The Cambridge Companion to John Cage (Cambridge Companions to Music)

John Cage (1912–1992) was without doubt one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music. Pupil of Schoenberg, Henry Cowell, Marcel Duchamp, and Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, among others, he spent much of his career in pursuit of an unusual goal: 'giving up control so that sounds can be sounds', as he put it. This book celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements - the development of the prepared piano and of the percussion orchestra, the adoption of chance and of indeterminacy, the employment of electronic resources and of graphic notation, and the questioning of the most fundamental tenets of Western art music. Besides composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. Written by a team of experts, this Companion discusses Cage's background, his work, and its performance and reception, providing in sum a fully rounded portrait of a fascinating figure. John Cage (1912-1992) was without doubt one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music. Pupil of Schoenberg, Henry Cowell, Marcel Duchamp, and Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, among others, he spent much of his career in pursuit of an unusual goal: 'giving up control so that sounds can be sounds', as he put it. This book celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements - the development of the prepared piano and of the percussion orchestra, the adoption of chance and of indeterminacy, the employment of electronic resources and of graphic notation, and the questioning of the most fundamental tenets of Western art music. Besides composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. This Companion discusses Cage's background, his work, and its performance and reception. -- publisher description List of illustrations Notes on contributors Preface Acknowledgements Chronology Part I. Aesthetic Contexts: 1. Cage and America David Nicholls 2. Cage and Europe Christopher Shultis 3. Cage and Asia: history and sources David W. Patterson Part II. Sounds, Words, Images: 4. Music I: to the late 1940s David W. Bernstein 5. Words and writings David W. Patterson 6. Towards infinity: Cage in the 1950s and 1960s David Nicholls 7. Visual art Kathan Brown 8. Music II: from the late 1960s William Brooks Part III. Interaction and Influence: 9. Cage's collaborations Leta E. Miller 10. Cage and Tudor John Holzaepfel 11. Cage and high modernism David W. Bernstein 12. Music and society William Brooks 13. Cage and postmodernism Alastair Williams 14. No escape from heaven: John Cage as father figure Kyle Gann Endnotes Bibliography Index. Cage And America / David Nicholls -- Cage And Europe / Christopher Shultis -- Cage And Asia, History And Sources / David W. Patterson -- Music I, To The Late 1940s / David W. Bernstein -- Words And Writings / David W. Patterson -- Towards Infinity, Cage In The 1950s And 1960s / David Nicholls -- Visual Art / Kathan Brown -- Music Ii, From The Late 1960s / William Brooks -- Cage's Collaborations / Leta E. Miller -- Cage And Tudor / John Holzaepfel -- Cage And High Modernism / David W. Bernstein -- Music And Society / William Brooks -- Cage And Postmodernism / Alastair Williams -- No Escape From Heaven, John Cage As Father Figure / Kyle Gann. Edited By David Nicholls. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 268-276) And Index. American composer John Cage (1912-1992) was without doubt one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music. He spent much of his career in pursuit of an unusual goal--"giving up control so that sounds can be sounds", as he put it. As well as composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. This Companion celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements and provides readers with a fully rounded portrait of a fascinating figure. Given that he was born, bred, and educated in the United States, the supposition that John Cage's aesthetic outlook was nurtured and majorly influenced by his home nation might seem obvious to the point of redundancy.