Download Cage and Modern Music - Kirkwood Community College

Post WW2:
•Refugees made the United States the center
for creating music post WW2.
–Even composers born in Europe spend
significant amounts of time in USA.
•Separation between popular culture and the
artist widens.
–Abstract Art
–Conceptual Art
–Art installations
–Indeterminacy
John Cage
1912-1992
• Born in Los Angeles, CA
• Piano lessons
• Interest in writing
• Dropped out of college and
traveled Europe.
• 1931: Returned to the United States
• 1933: Music over painting
– Studied with Arnold Schoenberg
– “"Of course he's not a composer, but he's an
inventor—of genius." “
John Cage
1912-1992
• Cornish School of the Arts in Seattle, WA
– Worked as an accompanist
– Asked to compose music for ballet
– Prepared piano: Screws, bolts, strips of rubber, and
other objects are placed between the strings of the
piano to change the character of the instrument.
• Late 40’s: Taoism and Zen Buddism
– Obtained copy of I Ching (symbol system used to
identify order in random events)
– Used to compose music (when and what)
John Cage
1912-1992
• Indeterminacy: Music in which some element of the
composition is left to chance, and/or some primary element of a
composed work's realization is left to the determination of its
performer(s). The term is most often associated with
procedures in which the chance element involves a relatively
limited number of possibilities.
– Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (1951)
– Atlas eclipticalis (1961). This piece was written for
"eighty-six instrumental parts that could be played
in whole or in part, for any duration and in any
combination from soloist to full orchestra.
– 4’33- What is the definition of music? Art?
John Cage
1912-1992
• 1957- Taught experimental music class at
the New School for Social Research.
• “Happenings”- theatrical events that
abandoned the traditional concept of stageaudience and occur without a sense of
definite duration.
– HPSCHD: 7 Harpsichordists, live performers,
51 tapes, multiple film, slide, and light shows
and several thousand listener-spectators who
moved about freely during the 5 hour
presentation.