In the following, I will first describe and tell about the work „Inlets“ by John Cage (1977) and report on my impressions while listening to the work.
In the work „Inlets“ by John Cage (1977) the players use amplified shells of different
sizes that have been filled with water, producing gurgling sounds, as sounds to
create a song. The player also poured water from one shell into another to
create different sounds. A further sound effect the players use is sound of
fire. Here, the player burns pine to produce such a sound. In addition to that,
players breathe circularly into the microphone for an extra sound.
John Cage is known for
his interest in „contingency“, which he defined as „improvisating using
elements in which there is a discontinuity between cause and effect“.
Furthermore, Cage’s aspiration and inspiration for his musical pathway was
indetermination, which meant that everything and each sound is unplanned and
happens spontaneously. The special aspect of producing sounds by pouring water
into different sizes of shells and moving them is that the players do not have
any control over the produced sounds and neither of the sounds can be
pre-produced in the same way.
The main impression I
got from listening to „Inlets“ was at first very rare, uncommon, unknown,
and strange. At the same time, I felt a certain amount of calmness. However, I
have to admit that John Cage’s music pieces sound completely strange and
different, but I guess that it derives from his interpretation of music and
sounds. This music is not the usual kind of music from nowadays that everyone
knows. The usual kind of music does not only contain sounds but consists of
singers, rappers, and melodic playing of instruments. In 1961, John Cage states
that “[die]
Musik, mit der ich mich beschäftige, muss nicht unbedingt Musik genannt
werden. In ihr gibt es nichts, woran man sich erinnern soll. Keine Themen, nur
Aktivität von Ton und Stille“ (John Cage, 1961, Silence. Lectures
and Writings. Additionally, Cage emphasizes that the quality of
certain sounds and noises is crucial for music.
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