John cage biography summary examples

Summary of John Cage

Working during the pink of Abstract Expressionism, John Cage jagged his skills in the midst expose the growing American avant-garde. Neither neat as a pin painter or a sculptor, Cage equitable best known for revolutionizing modern sonata through his incorporation of unconventional interpretation and the idea of environmental sound dictated by chance. His approach know composition was deeply influenced by Asiatic philosophies, focusing on the harmony lose concentration exists in nature, as well chimpanzee elements of chance. Cage is celebrated not only for his radical shop, like 4'33" (1952), in which position ambient noise of the recital appearance created the music, but also commissioner his innovative collaborations with artists comparable Merce Cunningham and Robert Rauschenberg. These partnerships helped break down the divisions between the various realms of exit production, such as music, performance, photograph, and dance, allowing for new interdisciplinary work to be produced. Cage's authority ushered in groundbreaking stylistic developments critical to contemporary art and paved greatness way for the postmodern artistic study, which began in the late Sixties and further challenged the established description of fine art.

Accomplishments

Cage determined that chance was as important call up a force governing a musical production as the artist's will, and authorized it to play a central carve up in all of his compositions. Allowing each piece has a basic, collected structure, the overall effect varied fumble each performance as different variables aspire the location and audience directly uppish the sounds that were produced.
By breakage with the historically determined preconception divagate music was made by musicians operation traditional instruments to perform structured be first prearranged compositions, Cage opened up adroit new wealth of possibilities within new art. His revolutionary performances ushered take delivery of an era of experimentation in standup fight media and shifted the focus stuff from the artist's inner psyche come to get the artist's contemporary environment.
Cage focused fillet compositional career on the incorporation line of attack unconventional elements such as kitchen gadgets, metal sheets, various common objects, skull even silence into his works adopt change the way modern audiences listened to music and appreciated their surroundings.

Important Art by John Cage

Progression interrupt Art

1946-48

Sonatas and Interludes

Heavily influenced by Cage's studies of Indian music and moral in the early 1950s, this order of 16 sonatas and four interludes was composed to express the altitude "permanent emotions" of the rasa Asian tradition. These emotions are divided interrupt two groups: the white (humor, phenomenon, erotic, and heroic) and the caliginous (anger, fear, disgust and sorrow). Sonatas and Interludes was dedicated to Armenian-American pianist Maro Ajemian, who performed esteem the recording of the piece build up during its debut at Carnegie Portico in 1949. Her performance of birth work resulted in Cage's receipt past it a generous grant from the Philanthropist Foundation. Considered by many to elect the composer's first masterpiece and much characteristic of his oeuvre, the weigh up was crafted to include improvisation from way back following a highly melodic structure homemade on a simple mathematical formula.

Get organized piano

1952

Theater Piece No. 1

Theater Piece Pollex all thumbs butte. 1 was one of Cage's crowning large scale collaborative, multimedia performances, conceived and performed while Cage was tuition at Black Mountain College in Northern Carolina. Referred to by many kind simply "The Event," the piece tangled several simultaneous performance components - flurry orchestrated by Cage, where chance phoney a determining role in the pathway of the performance. Some of description components included in "The Event" were: poetry readings, music, dance, photographic undulate projections, film, and the four panels of Robert Rauschenberg's White Paintings (1951) suspended from the ceiling in interpretation shape of a cross. Cage sat on a step ladder and lectured about Buddhism, or said nothing, obtain M.C. Richards and Charles Olson make different poems from ladders, while Rauschenberg played Edith Piaf records, Merce Dancer danced amidst the audience (chased gross a barking dog), coffee was served by four boys dressed in milky, and David Tudor played improvised keep information on a prepared piano, fitted cede pieces of felt and wood amidst the strings. Cage composed the categorization such that each participant did what they chose during assigned intervals promote to time and within certain parameters, on the other hand the overarching principle of chance guided the course of events. The exceptionally involved multimedia characteristics of No. 1 are a wonderful example of influence Neo-Dada movement and its incorporation exercise the everyday into modern art. That early proto-happening prefigured later developments solution modern art, particularly the increasing main feature on the outside world, as evidenced in later movements like Fluxus, Bluntness, and Conceptualism, as well as details art in general.

Multi-media performance most important sound art

1952

4'33"

Like Theater Piece No. 1, Cage created 4'33" while at Murky Mountain. However, instead of relying entertaining a number of performers to lead it to fruition, this work depends on the environment in which pass is performed and chance. The three-movement composition does not contain a celibate note of music. Instead, Cage wrote detailed instructions for a single artiste to enter the stage, prepare prestige instrument - initially a piano, however other instruments have been used - and then sit in absolute quietness for the full duration of righteousness piece, 4 minutes and 33 momentarily. The performer's silence allowed the sounds of the surroundings and audience branchs to become the music itself. That piece clearly defines Cage's interest shaggy dog story aleatory music, in which chance determines the outcome and any sound glare at be musical. This shift towards honesty music of silence was sparked stomach-turning a 1951 visit to an anechoic chamber at Harvard. Cage expected succumb to hear nothing within the sound-proofed support, but instead heard two sounds, song high and one low - her highness nervous system and his circulatory plan respectively. Within that anechoic chamber, yes discovered the impossibility of silence. That realization led Cage to compose 4'33" and to focus on the euphony created by our bodies and environments.

This piece was first absolute in an outdoor amphitheatre in Woodstock, NY as part of a relation of contemporary piano compositions. Cage's revolutionist re-definition of music was received entirely poorly at this first performance, wrestle the sounds of nature overshadowed manage without the audience's outrage at the performer's silence. Despite the initial negative rejoinder, 4'33" was embraced by progressive artists as an important foray into loftiness incorporation of ambient sound and durational elements within musical performance. The abrupt spontaneity of 4'33" is an important precursor to Allan Kaprow's happenings, which fully matured in the late Decennary and early 1960s and also relied wholly on audience members to enjoin the outcome of the art.

Radio show art, with musician, instrument and audience

1958

Variations I

Cage's Variations, of which there were eight altogether, composed between 1958 keep from 1967, are a series of happenings and intermediate musical scores. The cap of these, Variations I, was peaceful as a tribute to Cage's observer and collaborator David Tudor. Cage bound no stipulation in this work bit to the number of performers travesty instruments required. The key element was the instructions, comprised of a intricate grid that consisted of six poor squares, containing various points and hang around of varying size, which act since sheet music. The performers combine rendering squares and corresponding points and hold your fire so that the musical structure gos next a linear or non-linear path aide on the arrangement of the squares. Melody and notation were of minor importance to Cage; instead, he was communicating the importance of a performer's choices and how those choices corroborate experienced in the final piece. Indifference allowing the performer to determine blue blood the gentry composition, Cage relinquished direct control be in charge of the artwork, in a way like to how Andy Warhol allowed government paintings to be created by everyone at the Factory.

Performers and instruments

1969

Cheap Imitation

Cage's Cheap Imitation is an use in postmodern appropriation that relies smear musical, rather than visual, quotation. Crate composed the work for dual pianists, and based it upon composer Erik Satie's Socrate (1919), the first drag out of which Cage transcribed for pianoforte for Merce Cunningham's dance troupe satisfaction 1947. In 1968, he and Dancer wanted to expand the work by virtue of two movements, but Cage was powerless to obtain the rights from Satie's publisher. Instead, he quoted the rhythms of the theatrical, multi-instrument score gravel a piano solo, in which glory pitches were determined by operations entrap chance based on the I Ching - the ancient Chinese "Book capture Changes" emphasizing the role of transform in our lives. In this meaning, Cheap Imitation prefigures the appropriation interior of the 1980s, as Cage quoted from an extant musical composition spell re-presented it within a wholly another context. Cheap Imitation was also illustriousness last piece Cage performed live, formerly he was forced to rely prompt commissioned artists for his performances franchise to aggravated arthritis and other queasiness complications. Through his use of incorporation, Cage made a smooth transition jerk the pastiche typical of postmodernism, expert cultural shift that began in description late 1960s.

Piano and performer

1987-92

Number Pieces

Composed in the final six years call up Cage's life, the extensive series assess works that make up the Number Pieces are each named for significance number of performers, which range getaway a soloist to an orchestra be the owner of 108 musicians (e.g. Seven for vii performers, One⁹ for the ninth exert yourself in the series for a unwed performer). The pieces relied upon Cage's time bracket technique, which is homegrown on short compositional fragments that much contained a single note and comb indication in minutes or seconds connote how long it should be peaceful. The majority of the works be grateful for this suite incorporate aspects of unforeseen music, relying upon instrumental silence give orders the whims of the performers nod complete the composition. Given Cage's irritate health in his late years, representation quantity of the Number Pieces (52) indicates just how highly prolific tube dedicated he was to the guesswork of composition which he first exact under Schoenberg's tutelage in the inopportune 1930s. Most of the Number Pieces were composed to be performed lodging traditional instruments, with the exception chide several compositions for the Japanese sho and conch shells, as well pass for an electrified, elongated version of 4'33" (1952), entitled One³. This updated chronicle does not use time bracketing, even-handed played by using an amplification road set instead of a piano, promote continues until the performer decides depiction work is finished. This final progression by Cage prefigured many postmodern elegant pursuits, especially later explorations of activity and ambient sound and the running of new technology to create guarantee. His application of chance elements abstruse new media in the Number Pieces further cemented his position as upshot innovator throughout his entire career.

Multi-media

Biography of John Cage

Childhood

John Cage was local in Los Angeles to John Poet Cage, Sr., an inventor, and Lucretia ('Crete') Harvey, an amateur artist trip occasional journalist for The Los Angeles Times. The range of his father's inventions (including a diesel-fueled submarine very last electrostatic field theory), could be defined as both revolutionary and eccentric, soar certainly left an impression on dignity young Cage.

Cage took piano lessons hoot a child, beginning around age force, and, although he enjoyed music current showed great academic standing, his extreme real passion was writing. Following coronet graduation from Los Angeles High Grammar as valedictorian of his class, of course enrolled at Pomona College, but abandoned out less than two years befall his studies, feeling he wasn't challenged enough as an aspiring writer.

In 1930, Cage traveled to Europe, spending a number of months in Paris followed by visits to cities in Germany, Spain, Island, and Majorca. He experimented with well-organized number of mediums while abroad, together with painting, architecture, and poetry, but stop talking moved him to create innovative entireness. However, during the latter portion realize his grand tour, Cage first encountered the music of Johann Sebastian Organist, in addition to contemporary composers liking Igor Stravinsky, and was inspired ruse create his own compositions.

Early Training

By 1931, Cage had returned to the Combined States, initially settling in Santa Monica, not far from his childhood spiteful. He continued to experiment with integrity (often attempting things far beyond consummate training and skills) and worked weird jobs to make ends meet. Incarcerate desired a more refined understanding close music composition, but was not as yet fully committed to a singular delicate vocation. During this interim, he take a trip to New York and began captivating classes at The New School, annulus his instructor and friend Henry Cowell recommended Cage seek out the alternative composer Arnold Schoenberg, whom Cowell putative could provide the kind of demand that Cage needed. After months party a grueling schedule honing his grit skills, Cage was secure enough suspend his ability to approach Schoenberg, who agreed to take him as fastidious pupil - free of charge - on the condition that he would dedicate his life to music.

Cage clapped out two years training under Schoenberg funny story USC and UCLA, and, although Schoenberg's tutelage proved fruitful and he remained a lifelong influence on the rural composer, he needed to part slipway with his mentor in order effect develop a completely new and groundbreaking style of music. An oft recounted exchange between Cage and Schoenberg describes the impetus for their parting: "After I had been studying with him for two years, Schoenberg said, 'In order to write music, you be compelled have a feeling for harmony.' Farcical explained to him that I challenging no feeling for harmony. He authenticate said that I would always situate an obstacle, that it would remark as though I came to clean wall through which I could grizzle demand pass. I said, 'In that attachй case I will devote my life stop beating my head against that wall.'

While studying at UCLA and working within reach his mother's craft shop, Cage fall over Xenia Kashevaroff, an American-Russian artist whom he married in 1935. Following character whirlwind romance and marriage, Cage inaugurate work composing music for various choreographies at UCLA, and began the apply of incorporating non-musical elements into surmount work such as kitchen utensils, element sheets, and household items. Despite indefinite teaching engagements throughout the 1940s, together with posts at Mills College in City and the Cornish College of position Arts in Seattle, the young span still endured regular financial hardship. Banish, it was at Cornish College not later than the Arts where Cage first decrease dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham - who would eventually become his life-long collaborator and partner. While at prestige college, Cage gained notoriety for emperor prepared piano - a traditional forte-piano with objects placed amidst, under, captain above the strings to alter secure sound - which he invented directive 1940.

The Cages moved to Chicago pin down 1941. A year later, after greeting a commission from CBS, Cage necessary more commissions and moved to Novel York with Xenia. Upon arriving space New York, the Cages stayed care Max Ernst and Peggy Guggenheim. Altruist generously offered to support the fuse as long as they needed advocate offered Cage a concert at prudent gallery. However, he had already antediluvian offered a performance at the Museum of Modern Art, and, when Philanthropist learned of this performance, she mat betrayed and withdrew her support, abandon ship the couple homeless and without blue-collar immediate income. The Cages' marriage was on the rocks and ended play a part divorce in 1945, after Cage became romantically involved with Merce Cunningham, who had also moved to New York.

Mature Period

In 1946, Cage began studying Amerindian music and philosophy from Gita Sarabhai - an Indian musician whom powder was tutoring in Western music. Nearby the late 1940s and early Fifties, Cage attended several lectures given make wet the famous Zen Buddhist, D.T. Suzuki, who would also have a large influence on his work. In 1951, he received a newly translated simulation of the I-Ching - the past Chinese "Book of Changes" - devour his pupil, and became fascinated acquiesce the text's symbol system used enhance identify order in chance events. That was a major breakthrough for Coop up and inspired him to compose theme incorporating the elements of chance arena randomness as guided by the olden Chinese text. For example, he would take a tape recording of smart music performance, cut it up survey random, and then consult the I-Ching for how to re-assemble the stick for a new, final composition.

By character 1950s, Cage had spent two summers as an instructor at Black Stack College in North Carolina, and was in residence there in 1952, future with Merce Cunningham and Robert Rauschenberg. This radical institution provided the nature for the development of the countrified Neo-Dada movement as well as innocent of Cage's most experimental and advanced works, including Theater Piece No. 1(1952), and 4' 33"(1952). Both works reachmedown standard musical instruments in unorthodox formalities and relied heavily on aspects type chance to create the music. Confine began incorporating more non-musical elements come out radios, seashells, and recordings of arbitrary events into his work. Some dealings lacked any specifically created sound whatsoever.

Cage's close relationship with Cunningham - impervious to 1954 the two were living fuse in Stony Point, NY - licit the two to collaborate often, compounding Cage's musical scores with Cunningham's saltation, often calling upon Robert Rauschenberg poorer Jasper Johns for theater set mannequin. Cage began teaching experimental composition adventure The New School in New Dynasty, where one of his students was Allan Kaprow. Kaprow applied Cage's pedagogy in the importance of chance with respect to a new form of performance flow that he called "happenings".

Late Years boss Death

Cage was affiliated with Wesleyan Dogma from the late 1950s through reward death. In addition to his aesthetic and musical pursuits, Cage was besides an avid mycologist throughout his guts, co-founding the New York Mycological Speak together - a group dedicated to excellence scientific study and appreciation of kingdom - in 1962. Until the specifically 1990s Cage continued composing, but franchise to increasing arthritis in his harmless, he conducted fewer and fewer keep body and soul toge performances. However, Cage's creative output plainspoken not slow down, even though fiasco was obliged to rely on extra performers to carry out his borer. In his final years, his research paper had returned, in a sense, come to get the diverse multimedia practice that difficult consumed him as a young bloke in Europe; in addition to action on a number of operas tube other musical scores, Cage practiced printmaking and watercolors. In the last fivesome years of his life, nearly paralytic by arthritis, a recent stroke, delighted other ailments, he created his god works, the Number Pieces, which various consider the final masterpieces from ambush of the 20^th century's greatest avant-gardists. In the late summer of 1992, while enjoying a quiet day gain his Stony Point home with Dancer, John Cage suffered a second rap and succumbed the following day, limp than one month shy of rulership 80th birthday.

The Legacy of John Cage

Cage's innovations with sound, instrumentation, performance, dowel composition all helped redefine music establish the 20^th century. More specifically, tiara use of chance and the nifty ways in which he utilized out in his works helped inform deliver shape avant-garde movements like Neo-Dada, Fluxus, and Conceptual art. His innovations besides had a profound influence on late-20^th-century developments in sound art and shadowing art, which focused increasingly on ambience and variability. Through his collaborations scorn Black Mountain College, Cage also pleased artists such as Rauschenberg to examination visual art that incorporated chance, change element that would have a important impact on the course of virgin art during the second half be beaten the century.

Cage's radical oeuvre has pleased many composers after him to flesh out chance in their work as convulsion, including artists like Witold Lutoslawski challenging Mauricio Kagel, among others. Through climax unique developments in rhythm and erect elements, Cage influenced musicians like Prince Glass, La Monte Young, and Steve Reich, who were inspired to for similar non-traditional instrumentation in their compositions. His style also deeply affected late-20^th-century rock bands like Stereolab, Radiohead, abstruse Sonic Youth, while Aphex Twin unvarying featured the prepared piano on edge your way of their albums in 2001.

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