Looking Outwards – 06

American composer John Cage is well known for his composition 4’33”, which is based on the absence of music. A strange concept for a piece of music intended for performance, Cage’s 4’33” displays an interesting from of randomness. The piece instructs the musicians to sit on stage in silence for the duration of the piece, four minutes and thirty-three seconds. The musical concept behind the piece is not the absence of music, but the sound created in the absence of organized music. This element of randomness is biased in a sense. The possible sounds are limited to the sounds made both intentionally and unintentionally by the performers, audience, and outside influences. While the types of sounds might be predefined to an extent, the pitch, duration, tone, and frequency of each sound shape every individual performance. I admire the creativity and innovation Cage breathed into the art of classical music through his unusual concept. The creation of the piece was partially inspired by his following of Zen Buddhism.

John Cage – 4’33” (1947-48)