John Cage

During class on Thursday, we listened to and read up on Morton Feldman a pioneer of the New York school of composers. In this school of composers, perhaps the most famous is John Cage. Cage was heavily inspired by Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, who were both very well known for their radical innovations in music. Cage was also influenced by various East and South Asian cultures. Through his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism, Cage came to the idea of chance controlled music which he started composing in 1951. His most famous piece is titled 4'33" in which there are just four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence. This work challenged the usual definitions and assumptions about music experiences. This piece was controversial and started a controversial conversation in musicology. Here are some of his other pieces that you can actually listen to if you would like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShH-Td3ZiKs