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Response to Cages Future of American Music

 Future of American Music

Lecturer: Mr. Prof. Dr. Herzogenrath

Student: Ahmad Deyhimi 7167063

10 Hearing Responses for the Hausarbeit

 

Response to a piece of work by Cage – 4’33’’

I had always heard much about John Cage and his contributions to American music but never actually listened to his 4’33’’ composition. Considering how great of a composer he is, I anticipated something exquisite when first listening to John Cage's 4'33''. Then I quickly noticed that John Cage's 4'33'' is a musical composition consisting of four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence. Feeling frustrated, I wanted to shut the video but compelled myself to monitor how it proceeded. After the piece, I tried to interpret and process it in my head. Although frustrated at the start, later, during the music, I felt relaxed sitting in silence and having fun listening to the surrounding noises made by the audience. I understand that some audience members walk out in frustration, thinking that the performance is a prank. If I were in the hall attempting to listen to 4'33'' for the first time, I might have also walked out. However, this specific reaction to 4'33'' reflects the complex and often contentious relationship between traditional forms of art and experimentation in the arts and the artist's role in challenging and expanding the boundaries of creative expression. Even though I wanted to stop listening, I could not avoid but pay attention to the surrounding sounds. Then the realization kicked in that Cage intended for the sounds of the environment to become the piece's music. Therefore, the performers were instructed not to play any notes but instead to sit in silence for the duration of the work, allowing the sounds of the audience, the environment, and any other sounds to be the focus. Then I could not prevent but honor John Cage's 4'33'' as a profound and revolutionary work of art because it challenges conventional notions of music and encourages listeners to pay attention to the sounds of the world around them. I, for example, always hike in nature to hear the surrounding sounds and enjoy the outdoors. My reaction at the beginning, therefore, showcases how people are used to the traditional way of music, where there is plenty of sounds and rhythms to dance to. Thus, the piece is a profound philosophical statement that can be seen as the touchstone of the avant-garde and experimental music movements.
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