One of its muchquoted lines is i have nothing to say and i am saying and. John cage s lecture on nothing 1949 is a rigorously structured 40minute piece on nothing as something in its own right, not just the absence of any and every something. For cage, silence is sound, or more precisely, a zone of sounding with other sounds. After looking it over, he said, too bad the j miliard lecture isnt in it. Zac gvi performs lecture on nothing by john cage, 1961 at open file. 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. Project muse silence and speech in lecture on nothing. Modern music sevenths, always, all, fascinated me the seconds, with all its modern intervals.
Lecture on nothing first appeared in cage s famous book silence. Silence is an opportunity to be aware of ones very present, ones own body and external world. John cage was an american composer, zen buddhist, and mushroom eater. 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 significant representatives of the theatrical avantgarde, whose landmark einstein on the beach was recreated at the barbican in 2012. Thli following text was delivered as a talk at a meeting of a seattle am societv. Combining a vocal performance with a live soundtrack composed of digitally manipulated sounds, many of which are sourced from the area around the performance venue, performers michael hunter and derek phillips reconstruct and reinterpret cage s iconic 1949 lecture performance. Share john cage quotations about music, art and listening. The visualization of john cages lecture on nothing youtube. Zac gvi lecture on nothing, john cage, 1961 by openfile. Lecture on nothing 109 lecture on something f 128 45 for a speaker 146 where are we going. Our poetry now is the realization that we possess nothing john cage lecture on nothing i want to say something about the ethics of nonintention. Cage, john, lecture of nothing in lecturers and writings, 1959, p.
Cage was part of the greenwich village scene in the 1950s. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this john cage study guide. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage. 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. John cage 1912 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and provocative artist. The official site for information about the life and works of john cage, administered by the john cage trust.
These are extracts from the 50th anniversary edition of silence. John cage lecture on nothing 481 g 1955 g leonard michaels in the fifties 501. John cage silence lectures and writings, 50th anniversary. Oct 11, 2014 i have nothing to say and i am saying it and that is poetry as i need it john cage lecture on nothing, silence, 109.
John cage, lecture on nothing this essay will address john cages inclusive desire to allow room for silence in both his musical compositions and his written. Drawing from the philosophical framework provided by. In a visually and acoustically inspiring homage to revolutionary composer and philosopher john cage, american theater luminary robert wilson performs lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of 20thcentury experimental literature originally delivered in 1949 by the composer himself at an artists club in. Lectures and writings is a book by american experimental composer john cage 19121992, first published in 1961 by wesleyan university press. What john cage offers is more refreshing, more spirited, much more funa. September 5, 1912 august 12, 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher. John cage started before that event at black mountain in 1952, but it is important to note that much of john cage s writing during the fifties not only lecture on nothing and ulecture on something, but also the juilliard lecture 1952 and, subsequently, where are we going.
As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cages lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature. 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. John cage, zen buddhism and the inner life of artists, discusses and directs a performance of john cage s lecture on nothing. Todays essay is a followup to lecture on nothing, appropriately titled lecture on something, delivered to the artists club sometime in 1950. Originally delivered by john cage at an artists club in new york in 1949, the composers lecture on nothing went on to become a core text within his 1961 collagemeditation of essays, silence. National academy of arts and letters, and wrote his lecture on nothing and lecture. Find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Instead, reading lecture on nothing in its proper language or dialect is meant to approximate the experience of listening to a piece of music. The entire piece is divided into five parts, comprised of 7, 6, 14, 14, 7 units. John cage s lecture on nothing is one of his early, legendarily forbidding speeches first held in 1950. In 1949, john cage received an award of one thousand dollars from the. According to cage, something earth while nothing heaven.
John cage was a very large part of this cultural landscape. The text in john cage s lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. John cage s music actually seems to me to be the closest and most intimate music that could ever exist. Zac gvi lecture on nothing, john cage, 1961 by openfile published on 20120618t22. John cage s concerto for prepared piano and chamber orchestra 195051 holds a unique position within the composer s oeuvre as the first work based in part on chancederived compositional procedures. There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. 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. Premiered on august 22, 2012 at the ruhrtriennale festival, jahrhunderthalle, bochum, germany. The poem is written in a manner that allows it to be grasped, like music, in the moment of hearing and listening.
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. The visualization of john cages lecture on nothing. 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. A performative interpretation of john cages lecture on nothing, written in 1949 and published as part of his book silence from 1961. According to cage, silence may operate as a positive frame through which to appreciate nonmusical sounds and to heighten the experience of listening. 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. 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. John cages ideas on sound, easily the most influential among the post war arts, were. Stream zac gvi lecture on nothing, john cage, 1961 by openfile from desktop or your mobile device. John cage in buffalo is a tribute to the scores of artists and performers who live and have lived in western new york who were influenced by john cage. John cage s books published by wesleyan are, silence. Brandon labelle lecture on nothing 2011, cd discogs.
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. So it was that i gave about 1949 my lecture on nothing at the artists club on. Lecture on nothing 109 lecture on something 128 45. 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. Cage s 1959 lecture on nothing remains a touchstone for artists thinking about how to empty their work of themselves. I thought the resultant complex would help to change our present intellectual climate. Lectures and writings by john cage ii silence wesleyan university press middletown, connecticutiii also by john cage. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on silence. Robert wilson finds the poetry in lecture on nothing. Rounding out this cage collection is uittis own rendition of the lecture on nothing, which occupies 41 minutes of the second cd.
Although lecture on something does adhere to a rhythmic structure and page layout similar to lecture on nothing, cage presents a very specific argument that is essentially grafted onto the nothing format. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak. Pdf on dec 1, 1997, stephen davies and others published john cages 4. The score of the lecture can be understood as a reaction to one of the most momentous cuts in twentieth centurys media history. 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. John cage published by wesleyan university press john cage. Francesmarie uitti, john cage, none, francesmarie uitti. He first gave his lecture on something at the artists club in 1950, followed by lecture on nothing. The catalyst for this exhibition was a chance conversation. 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. As a lecture, or as an accompaniment to a merce cunningham dance, he would read them aloud, speaking quickly or slowly as the stories required so that one story was read. 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.
John cage is the outstanding composer of avantgarde music today. 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. 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. 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. He published silence in 1961, which included lectures and writings from the period 19391958. A pioneer of chance music, electronic music and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage was one of the leading figures of the postwar avantgarde. Downtown poet brendan constantine performs john cages. Camera obscura poetry instructor brendan constantine performs john cage s text. One hundred years after his birth, john cages ideas about the possibilities of music still inspire. The visualization of john cages lecture on nothing on vimeo. Cage explained that one had to look into all of the somethings in order to find the nothing. Lecture on nothing, which is published in john cage s silence, is a classic, studied and often recited. These are the first two sentences of john bergers ways of seeing. Beginning around 1950, and throughout the passing years, he departed from the pragmatism of precise musical notation and circumscribed ways of performance.
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 cage. A year with john cage how to get out of the cage documentary, 2012 duration. Cage entered into such practice gradually, incrementally abandoning subjective taste and personal expression through the course of the work. Project muse silence and speech in lecture on nothing and. The production has been described as being an acoustically and visually inspiring approach to the philosophical and poetic text which cage based on a complex time length. Silence is a collection of essays and lectures cage wrote during the period from 1939 to 1961.
Kay larson on john cage, 433 and the lecture on nothing. John cages lecture on nothing as a landmark in media history. Lectures and writings, 50th anniversary edition cage, john, gann, kyle on. As cage explains in the essay, the topicsomethingis ostensibly morton feldman, but as he admits, by the end it is about something else, namely cages most recent ideas on. John cages lecture on nothing is one of his early, legendarily forbidding speeches first held in 1950. Preface to lecture on the weather by john cage the first thing i thought of doing in relation to this work was to find an anthology of american aspirational thought and subject it to chance operations.
Lecture on nothing is perhaps, next to the future of music. Books by john dagata halls of fame about a mountain. 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. In a visually and acoustically inspiring homage to revolutionary composer and philosopher john cage, american theater luminary robert wilson performs lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of 20thcentury experimental literature. Its one of cage s best voice pieces, and uitti does a fine job with it.
They establish sight as the primary human sense and introduce the idea that looking is the medium. Lecture on nothing is a recording of john cage s original text as read by a deaf individual. John cages lecture on nothing the barbican, london 2502. So it was that i gave about 1949 my lecture on nothing at the artists club on eighth. Its a great modernisttopostmodernist look at the construction of a lecture, the stringing of language into something selfconsciously coherent. John cage s music actually seems to me to be the closest and most intimate music that could ever. 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. When silence was published, i gave a copy to david tudor. Oct 19, 20 the text in john cages lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit.
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