Today is the birthday of the composer John Cage, who is best known for 4’33”, a piece of music in which no intentional sounds are made by the artist or performer. Many, if not most, have encountered references to the piece, at least in comics and cartoons. Yet it may not be immediately
Follow @yaleARTbooks September 5, 2012 marks the 100th birthday of American composer John Cage, most often known for the silently performed 4’33’’. Though Cage’s silence as a composition has been deeply considered on Yale University Press’s list with Kyle Gann’s Icons of America book, No Such Thing as Silence, the
If you’re in the City, be sure not to miss Kyle Gann, author of No Such Things as Silence: John Cage’s 4’33”, giving a presentation for the Goethe-Institut New York, as part of their Unsound Lounge series, co-sponsored with Unsound. The event is free and open to the public. The
More great links this week: @jonathasmello clues us in on John Cage’s rather strange dietary habits through the video posted above. @drshow (The Diane Rehm Show) links to their interview with Taliban author Ahmed Rashid while @WashUnplugged prepares for their Monday airing. @Fictional 100 and @celticglambert both recommend Alberto Manguel’s
This new regular blog feature presents a weekly roundup of interesting links related to Yale University Press, courtesy of the keen-eyed citizens of the Twitterverse: @cafsimard reflects on Alberto Manguel’s troublingly negative review of Roberto Bolaño’s latest work. @flloydpk quotes a particularly tongue-twisting passage from Edith Grossman’s Why
John Cage’s silent masterpiece 4’33” is one of classical music’s most controversial compositions. In his new book, No Such Thing as Silence, musician and critic Kyle Gann not only explains why the piece incited such a stir but also why it is still best experienced live. “Cage didn’t believe in