έκαναν, παρουσίασαν και υπεράσπισαν, δεν ήταν τίποτε λιγότερο από μία πρόβλεψη του μέλλοντος, ενός μακρινού μέλλοντος. Τέτοιοι άνθρωποι δεν ανήκουν στην εποχή τους. Τοποθετήθηκαν απλά σε αυτή με μία και μοναδική αποστολή. Να δείξουν στους υπόλοιπους τον δρόμο που οδηγεί στο αύριο.

Ακολουθούν quotes του John Cage. Παρακαλώ, δώστε προσοχή στις ημερομηνίες που ειπώθηκε το καθετί.

"Ι believe that the use of noise to make music will continue and increase until we reach a music produced through the use of electrical instruments which will make available for musical purposes any and all sounds that can be heard. Photoelectric, film and mechanical mediums for the synthetic production of music will be explored."
(1937)

"Wherever we are, what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it, it disturbs us. When we listen to it, we find it fascinating."
(1937)

"Which is more musical, a truck passing by a factory or a truck passing by a music school? Are the people inside the school musical and the ones outside unmusical?"
(1957)

"What I'm proposing, to myself and other people, is what I often call the tourist attitude - that you act as though you've never been there before. So that you're not supposed to know anything about it. If you really get down to brass tacks, we have never been anywhere before."
(1982)

"If you develop an ear for sounds that are musical, it is like developing an ego. You begin to refuse sounds that are not musical and that way cut yourself off from a good deal of experience."

"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."



http://www.johncage.info/