Originally intended to be performed in a concert hall, the composer asks the musicians to enter onto the stage and sit quietly for exactly four minutes and thirty-three seconds.
The piece, composed in 1952 for any instrument or combination of instruments, isn’t music in the traditional sense. The influence of Eastern Philosophy is apparent in 4’ 33”, which might be Cage’s most popular work. Cage also pioneered the use of prepared piano where an acoustic piano is manipulated by inserting objects on hammers and in between strings to create a new set of pitches and timbres. Among his most significant ideas was the introduction of chance elements into music composition where the composer constructs a limited number of musical possibilities at various junctures of a work but leaves the decision of which to choose to chance. He expanded the definition of music, musical instruments, compositional techniques and the experience of listening to music. John Cage was a prolific writer and innovative thinker. While Cage studied composition with Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, he was influenced the most by his studies of Zen Buddhism and Indian philosophy. Cage may be the most important composer of the twentieth-century whose music is largely unknown. My recommendation this week is the work entitled 4’ 33” by the American composer John Cage. This will be an exercise in pure listening.
As usual, find a comfortable chair or lie down, but DO NOT turn on your smart speaker or put in earbuds. This week’s piece is probably the closest we will come to actual medication. Music for Meditation is a weekly recommendation of music of a reflective nature.
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