Modern Composers : John Cage

When the word music is heard, generally the first thing that comes to mind is how one would be able to relate to the piece. John Cage, a contemporary composer, expanded the normality of music by sounds with no meaning or emotional connection and silence. The propinquity between mind and music is difficult to sever, and to have music without an emotional connection is unfathomable.

Music can be used to describe how we feel on the inside when we ourselves can’t seem to find the words. Music has the power to help us discover ourselves or remember something we may have lost. I think Paulnack is right when he states that music can bring people together. Many people like the same genres and styles and feel something when they listen to it. Music can be found all over the world and can be related to everything around us. Music has been a part of our culture since the beginning of history, it’s constantly evolving giving each generation their on form of expression. Just by appreciating music as an art from we can make connections to those who are different from

John Cage lived a very interesting, non-traditional life that allowed him to form his outside of the box philosophy on music that questions the very definition of music. After exploring many different careers in the art world, he decided to compose music and through a winding, tumultuous road, he rose to the top of the classical music world. His life greatly influenced his music. His study of Buddhism and working with the choreographies of Merce Cunningham allowed Cage to discover the other side of music, silence. Cage and his philosophies not only changed music for the better but also changed the path that all types of art for the good; without Cage’s philosophy on silence, musicians and composers would be doing their jobs differently.

As Alex Ross describes, “Cage love[s] noise” (366). This should be why he decided to alter his piano in a “conceptually violent” and unusual way for Sonatas and Interludes. Though, Cage’s aim was not pure violence, as we are pleased by the “soft sounds” instead of being “battered by some unholy racket” (Ross, 366). I

Music with a purpose. Music serves a purpose throughout our lives, it is more than just entertainment and something to use for background

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.

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.

Music is an art form that appears in every culture of the world. For thousands of years it has been an important part of the human experience. Music has been used for entertainment, as a way to pass on stories, and as a form of artistic expressions.Each person has their own preference of music of music they like, but most people like music in some form. Music has also been used by therapists patients with mental and physical health issues and achieved good results.

Music surrounds everyday life no matter where you are in the world. Hollow objects make notes when hit. Small wooden reeds, bamboos, and shells whistle when blown into. Anything tightly stretched twangs when plucked and the human voice has a delightful ability to go up and down at will. Even when wind rustles through the wind, birds chirp, or ocean wave’s tumbling is nature’s form of music. I constantly find myself being enthralled by the various forms music. You could say that in sense music as a whole is a form of art. The sounds that entwine harmonize, are rhythmically pleasing, have dynamics, etc., come together as a whole in order to compose a song. “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” (Confucius)

John cage was an American composer, music theorist, writer, and artist. He was born in Los Angeles in 1912, studied for a short time at Pamona College, and then at UCLA. At that place, he realize that he music he wanted to make was radically different from the music of that time. That is the composition 4’33’’, which made Cage famous and well-known by the music and art area.

Music is defined differently for each individual. It is the universal language that speaks to us all, but in different ways. It is one of the few genres that can instantly transport a person back to the past. Music is also an art of sound which expresses ideas, thoughts, and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony. It is the design of giving structural form and rhythmic pattern to combinations of sounds produce instrumentally and vocally. To me, music brings a sense of calmness, happiness, and peacefulness. Music is the absolute bread of life because it feeds my soul.

Art is in its purest sense, humanity collectively trying to impress, relate, and grow with one another and themselves. Music is the art form that embodies all the greater characteristics from other art forms, and puts them into one. In the words of Frank Zappa “Art is how we decorate space, Music is how we decorate time.” Music carries the ability to paint pictures, tell stories, and even showcase the time period they came from.

For many years we as individuals and as a society have created and listened to various forms of music. Initially there are two ways in which music can be introduced into one's life. The first initiation is through listening to music. This can then be followed by the second initiation which is playing music. Through these initiations people are able to remember music and do not need the external influence because of memory. For example, if someone likes Mozart, they do not need to actually listen to the music because they can hear it in their own mind. The memory of music can never be fully taken away, not even from someone who has become deaf. Music has been used as a means of expression, and a way to convey feelings and emotions such as love,

Music originates from all over the world since the beginning of time. Complex or simple, fast or slow, loud or soft. It’s what you feel. It could be your method of escape or keeping you living. Music is love. Music is passion. Music is unity. Music is emotion. Music is belief. Music is beauty. Music is life. Music is perfection. Music is imperfection. Music is peace. “Through music we can live forever.”

The literal meaning of the word 'music' according to any dictionary is: 'art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds in a harmonious or expressive way.' But music has a meaning which is far broader than this. Music is life. Music means Self-expansion and oneness. It is an art by itself. Art, in any of its forms, is generated by a person, or a group of talented yet usually ordinary people, that express, willingly or not, an opinion regarding present times. It is not a want; it is a need. If you try to imagine yourself without it, you are bound to feel incomplete. For many of us, it has become a necessity of our lives. Music has no boundaries. Music is the