![]() ![]() Other than a few sound bites about how it was his favorite piece, we do not have many statements by Cage about his most famous work, and certainly nothing extensive or deeply revealing. ![]() It is easy to see why the histories of 4′ 33″ say so little about how Cage treated the piece after its Woodstock premiere: almost as soon as it was created, he seems to have dropped the subject. While 4′ 33″ is seen as a daring creation that changed music, Cage himself can be seen as its somewhat reluctant creator.Ĭage may have been slow to take the plunge and create his silent piece, but what did he think about it afterwards? Much has been written about the impact of 4′ 33″ on music and art, but almost nothing about Cage’s own personal relationship to the work. Much of the motivation for finally creating the piece came from outside himself: The challenge of Rauschenberg’s white paintings, David Tudor’s encouragement, and the deadline to write it for the Woodstock concert. Cage declared his serious intention to write a silent piece ( Silent prayer) in 1948, and then took four years to get around to actually doing it. But as we have seen, its history was one of hesitancy and delay. It has been hugely influential, a watershed in Western music. Northwestern University Music LibraryĤ′ 33″ quickly became John Cage’s most famous composition. ![]()
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