John Cage

American composer, music theorist, artist and philosopher John Milton Cage Jr was born in Los Angeles on 5 September 1912. His father was an inventor and his mother was a journalist. He took piano lessons as a child and when he left school and began to study theology at Pomona College, he was sure that he wanted to be a writer. Looking back on this time from near the end of his life, he wrote:

I was shocked at college to see one hundred of my classmates in the library all reading copies of the same book. Instead ... I ... read the first book written by an author whose name began with Z. I received the highest grade in the class. That convinced me that the institution was not being run correctly. I left.

He spent eighteen months in Europe, initially in Paris, and became interested in music, painting and poetry. He travelled to other European countries, and began composing while in Majorca. He returned to the USA in 1931, and by 1933 had decided to concentrate on music. He moved to New York City, studied with Adolph Weiss and Henry Cowell, and then persuaded Arnold Schoenberg to give him free lessons. Schoenberg considered Cage to be an inventor, not a composer, which was probably a shrewd remark, as Cage went on to invent the prepared piano and become a pioneer of aleatoric music (created using the Chinese I Ching) and electroacoustic music.

His music was heavily influenced by Asian cultures, and he was as much a philosopher as a composer, becoming very influential on the post-war avant-garde scene.

John Cage died in New York City on 12 August 1992, aged seventy-nine.

 

A selection of articles about John Cage

Resounding Echoes by Robert McCarney - Heaven and Hell

Ensemble. Not the Longest Ever Written - Ron Bierman listens to Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony and a new work by Thomas Larcher in San Diego's newly renovated Jacobs Music Center

Classical music news. Obituary - Peter Dickinson (1934-2023)

Classical music news. March 2023 Newsletter - Our March 2023 PDF newsletter has just been published, along with some extra classical music news and our February 2023 classical music obituaries

Echoes of Oblivion by Robert McCarney - From swerve of shore to bend of bay

Ensemble. Beyond Earthly Existence - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on the International Chigiana Festival and Summer Academy

Classical music news. Obituary - Sylvano Bussotti (1931-2021)

Ensemble. Siena Wins a Heroic Bet - Giuseppe Pennisi attends the opening performance of the completely re-designed Chigiana International Festival and Summer Academy

CD Spotlight. Great Partners - Music for clarinet and piano, enjoyed by Geoff Pearce. 'This great disc will bring joy to everyone who listens to it.'

CD Spotlight. Musical Gallimaufry - Ivan Ilic plays Scriabin and American music, heard by Howard Smith. '... eight tracks of acceptable Scriabin ...'

CD Spotlight. Extraordinarily Beautiful - Joseph Summer's Shakespeare Concerts Series, heard by Howard Smith. '... immediately expressive.'

CD Spotlight. Quite Splendid - American vocal and symphonic music, heard by Bill Newman. '... much enjoyment and interest ...'

CD Spotlight. Somehow Different - Joshua Pierce's tribute to John Cage, recommended by Ron Bierman. '... either hypnotic or annoyingly eccentric.'

DVD Spotlight. Outrageously Flamboyant - Christian Lindberg as trombonist, composer and conductor, recommended by Ron Bierman. '... an extraordinary character ...'

Fun to Read - 'Dwynwen's Feast' by I H Smythe, read by Kelly Ferjutz

CD Spotlight. Ambiguous Alchemy - Choral music by Jonathan Harvey, explored by Jennifer Paull. '... truly spellbinding ...'

CD Spotlight. Positively Spellbinding - Music for clarinet, piano and cello, enjoyed by Howard Smith. '... a fine recording ...'

CD Spotlight. Surrealist in Language - The homogeny of Jonathan Harvey, investigated by Jennifer Paull. '... superbly interpreted ...'

CD Spotlight. Lightness of Touch - Brahms and Strauss, heard by Patric Standford. '... a very fine performance by Joshua Pierce ...'

Ensemble. Pushing Back the Boundaries - London Sinfonietta's 'British Experiments', reviewed by Chris Graham

Ensemble. Museum Culture? - Experimental music by Cage, Cowell, Feldman, Rzewski, Satie and Wolff, heard by Malcolm Miller

CD Spotlight. Rhythmic Interplay - Music by Babbitt and Feldman, heard by Patric Standford. '... fresh and striking ...'

The Philosophy of Absence - Jennifer Paull investigates four releases of Cage's Number Pieces

Ensemble. Passionately Breathtaking - The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen

Record Box. Curious and Evocative - Quarter-tone keyboard music played by Joshua Pierce, reviewed by Patric Standford

Record Box. Highly Contrasting - Microtonal music, reviewed by Patric Standford

Murdering Classical Music - A Speculative History of the Present, by Gordon Rumson

A Real Treasure House - Dialogues with and about John Cage, reviewed by Patric Standford

Record Box. Gentle and Meditative - Music by Peter Dickinson, reviewed by Patric Standford

High Jinx and Haute Couture - On the anniversary of Cathy Berberian's birth, Jennifer Paull investigates the legendary musician's extraordinary talents in humouristic performance, and her equally astounding wardrobe

Cathy Berberian - Never knowingly misunderstood - Jennifer Paull questions the focus of the lens of musical history

'Sky poets paint the sheltered curve to find' - the first part of a triptych of articles by Jennifer Paull

CD Spotlight. Uncaged John - An attempt to decode his mysteries, by Jennifer Paull. 'Cage is a time-travelling machine.'