That's how I felt about it as I first heard of that piece: I thought it's some kind of performance art but given the date of the composition and the lack of humor I am not sure about this.
By the way: I like modern music - but "cum grano salis" - I try to detect form and content in any piece. If I cannot find it it's either above my understanding or bad. Best wishes Thomas Am Fre, 2003-12-19 um 17.58 schrieb Doctor Oakroot: > Stupid lute list - gotta send everything twice, lol > > ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- > Subject: Re: John Cage on Lute > From: "Doctor Oakroot" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Fri, December 19, 2003 11:57 am > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Someone's missing the point :) > > The point of 4'33" is what happens in the room when the audience is > exposed to it - it's music as performance art (but before anyone had > conceived of performance art). > > Like performance art, a sense of humor is required. > > The resulting art is at least as musical as, say, serialism. (Which I > mention because I've just been listening to a CD of my own serialist > compositions - didn't use any lutes, but I may next time.) > > > > Thomas Schall wrote: > > If I could regard this as a joke it would be a fine idea but if I recall > right Cage really thought to be a serious composer. > > Reminds me on a german band (I think it was "Einstuerzende Neubauten") > which recorded a similar piece called "Nichts" (nothing) in the 80's. > > > > Strawinski's comment propably meant any time Cage spends with nothing is > better than if he would produce tones ... > > > > Thomas > > > > Am Fre, 2003-12-19 um 16.05 schrieb Howard Posner: > > > >> Roman Turovsky at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> > >> > Was the piece that requires no playing? I forget the title, something > >> like > >> > "4.32". Just sit for 4 and a half minutes and take your bows. > >> > >> Close. It was 4'33" (as in four minutes, 33 seconds) and involves > slightly > >> (but not much) more than just sitting. The first performance (this is an > >> account, mind you, written by someone who thought the piece worth writing > >> about) in 1952 went like this: > >> > >> "Tudor placed the hand-written score, which was in conventional > notation with blank measures, on the piano and sat motionless as he > used a stopwatch > >> to measure the time of each movement. The score indicated three silent > movements, each of a different length, but when added together totalled > four > >> minutes and thirty-three seconds. Tudor signaled its commencement by > lowering the keyboard lid of the piano. The sound of the wind in the > trees > >> entered the first movement. After thirty seconds of no action, he > raised the > >> lid to signal the end of the first movement. It was then lowered for > the second movement, during which raindrops pattered on the roof. The > score was > >> in several pages, so he turned the pages as time passed, yet playing > nothing > >> at all. The keyboard lid was raised and lowered again for the final > movement, during which the audience whispered and muttered." > >> > >> You can read all about it at www.azstarnet.com/~solo/4min33se.htm. > >> > >> Stravinsky remarked that he hoped we could have similar works of major > length from Cage. > >> > >> HP > > > > -- > > Thomas Schall > > Niederhofheimer Weg 3 > > D-65843 Sulzbach > > 06196/74519 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > www.lautenist.de / www.tslaute.de/weiss > > > > -- > > > > > -- > Rough-edged songs from a dark place in the soul: > http://DoctorOakroot.com -- Thomas Schall Niederhofheimer Weg 3 D-65843 Sulzbach 06196/74519 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.lautenist.de / www.tslaute.de/weiss --
