Reading Blog #2

The article reads a lot about John Cage’s accomplishments and philosophy around his music. The infamous musical piece “4’33” was largely controversial among the public. John Cage’s fascination with the usage of random sounds instead of composed music on a sheet is largely talked about even to this day. His most famous piece “4’33” got a lot of criticism from audience members who listened to it live. “There’s no such thing as silence,” Cage stated, through the piece you could hear sounds coming from inside and outside the auditorium. Whether it be the wind and rain from outside. Or the chattering and footsteps of audience members leaving the auditorium in frustration. 

Another piece John Cage made was “Water Walk” which he performed on a talk show hosted by Gary Moore. What I found interesting about this piece is the reaction of the audience this time around. Instead of audience members leaving in frustration or complaining, they seemed to listen and be interested. Many of the audience members laughed at the amount of chaotic noises John Cage produced. “I consider laughter preferable to tears.” He said. It is obvious that he is self-aware of the type of reactions his music will get, but it seems like he likes it. He wanted to create something different that would awe the audience and create conversation. 

In my personal opinion, John Cage’s music is out of the ordinary. I’ve never known about John Cage or his music until now and I can say with utmost certainty that it is an interesting genre he created. Although I question his methods of creating music, it’s different and entertaining to listen to. It can be goofy and weird points but I feel like that's what he envisioned. I believe John Cage wanted to create music that would capture the listener's attention and give them an experience they have never listened to before.