Lectures and writings by john cage ii silence wesleyan university press middletown, connecticutiii. Lo bue institute of tibetan studies most of john cage s prose is cast in the form of lecture, diary and criticism, three genres particularly favored in american literature. Francesmarie uitti, john cage, none, francesmarie uitti. The official site for information about the life and works of john cage, administered by the john cage trust. He published silence in 1961, which included lectures and writings from the period 19391958. The audience, generally prepared for what will follow, namely nothing, may sometimes wonder what could be printed on those pages. Project muse silence and speech in lecture on nothing. Nov 29, 2009 listen to nothing but the truth audiobook by john lescroart. John cage s lecture on nothing is one of his early, legendarily forbidding speeches first held in 1950. Lectures and writings by john cage, wesleyan university press, 1973. Or you may leave it forever and never return to it for we possess nothing but actually, unlike the snail we carry our homes within us, which enables us to fly or to stay, to enjoy each. In 1989, cage produced a group of prints that signal a new confidence in his own artistic ability. The score of the lecture can be understood as a reaction to one of the most momentous cuts in twentieth centurys media history. September 5, 1912 august 12, 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher.
The discussion covers several aspects of cages creative process and aesthetic. Rounding out this cage collection is uittis own rendition of the lecture on nothing, which occupies 41 minutes of the second cd. Lectures and writings by john cage marion boyars publishers ltd, 2009 i have just marked this book. For cage, silence is sound, or more precisely, a zone of sounding with other sounds. Listen to nothing but the truth by john lescroart at. Lecture on nothing, which is published in john cage s silence, is a classic, studied and often recited. John cage and his musicircus peter dickinson introduces john cage s glorious anarchic community piece musicircus, which was performed if thats the word at this years aldeburgh festival.
A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage was one of the. This audio was shown at mk gallery, milton keynes as part of symposium. Cage, john, lecture of nothing in lecturers and writings, 1959, p. John cages lecture on nothing the barbican, london 2502. Cage possesses one of the rarest qualities of the true creator that of an original mind and whether that originality pleases, irritates, amuses or outrages is irrelevant. A performative interpretation of john cage s lecture on nothing, written in 1949 and published as part of his book silence from 1961. John cages as slow as possible september 5, 2003 more than a decade after his death, american composer john cage continues to challenge listeners. It analyzes artist and scholar brandon labelles rendition of john cage s lecture on nothing, which features an audio recording of the text read by a deaf person, and bass baritone. Introduced by a very loud continuum of electronic sound, wilson, dressed. Robert wilson finds the poetry in lecture on nothing. John cage is the outstanding composer of avantgarde music today.
One of its muchquoted lines is i have nothing to say and i am saying and. Cage possesses one of the rarest qualities of the true creator that of an original mind and. Cage began an uninterrupted and successful lecturing career in 1927 with the earliest of. Silence is a collection of essays and lectures cage wrote during the period from 1939 to 1961. Lectures and writings is a book by american experimental composer john. Zac gvi john cage, lecture on nothing, 1961 open file. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage. The form, the morphology of the con tinuity, is unpredictable.
John cages lecture on nothing was included in his first and most important. Cage was also an author, and his book saenee was described by john rock well in the new york times as the most influential conduit of oriental thought and religious ideas into the artistic vanguardnot just in music but in dance, art and poetry as well. Oct 19, 20 the text in john cages lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. Obviously they are not worn out they are just as audible as the new sounds. In 433 the audience is left to revel in its own subtle sounds and to realise, perhaps, that silence doesnt actually exist. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cages lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature.
Audiobooks read by nicolas cage rabbit ears entertainment, llc is committed to restoring the lost art of storytelling through videos, books, and audio recordings. Join us throughout the evening for popup performances of john cage s lecture on nothing, performed in the palace galleries by actor ayesha jordan. Im just finishing up the book of fellow composer morton feldmans writings. John cage lecture on nothing moscow, russia tv 1992. Comprising of repetition, selfreferential musings on its own structure, comments on american geography, as well as scattered observations on music including connections between brahms and thirds, and the general popularity of. Lecture on nothing is perhaps, next to the future of music. The visualization of john cages lecture on nothing. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cage s lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature. The text in john cages lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit.
T hough its origins go back more than a decade earlier to a talk he gave in new york, john cage s lecture on nothing was included in his first and most important collection of writings, silence. John cage 1912 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and provocative artist. John cages lecture on nothing is one of his early, legendarily forbidding speeches first held in 1950. Cage set the tone for lecture on the weather 1976 in a recorded preface transcript below as he stated his political, social, and environmental concerns regarding the direction the country was taking. Discover how to view bad news through the window of gods sovereignty, discern satans lies, recognize the truth, and more. John cage silence lectures and writings, 50th anniversary. Included in silence, john cage s most relevant collection of writing, lecture on nothing is in many ways an essayistic response to the thinking behind his music. Lecture on nothing first appeared in cage s famous book silence.
Lectures and writings by john cage wesleyan university press, 1961. A performative interpretation of john cages lecture on nothing, written in 1949 and published as part of his book silence from 1961. So it was that i gave about 1949 my lecture on nothing at the artists club on 8th street in new york city. In the beginning of new music new college there was cage. John cage publishes a book of graphic musical scores. Musical notation and recording inescapably follows this logic of not so much copying the original sound but ascertaining certain conditions for recreating it cf. John cage 19121992 was a singularly inventive and much beloved american composer, writer, philosopher, and visual artist, whose influence, already profound, has yet to be fully felt. One hundred years after his birth, john cages openminded ideas about the possibilities of music and sound still inspire. At every turn cott antagonizes cage with challenging questions. Lecture on nothing i am here those who wish to get any moment silence is and there is nothing to say ifamong you are somewhere let them leave at what we require but what requires that i go on talking is tainment a push but the pusher and the pushed called a discussion shall we have one later. In silence, he explains a lot of the techniques he used when composing, and discusses the value and meaning of music. Kenneth goldsmith performing john cages lecture on nothing. The score of the lecture can be understood as a reaction to one of the most momentous.
A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage was one of the leading figures of the postwar avantgarde. The text in john cage s lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. Id rather hear the sound of life happening than a lot of the music that exists today. Mar 10, 20 included in silence, john cages most relevant collection of writing, lecture on nothing is in many ways an essayistic response to the thinking behind his music. The sense of disorientation yielded by this experience is probably the best possible introduction to cages lecture on nothing, recited as part of the barbican theatres dancing for duchamp series. John cage s century one hundred years after his birth, john cage s openminded ideas about the possibilities of music and sound still inspire. The work is a neat summarisation of the composers philosophy of music, as well as an application of his musical structures to a piece of prose. Project muse silence and speech in lecture on nothing and.
This performance was done at the diego rivera gallery in san francisco, as part of the show i have nothing. Modern music sevenths, always, all, fascinated me the seconds, with all its modern intervals. Silence is a collection of essays and lectures cage wrote during the period. In addition, he quotes from numerous sources including norman mailer, michael steinberg, igor stravinksy and others criticizing cage and his music. Comparing opening to cage s lecture on nothing, we find that while lecture is fragmented, punctuated, with its sentences abruptly separated by a large space or the end. Apr 17, 2015 brad pitt in fight club twentieth century fox my own personal fight club. The page numbers in brackets in the introduction to each extract refer to that book.
John cage has 91 books on goodreads with 18107 ratings. He conducted chance operations to select and position small stones on the plate, determine their. Lecture on nothing franui wolfram berger, recitation. This is a classic book of writings by john cage, mostly about music and art. Its a great modernisttopostmodernist look at the construction of a lecture, the stringing of language into something selfconsciously coherent.
This performance was done at the diego rivera gallery in san francisco, as part of the show i have nothing to say and im saying it curated by aaron david kissman, on april 2015. Nicolas cage audiobooks audiobook narrator download. John cage at 100 cages most lasting influence may be in his ideas about the boundaries between noise and music and the artistic freedom that comes from breaking the rules. And he inspired the university press to publish this book. Robert wilson is one of the most significant representatives of the theatrical avantgarde, whose landmark einstein on the beach was recreated at the barbican in 2012. Lecture on nothing was a piece made by john cage in 1961. And in one more layer of cages thinking on silence, in a few of his compositions is the compelling instruction to the musician. My original source for the quotation was the 1990 pbs american masters program on john cage which i have on vhs tape.
One hundred years after his birth, john cages ideas about the possibilities of music still inspire. Or you may leave it forever and never return to it for we possess nothing but actually, unlike the snail we carry our homes within us, which enables us. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cages lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental. Before we even came up with the name new music new college sarasotas ringling museum of art asked new college professor stephen miles to perform cage s song books as part of the museums education outreach activities centered around an exhibition of multiples by artist joseph beuys. Premiered on august 22, 2012 at the ruhrtriennale festival, jahrhunderthalle, bochum, germany. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. September 5, 1912 august 12, 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher, and artist. Why men fight and why we like to watch by jonathan gottschall is a fascinating look at fighting and violence through the eyes of a college professor who not only researching fighting and violence, but joined a mma gym to train and actually enter the arena to fight. A crafty stage presentation of john cages litany of zenlike aphorisms and. The result is awardwinning entertainment as enjoyable for adults as it is for children. It analyzes artist and scholar brandon labelles rendition of john cages lecture on nothing, which features an audio recording of the text read by a deaf person, and bass baritone nicholas isherwoods rendition of maurizio kagels phonophonie, which mobilizes seemingly farfetched personas by means of voice. Discover the 1126 books in john cage s personal library. Its one of cage s best voice pieces, and uitti does a fine job with it. In most of the performances of john cages famously silent composition 433, the performer sits in front of what appears to be sheet music as in the performance below.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cage s lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature robert wilson is one of the most. Finding calm in a chaotic world unabridged audio book on cd 9781536693034 by max lucado. The line quoted above, i have nothing to say and i am saying it and that is poetry as i need it, summarily defines the fundamental tenetsand contradictionsof cages aesthetic principle of individuation and silence. During the prelude, twelve readers gradually take their seats in two rows backtoback. Cage in essence says there is not such thing as silence. The production has been described as being an acoustically and visually inspiring approach to the philosophical and poetic text which cage. Find the best clips, watch programmes, catch up on the news, and read the latest john cage interviews. Open culture scours the web for the best educational media. How an english professor became a cage fighter my teaching job was no longer exciting. Lectures and writings is a book by american experimental composer john cage 19121992, first published in 1961 by wesleyan university press.
Silence, a year from monday, m, empty words and x in this order form the five parts of a series of books in which cage tries, as he says, to find a way of writing which comes from ideas, is not about them, but which produces them. A lively 1963 interview of john cage by jonathan cott. John cage, zen buddhism and the inner life of artists, discusses and directs a performance of john cage s lecture on nothing. Feb 26, 20 t hough its origins go back more than a decade earlier to a talk he gave in new york, john cage s lecture on nothing was included in his first and most important collection of writings, silence. This is one of my favorite books on music, for sure, but the kindle edition is making me crazy i read on the ipad and have to magnify each page to get the type readable. Lectures and writings, 50th anniversary edition cage, john, gann, kyle on.
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