John Cage

433
I think that this
piece attempts to
outline the fact that
music isnt just
about noise, about
sound, but also
about the absence
of sound and
listening to what is
really within the
hustle and bustle of
real life. John Cage
said silence was
not the absence of
sound but was the
unintended
operation of my
nervous system
and the circulation
of my blood.
He realised this after visiting Cambridge, Harvard University, and then
seeing the white paintings of Rauschenberg brought him to composing
this piece.
John Cage often used I ching to compose and looked at Zen, Buddhism
and other ideas from the far East. I think that 433 is a chance to listen to
the world and observe the sounds that we never normally notice: a babys
frenzied screams, the regular pounding of our heartbeat, the hum of the
heater, the fridge, the white noise of the radio
We are all too absorbed with daily life to observe the beauty of silence,
nature and ourselves, and John Cage, with this piece gave us a chance to
absorb everything that we can, and understand the extent to which sound
stretches, not just what we normally hear.
On the release of this piece, many were incredulous, it was too new, too
exciting, but now, people say that its one of the most influential pieces of
the twentieth century, and John Cage played a massive part in the
development of modern and experimental music.