No such thing as silence : John Cage's 4'33" / Kyle Gann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gann, Kyle.

Series:

Icons of America.

Icons of America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cage, John. 4'33"--no. 1.

Cage, John.

Acting.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (270 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

First performed at the midpoint of the twentieth century, John Cage's 4'33", a composition conceived of without a single musical note, is among the most celebrated and ballyhooed cultural gestures in the history of modern music. A meditation on the act of listening and the nature of performance, Cage's controversial piece became the iconic statement of the meaning of silence in art and is a landmark work of American music.In this book, Kyle Gann, one of the nation's leading music critics, explains 4'33" as a unique moment in American culture and musical composition. Finding resemblances and resonances of 4'33" in artworks as wide-ranging as the paintings of the Hudson River School and the music of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he provides much-needed cultural context for this fundamentally challenging and often misunderstood piece. Gann also explores Cage's craft, describing in illuminating detail the musical, philosophical, and even environmental influences that informed this groundbreaking piece of music. Having performed 4'33" himself and as a composer in his own right, Gann offers the reader both an expert's analysis and a highly personal interpretation of Cage's most divisive work.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Preface

ONE 4'33" at First Listening

TWO The Man: 1912-1949

THREE Dramatis Personae (Predecessors and Influences

FOUR The Path to 4'33": 1946 to 1952

FIVE The Piece and Its Notations

SIX The Legacy

APPENDIX 4'33" Discography

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references, discography, and index.

ISBN:

1-299-46388-6

0-300-16301-0

OCLC:

841172503