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*1912 in Los Angeles, † 1992 in New York, USA
American artist
Best known for: Being a key figure in New Music as a pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music and non-standard use of musical instruments (f.e. prepared piano)
Notable work: 4'33'', 1952
Art historical context: Post-war Avant-garde.
John Cage is considered as one of the most important artists of the 20th Century that has inspired numerous musicians and artists already during his lifetime: "Cage's innovations with sound, instrumentation, performance, and composition all helped redefine music in the twentieth century. More specifically, his use of chance and the creative ways in which he utilized performers in his works helped inform and shape avant-garde movements like Neo-Dada, Fluxus, and Conceptual art. His innovations also had a profound influence on late twentieth-century developments in sound art and performance art, which focused increasingly on context and variability. Through his collaborations at Black Mountain College, Cage also encouraged artists such as Rauschenberg to explore visual art that incorporated chance, an element that would have a major impact on the course of modern art during the second half of the century." (Justin Wolf)
Exhibited works
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4'33'', 1952. GF | A |
John Cage's most famous piece is 4'33'', which premiered in 1952 at the Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock, New York. It takes four minutes and thirty three seconds and consists solely of the ambient sounds of the audience and performance space. Otherwise, the three sets of the composition consist of complete silence. At the world premiere with pianist David Tudor, the beginning and the end of the three sets were indicated the by opening and closing of the keyboard lid. | |
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GF | A | This piece is a continuation of the famous silence of 4'33''. The title indicates the playing time (0 minutes and 0 seconds). Instrumentation: "Solo to be performed in any way by anyone." The original score for this piece consists of one sentence: "In a situation provided with maximum amplification (no feedback), perform a disciplined action." At its premiere in Tokyo, John Cage wrote the piece on an acoustically amplified typewriter, which is considered the first performance of the zero-time piece. | |
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Lecture on nothing. 1961 BF | A | Lecture on nothing (entire text) Published in: Silence: Lectures and Writings von John Cage, 1961
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| Links Johncage.org | Margarete Roeder Gallery | (Silence) Theory | Sound | Film | Robert Wilson about Lecture on Silence | Further Informations 1 | 2
Credits All reproductions © John Cage Trust | ||
0'00'', 1962.