“John Cage was a composer: this is the premise from which everything in this book follows.” Twenty years ago I opened my book on the music of John Cage with this strong statement. There were field marks by which I identified Cage as a composer, and I learned them by studying “the other subject” of my book.
What is a composer? Who is she? Read More »
The bilingual (Portuguese/English) arts magazine Cine Qua Non has just published their John Cage tribute issue. It includes my essay on John Cage and silence.
John Cage on silence Read More »
I’ve said that I’m more a storyteller than a musicologist. I was reminded of this while reading Kay Larson’s new book “Where the heart beats”. Our tellings of the story of Cage’s spiritual journey aren’t that far apart.
I was contacted recently about a project to assemble a version of Cage’s ‘A dip in the lake’ in Potenza, Italy. They asked me if I would write a short text for the program book, and naturally I agreed.
A dip in the lake in Potenza Read More »
A good while back, I wrote about Morton Feldman’s Intermission 6. I’ve been playing it some more this month and just made a recording of it.
Morton Feldman: Intermission 6, again Read More »
The John Cage Trust has released an app for iOS and Android devices. It’s a demonstration of Cage’s prepared piano and ties into the recent recording of the Sonatas and interludes released by the Trust. I found it to be the perfect audiovisual aid for a recent class on the Cage string quartet.
Prepared piano app Read More »
I’ve been reading “On an overgrown path” on how spirituality could be a huge marketing opportunity for classical music. Classical music, the author proposes, should drawn on its deep spiritual heritage and sell itself as the “kind of unique life enriching experience” that it actually can be. Part of what makes me mention this here is that the author quotes John Cage’s formulation of the purpose of music: To sober and quiet the mind making it susceptible to divine influences.
John Cage and spirituality Read More »
While in Barcelona, I was interviewed for Ràdio Web MACBA, the online radio program of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). It was an interesting experience and is available online now.
Interview at Ràdio Web MACBA Read More »
This being the John Cage centennial year, I have been receiving a number of requests in my e-mail lately. A most interesting recent request was to write an essay for a music magazine in Iran.
The latest music to migrate from the bookshelf to the piano to be worked on are pieces by Morton Feldman and Beethoven. What I’m finding is that these pieces are talking to each other—or at least Feldman is speaking to Beethoven—about voicing, weight, and sound.
Morton Feldman speaks with Beethoven Read More »
