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. 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. The form, the morphology of the con tinuity, is unpredictable. This performance was done at the diego rivera gallery in san francisco, as part of the show i have nothing. 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. 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. And in one more layer of cages thinking on silence, in a few of his compositions is the compelling instruction to the musician. A crafty stage presentation of john cages litany of zenlike aphorisms and. September 5, 1912 august 12, 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher. Lecture on nothing was a piece made by john cage in 1961. Rounding out this cage collection is uittis own rendition of the lecture on nothing, which occupies 41 minutes of the second cd. Silence is a collection of essays and lectures cage wrote during the period. Cage began an uninterrupted and successful lecturing career in 1927 with the earliest of.
Obviously they are not worn out they are just as audible as the new sounds. The page numbers in brackets in the introduction to each extract refer to that book. So it was that i gave about 1949 my lecture on nothing at the artists club on 8th street in new york city. 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.
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. In 1989, cage produced a group of prints that signal a new confidence in his own artistic ability. 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. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. A performative interpretation of john cages lecture on nothing, written in 1949 and published as part of his book silence from 1961. The visualization of john cages lecture on nothing. In 433 the audience is left to revel in its own subtle sounds and to realise, perhaps, that silence doesnt actually exist. One hundred years after his birth, john cages ideas about the possibilities of music still inspire. He conducted chance operations to select and position small stones on the plate, determine their. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cages lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental.
Cage possesses one of the rarest qualities of the true creator that of an original mind and. The production has been described as being an acoustically and visually inspiring approach to the philosophical and poetic text which cage. 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. Lectures and writings is a book by american experimental composer john cage 19121992, first published in 1961 by wesleyan university press. John cage publishes a book of graphic musical scores. 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. 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. The score of the lecture can be understood as a reaction to one of the most momentous cuts in twentieth centurys media history. Lectures and writings by john cage ii silence wesleyan university press middletown, connecticutiii. And he inspired the university press to publish this book. At every turn cott antagonizes cage with challenging questions. Francesmarie uitti, john cage, none, francesmarie uitti.
John cages lecture on nothing the barbican, london 2502. Lectures and writings is a book by american experimental composer john. Lecture on nothing is perhaps, next to the future of music. Lectures and writings by john cage wesleyan university press, 1961. John cage 1912 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and provocative artist. 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. He published silence in 1961, which included lectures and writings from the period 19391958. Discover the 1126 books in john cage s personal library. The discussion covers several aspects of cages creative process and aesthetic. 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.
This audio was shown at mk gallery, milton keynes as part of symposium. Listen to nothing but the truth by john lescroart at. In the beginning of new music new college there was cage. Kenneth goldsmith performing john cages lecture on nothing.
The official site for information about the life and works of john cage, administered by the john cage trust. September 5, 1912 august 12, 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher, and artist. 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. 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. Join us throughout the evening for popup performances of john cage s lecture on nothing, performed in the palace galleries by actor ayesha jordan. Nicolas cage audiobooks audiobook narrator download. How an english professor became a cage fighter my teaching job was no longer exciting. Open culture scours the web for the best educational media. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage was one of the. This is a classic book of writings by john cage, mostly about music and art. Find the best clips, watch programmes, catch up on the news, and read the latest john cage interviews. Musical notation and recording inescapably follows this logic of not so much copying the original sound but ascertaining certain conditions for recreating it cf.
Audiobooks read by nicolas cage rabbit ears entertainment, llc is committed to restoring the lost art of storytelling through videos, books, and audio recordings. The result is awardwinning entertainment as enjoyable for adults as it is for children. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cages lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature. John cage has 91 books on goodreads with 18107 ratings. Discover how to view bad news through the window of gods sovereignty, discern satans lies, recognize the truth, and more. 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.
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. Lecture on nothing first appeared in cage s famous book silence. Silence is a collection of essays and lectures cage wrote during the period from 1939 to 1961. 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.
John cage, zen buddhism and the inner life of artists, discusses and directs a performance of john cage s lecture on nothing. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage. John cage silence lectures and writings, 50th anniversary. 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. The text in john cage s lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. Premiered on august 22, 2012 at the ruhrtriennale festival, jahrhunderthalle, bochum, germany.
The text in john cages lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. John cages as slow as possible september 5, 2003 more than a decade after his death, american composer john cage continues to challenge listeners. Id rather hear the sound of life happening than a lot of the music that exists today. For cage, silence is sound, or more precisely, a zone of sounding with other sounds. Robert wilson finds the poetry in lecture on nothing. A lively 1963 interview of john cage by jonathan cott. 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.
Cage in essence says there is not such thing as silence. 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. One hundred years after his birth, john cages openminded ideas about the possibilities of music and sound still inspire. 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. 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. Its a great modernisttopostmodernist look at the construction of a lecture, the stringing of language into something selfconsciously coherent. 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. 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. One of its muchquoted lines is i have nothing to say and i am saying and. Apr 17, 2015 brad pitt in fight club twentieth century fox my own personal fight club.
Introduced by a very loud continuum of electronic sound, wilson, dressed. The audience, generally prepared for what will follow, namely nothing, may sometimes wonder what could be printed on those pages. Lectures and writings by john cage marion boyars publishers ltd, 2009 i have just marked this book. 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. 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. Project muse silence and speech in lecture on nothing.
John cage s lecture on nothing is one of his early, legendarily forbidding speeches first held in 1950. Im just finishing up the book of fellow composer morton feldmans writings. Project muse silence and speech in lecture on nothing and. The score of the lecture can be understood as a reaction to one of the most momentous. Modern music sevenths, always, all, fascinated me the seconds, with all its modern intervals. John cages lecture on nothing is one of his early, legendarily forbidding speeches first held in 1950. Lecture on nothing, which is published in john cage s silence, is a classic, studied and often recited. Its one of cage s best voice pieces, and uitti does a fine job with it.
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. John cage is the outstanding composer of avantgarde music today. Cage, john, lecture of nothing in lecturers and writings, 1959, p. 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. 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. A performative interpretation of john cage s lecture on nothing, written in 1949 and published as part of his book silence from 1961.
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. Nov 29, 2009 listen to nothing but the truth audiobook by john lescroart. John cage s century one hundred years after his birth, john cage s openminded ideas about the possibilities of music and sound still inspire. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
In silence, he explains a lot of the techniques he used when composing, and discusses the value and meaning of music. Lectures and writings by john cage, wesleyan university press, 1973. In addition, he quotes from numerous sources including norman mailer, michael steinberg, igor stravinksy and others criticizing cage and his music. Lectures and writings, 50th anniversary edition cage, john, gann, kyle on.
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