Reading 2: John Cage's Art of Noise: Searching For Silence

Response:

I really like the fact that every iteration of John Cage's songs could be played differently simply because of the nearby environment or who was playing it. "4'33" even had different sounds because the entire composition was made up of silence and whatever other sounds were going on in the environment (like people talking or loud trains passing). In the beginning, when we first started learning and reading about "4'33," I was having trouble seeing how a combination of random sounds could be music. But in order to understand, you need to understand that music is just a string of notes/sounds in a melody, which can also be done using random objects!

Notice the difference in stage set-ups. John Cage is a great example of avant garde music.

Not only that, but I almost admire Cage's creativity and drive to create a new sound for people to try and I really thought his attitude about it. I think that he would be more well liked today instead of back then for exactly the point they made saying, "... The difference is that scorn for avant-garde art has almost entirely vanished."

Some people more preferred "traditional" music like classical music.

People would be way more open to listening and fully experiencing his soundscape because since then, other people have been inspired by him and they all grouped together to lead the push for more avant-garde art. I think the explanation of people being negatively vulnerable while listening to these unfamiliar sounds in an unfamiliar place is a good one because it is the main reason people never deviate from the norms. When faced with new experiences or ideas, there is usually a large handful of people who straight up dislike it just because it isn't what they are used to or what they usually do. However, sometimes over time, they either warm up to it or more and more of society does until the idea becomes well-known and even popular! Like we learned in class, instrumentals and remixes are based of John Cage's "4'33"

with instrumentals incorporating funky sounds and remixes being shown through playing the same soundscape

An example of a soundscape and its sounds.

with different people. So, I would say more and more people have warmed up to the idea of straying from classical music or traditional music with singing and note melody in it. I think recognizing music as more of an art form is special, because through that it allows us to create these tailored experiences with hidden meaning. Each sound comes together to be strung into an entire story, and that is the inspiration I am also using for this project as well.

Citation for Quote:

Ross, Alex. “John Cage's Art of Noise.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 27 Sept. 2010, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/searching-for-silence.