John Cage

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American composer John Milton Cage (1912-1993) 's compositional style and philosophy may not be
everyone's cup of tea, however, I found his writings in "Silence" very thought-provoking and creative.

The book "Silence" talks about Cage's thoughts on music and sound. He believed that silence is as important as music itself, and has a rather enlightening view on space.

The book is also visually stimulating as the author arranges his articles randomly.

For me, he definitely teaches me one thing: every pause between music notes are as important as the music notes themselves.

And if you are a harpist, you would definitely know what I mean, because our dear harp strings are forever vibrating, so it is essential for us to do what we need to do to clean up the sound "mess." ;)

The year 2012 is coming to an end soon. I would like to make use of this golden opportunity to pay tribute to Cage. 2012 marks the composer's 100th birthday anniversary. As controversial as his music and philosophy is, he has great contribution to the music world in the 20th century. I recorded his work, "In a Landscape," written for harp or piano (1948). The piece is based on a rhythmic structure of 15 x 15 (5.7.3). It is a continuous flow of sound, and according to Cage, the piece is a tribute to one of his favorite composers, Erik Satie.
 

 


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