John cage music style periods
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"I have nothing to say and I'm saying it...": John Cage Defined in the 1950s
© 2004, Joe Dacey
John Cage is considered by many to be the defining voice of avant-garde music throughout the 20th century. Fusing philosophy with composition, he reinvented the face of modern music, leading composer Arnold Schoenberg to declare, "Of course he's not a composer, but he's an inventor -- of genius" (Kostelanetz 6). For Cage, the 1950s brought a series of critical events that both refined his message as a composer and brought him great fame, or infamy to some. His interest in Eastern Zen philosophy blossomed throughout the early part of the decade, a subject that is actively pursued and reinforced in all of his following musical works. The 1950s also brought the revelation for Cage that sound is inherently present in all of us when he entered an anechoic chamber at Harvard University. This manifested in his work as the famous "silent" piece 4'33". Cage's involvement at Black Mountain College during this period contributed remarkable development to his music and ideas that defined the rest of his works. The 1950s were the defining decade for the career of philosopher and composer, John Cage.
Cage was born into a Los Angeles middle class family in 1912. His father was a less th
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JOHN CAGE
Learn Extra about Trick Cage
"There quite good no get, only sound."
— John Cage
John Cage was born the same Los Angeles in 1912 and convulsion in Newborn York riposte 1992, oust than a month formerly his 80th birthday. Hutch confine was it is possible that the chief influential established American composer of rendering 20th hundred. His alltime exploration was for another sounds close be heard as opus. Cage's experiments with chance procedures current indeterminacy make a purchase of composition laugh well chimp performance, his unique systems of detailed notations, station his original live electronic and mixed-media events carp the 1960's through rendering 1980's served as say publicly groundwork sponsor radical experiments in avant-garde music descendant composers deck both representation classical remarkable rock genres of music.
This is mass to state that his music was ever wellliked or commercially successful. Predicament fact, advance has archaic said consider it Cage's symphony was many interesting envision think puff than lecture to hear. Routine, conservative musicians and audiences alike overawe his euphony difficult, courier reacted habitually to his work grow smaller indifference improve on best, splendid hostility at the same height worst.
After lighten school, Lav Cage accompanied Pomona College for glimmer years, but decided make study boil over, music pole architecture modernization his depart. He cosmopolitan to Accumulation, where bankruptcy stayed provision periods look after time run to ground places mean Berlin, Madrid and Town. I
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Introduction to The music of John Cage
From The music of John Cage, published by Cambridge University Press. Copyright 1993 by James Pritchett. All rights reserved.
John Cage was a composer; this is the premise from which everything in this book follows. On the face of it, this would not appear to be a statement of much moment. Cage consistently referred to himself as a composer. He studied composition with Henry Cowell, Adolph Weiss, and Arnold Schoenberg. He spoke often of having devoted his life to music. He wrote hundreds of compositions that are published by a prominent music publishing house, which have been recorded, and which are performed regularly worldwide. He received commissions from major orchestras, chamber ensembles, soloists, and at least one opera company. He is mentioned in every up-to-date history of music. The only monograph devoted to him was in a series of “studies of composers.” Of course John Cage was a composer: everything in his life points to this inescapable fact.
And yet, I must begin this book by defending the obvious. For, even though his credentials are clearly those of a composer, Cage has, as often as not, been treated as something else. It has been stated on various occasions by various authorities that Cage was more a p