linuxaudio.org

Ivica Ico Bukvic wrote:

quoted text
>> Ivica Ico Bukvic escribe:

>>> Again, depends upon the context. John Cage wrote a famous piece 4'33"

>> which

>>> is four minutes and 33 seconds of silence in three movements. How about

>>> buying a CD of that one? Yet, its impact on the contemporary music scene

>> is

>>> monumental and it is practically impossible to find a book which

>> discusses

>>> 20th century music without mentioning this work.

>> IIRC the point of that piece was that the duration was exactly 4'33"

>> (wow!)

>

> Actually, no. The points are (more or less in the order of importance)

> recontextualization of silence, exploration of indeterminacy, and

> relinquishing the control over the creative process (which is to some extent

> an outgrowth of the second point).

The point was that Cage was too damn lazy or arrogant to create

anything, so he produced 4'33" of meaningless nothingness. The piece

reminds me of wide swathes of what passes for modern art in the painting

world, where the painting is accompanied by a densely-written, 3-5 page

explanation of the painting. Without the textual explanation, the

painting itself communicates NOTHING - no meaning, etc. (IMHO, this is a

sure sign that the work was funded by a grant.) As my artist-daughter

describes them, they're a "spot on the wall."
Of course, music without meaning is standard fare in the world of

popular commercial music ...
--

David

gnome@hawaii.rr.com

authenticity, honesty, community