As one of the most radical composers in the 20th century, John Cage introduced new ideas of what music is. Breaking away from the traditional idea that music stems solely from the musician’s preconceived and structured arrangement of sounds from specific instruments, Cage’s philosophy of music is based on the idea that all sounds can work cooperatively to create music, including those from the environment.
Strongly influenced by the principles in Zen Buddhism and Indian music, Cage began to explore new medians for music; He incorporated different elements by relying heavily on chance and randomness. Cage worked hard to create pieces that detached himself, as the composer, far away from the piece itself as possible- to allow the listener
In the variety of occasions we tend to listen in a different way and process the sounds that reach us in a different manner. Our main purpose can be to obtain information, engage in a conversation, or just enjoy the sounds we hear (Types of Listening). In the book ‘In Silence: Lectures and Writings’ John Cage argues that we hear mostly noise, which disturbs us when we ignore it and we find it fascinating if we listen to it. Also according to Cage when we make music we just organize the sound, combining different noises from the surroundings, manipulating their frequencies and creating rhythms. (Cage, J. 1961)
Without the human intention, perception, and interpretation of sound, then the existence of music would be imaginary. Music includes talking words in a way that the person creates a sound that is made with the intention of being music (Deutsch, Diana 10-13, Justus & Timothy., 33-40). Besides, people can perceive silence and sound and put them together so as to call the outcome music. In Bakan’s fourth proposition, he identifies the approach as the Human Intention and Perception (HIP) approach (Resnicow, Joel E., 10-22). In other words, the proposition tries to suggest that music is inseparable from the makers; or more specifically the people who perceive and experience it. Bakan gives numerous examples to show that music is a product of human intention and perception. This paper conducts research and gives appropriate examples to show that music is only identified as music if the person is making it has the intention for their words to be music.
Milton Babbitt and John Cage were both composers who played pivotal roles in the post-World War II Avant Garde music scene and in the pioneering of electronic music. Both composers found their roots and were greatly influenced by German-Jewish composer Arnold Schoenberg, however they both adopted different viewpoints on the relationship between a composer and their audience . Babbitt believed that a composer or creator did not have an obligation to please his or her audience, and that his pieces were intended mostly for professionals capable of understanding the context and intention of his music. Cage on the other hand granted his audience more power and influence, believing that music was a platform on which audiences could utilize their creativity to adopt new ways of perceiving and being aware of the world around them. These stances, as well as the different techniques and methodologies of the composers pitted them on somewhat of a spectrum, with Babbitt and his systematic, modernist ideas that were largely based in the music schools of academic institutions on one side and Cage, with his uncontrollable, radical combinations of Avant Garde sounds on the other side. These ideas on audience construction and relations were also visible in rock music of the 1960’s, particularly in compositions of artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.
Music is remarkable for its special nature, which it is heritability. Music itselfs does not only give all music notes but innovation and inspiration from
Sonata V of John Cage has binary form which consists of small-ranged irregular phrases. The piece as a whole does not have a distinct melody. The first section has a smooth, repetitive rhythm, and percussive sound of prepared piano is ethereal. There is a regular pulse throughout the first section, and the pulse is delayed in some places with a couple of extra notes (“Sonata V,” 0:12-0:16). The second part is more like the developmental part of the Classical sonata form. It is more dissonant and irregular, and there are pauses between some phrases. The piece as a whole differs from Western music in almost every aspect. Some parts of the piece resemble African drumming (“Sonata V,” 0:47-0:52). However, Cage was actually inspired from Javanese Gamelan, an orchestra of metallic percussion from Indonesia (Forney et. al., 374).
Rather than a musical composition or visual installation, the work 4’33’’ is a concept in art history. Therefore, I think there is no need to separate music and visual art. To be honest, 4’33’’ is the silence within 4’33’’ that presents ideas to the audience. Cage
The first part of this response is to try and identify why John Cage received so much criticism from lovers of traditional music and post war modernists. Cage adopts chance techniques in his compositions and this makes things go awry for him in regard to being referred to as a composer, most critics consider him more of a music philosopher than a composer. Especially after the 19-hour performance of vexations which sadly did not amuse many. The randomness of his compositions makes it hard for him to establish his authority as a composer.
All the above people were of different backgrounds but could be seated at the same table because of their diversity and interests. This can lead to interesting conversations between these individuals since they come from different backgrounds. Each individual brings something different to the table. 1. John Locke – John Locke was an English philosopher and physician.
Music is art. An art that expertly plays on the emotions of people through rhythm, beats, and silence. Music moves each person in different, extraordinary ways, making it a crucial aspect of today’s pop culture, conveying ideas that may normally be repressed. The most meaningful melodies are more often than not, found within film. A common idea of many of these compositions is transcendentalism. More specifically, the ideas that came from the transcendentalist philosophical movement that developed in the mid 1820s and early 1830s in the United States. Even though this advance in literature occurred over a century ago, it still plays a key role in today’s society. One of the transcendentalists' founding principles was their belief in the pure
Many people have made outstanding contributions to the modern world. While there have been a large amount of said contributions recently, if you want to gain a full grasp of where these came from you must look into the past. The inventions and ways of life would not have been made if not for people like the Enlightenment Thinkers. While all of the Enlightenment Thinkers helped change the world, I believe that John Locke made the most important changes of the five. The ideas John Locke had were looked at by the American founding fathers and other people.
Who gave us new ways of thinking and played a role in the foundation of our country? There are many people that influenced our country and gave new ways of thinking, but there are a few unexpected players that most do not acknowledge and appreciate. The Enlightenment was a period in time from 1685-1815, where there was a drastic change in people's views towards subjects such as philosophy, politics and science. It was an extension of the progress of the Reformation and the Renaissance. It did this by continuing to extinguish the medieval perspectives towards life which were that the church ruled over every aspect of life and people were restricted. New ways of thinking came into play such as equality, logic, and freedom from the church,
John Milton Cage Jr. is easily one of the most influential American composers of our time. John Cage spent his early life in Los Angeles, California after being born to Lucretia Harvey and John Milton Cage Sr. on September 5, 1912. Cage’s embarked on the first steps to his music career when he began taking private piano lessons when he was just a kid. As the years went by it seemed as if Cage became more interested in literature and writing than music composition. Cage graduated from Los Angeles High School as valedictorian and went on to give a rather enticing speech that gained recognition at the Hollywood Bowl. Cage’s speech seemed to have foreshadowed his most popular piece entitled “4’33”, one of which I consider to be one of the most
The innovation of music made by John cage challenged the definition of music, which made an important and deep influence on modern music.
John Locke was one of the most influential people in the United States and is known as the “Father of Liberalism”. Locke helped shape the United States and refined the government. Locke believed the duty of the government was to protect individuals natural rights including life, liberty, and property. If the government failed to protect these rights, citizens could overthrow government. Locke’s ideas influenced Thomas Jefferson once he started drafting the Declaration of Independence and his essays provided early models of the separation of church and state.
The exploration of the timbral possibilities of the piano as a percussive instrument would be developed later in the 20th century by composers such as John Cage, for example, in his works for prepared piano in the 1940s.