Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Some Thoughts on Cage

I will admit that during the course of my education that I have not done a whole lot of study about the music of Cage, and even now, I wonder if studying the music of Cage is as effective an endeavor as studying his philosophy. All of the music that he wrote points back towards his entire philosophy of Zen.

Throughout his life, as Brad pointed out, Cage asked questions which, even when answered, led to other questions. This in itself should be a tip off that the music he writes will (and is) indicative of a man who is searching for answers, loaded with questions about everything.

The Coca Cola bottle and the street noise observations made by Cage really caused me to think about how I view music and what I think it is. I forget who made the point yesterday, but in reality, music is something that is defined by its age. Our age is one of postmodernism, one which combines the sublime with the ridiculous to make a statement, or combines different ideas that, while they might be profound independent of each other, create a ludicrous result. Or is it? It is ludicrous only by standards of previous generations which faced experiences different from ours. Their music deals with the issues they faced.

Cage needs to be viewed as a composer of music. While it is hard to consider his music on a par with that of Mozart, his compositions are highly reflective of the day that he lived in and the one that continues to the present. It is an era which is searching for meaning, and questions everything about existence. It is a period of human history just like another, a time which has been marred by threat of nuclear holocaust, political instability, and constant threat of war. After the World Wars, the USA not only faced these problems on external fronts throughout the world, but also faced internal challenges. The 1960's brought an age of circumspection. It was a time where the generation of college students questioned everything from sexuality to Governmental control.

All of these issues culminated in one of the greatest fiascos witnessed by the USA: the Vietnam War. The idea behind it was noble: keep the population of Southern Vietnam free of totalitarian rule. However, the means used by the government, as well as all of the social instability at home led to a disastrous campaign overseas.

What better figure as a composer to be a representative of such an era that Cage himself? Even today, many of the questions raised during the 20th century have yet to be answered by the masses. And when such answers have been found, they lead to further questions. While audiences may prefer euphonious music of Tchaikovsky, the politically motivated operas of Verdi, or the popular music of the Beetles and Rolling stones, they find the message of John Cage unappealing.

Now, I'll be honest, I don't agree with Cage's philosophy, but at the same time, I believe his philosophy perfectly reflects the modern era. It is a time where questions are asked, and while they may be answered, they lead us to more questions. Quite admirably, Cage proceeded forward, searching for those answers, and even though he may have found more questions, he refused to stop right there. Instead, he kept searching for answers. His work reflects this, and needs to be weighed with these considerations in mind. It looks ridiculous on just a quick glance over it, but in reality, there is a great depth to it, one that must not be glossed over when studying music of the 20th century.

The point of Cage's work was to provoke questions. After the discussion in class yesterday, I really want to explore Cage more. While I might not agree with what he says all the time, he does not do work that is superfluous, but that is riddled with meaning. It is the meaning that he intended for his works that I wish to find more about.

Thanks Brad. Job well done.

15 comments:

  1. Ahhhhhh Evan!!!!!!!!! Let the Battle Begin!!!! How does Cage and his philosophy reflect the modern era? I don't think he searched for or found any answers. He just had new and interesting (questions) ideas and presented them. I find his interviews and ideas confusing. I listened to a few more of his interviews,ummmmmm I was confused. He contradicts himself more than making a point. Like the Mozart statement. Mozart is all the same, but Coca Cola bottles are all different. What??? That makes no sense. All bottles can be different due to lighting and angle, just as Mozart can be different. Every performance of a Mozart piece someone else will miss a note, it will always be different, never the same. I kinda understand Cage's ideas but does he??? He seems confused with his own ideas?? He has so-many ideas I don't think he can sometimes make sense of them!

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  2. Well, he asked questions, and as he progressed, he did not find answers that were concrete, but instead he found additional questions. Just because one searches for answers and only unearths more questions does no mean that he is not looking for answers; he simp;ly is not finding them.

    I soujnd too much like a philosopher....

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  3. "That is really the who basis of postmodernism..... searching for answers but unable to come to a sound conclusion, only more questions. As a result, everything becomes relative. Hence the Coke bottle illustration, and even what he said about Mozart and Beethoven"- Evan. hmmmm If a person is searching for answers, don't they want to find answers?? I don't think Cage is looking for answers because he doesn't want to find answers. One that seeks questions receives questions, one that seeks answers will eventually get answers, not just questions. I know we have been talking awhile about this on Googletalk but I think Cage has gotten you to think about your answers and contradict yourself. Earlier in our conversation you stated that he was seeking answers but then you stated that he was looking for questions???? hmmm.. Then you made your Blog Post, I think you changed your answer because you were looking for a question to answer your question?? Does that make any sense???? Call me Cage!!!!

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  4. Not really.....I am pretty sure what I said in both this post as well as in our conversation is that he kept searching for answers, but kept coming up with questions instead.

    Honestly, how does one expect to have a rational conversation when Cage is involved?

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  5. One thing is for sure, Cage has made me think harder about everything than anything else that I have ever studied. His constant questioning of reality and his tendency to contradict himself does cast some doubt on his credibility, but nevertheless, he is such a controversial figure that his ideas and music need to be seriously studied.

    I guess that is what I should have emphasized in my blog post. Cage's controversial status should be the basis of our study of him.

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  6. Aren't questions better than answers?

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  7. Is it possible we are involved in one giant game of "Jeopardy!"? Maybe the answers to our questions are questions themselves.

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  8. Why are questions better than answers??? If I kept finding more questions all the time, I think that would be a bit FRUSTRATING!! Sometimes it is nice to find answers that also bring forth a question, but you can't survive just on questions, can you? It would be a never ending circle of questions with no forward direction. It seems to me that John Cage is winning. When Evan and I were discussing this outside the blog, I found myself forgetting what our argument was in the first place, kept bringing up more questions!!! Grrrrr, John Cage!!!

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  9. Darn, I was hoping that someone would simply write "no" in reply to my last post. :o)

    I think answers are great, but I feel that if I enjoyed answers, I would of been a mathematician. But since I'm a musician, I guess I am forced to embrace questions, ex: why does this tambourine sound great right here, but when I go out to the hall and have someone else play it, why does it sound completely different?

    Anyways, I am enjoying this thread.

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  10. Eric did raise a valid point though..... did John Cage actually stop looking for answers and one point and start looking just for questions. I believe he started out searching for answers, but he seemed so cynical of the results he obtained that even if he obtained the answers that he desired, he would doubt them enough that he would question their validity, which would raise further questions for him to answer. So he may have been searching for answers, but the really issue is would he have ever been content with them?

    Oh well.............

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  11. Thank Cage for this thread because were not finding any ANSWERS (I know I am not) but I am asking myself more questions about why I like or don't like Cage's music. Very helpful to hear different and contrasting opinions with members in our class. It doesn't help that the man we are discussing is a big (Question) The moment I think I understand Cage he says something so different and out there I am like "Well shit, I don't get it?" Does anyone feel that way with Cage's music??? Am I the last soldier on the field that does not really understand Cage???

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  12. Let me clarify what I eant in my blog post. Personally, I would not want to listen to any of his music because I don't find it emotionally appealing. The thing that fascinates me is the mans philosophy about everything. Honestly, I don't think I would ever want to go to an all Cage concert (unless I were given a significant sum of money). But his ideas do have a lot of intrigue, especially how he could contradict himself soooo much.

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  13. Are you guys actually arguing (discussing, rather) between 4 and 6 am! Or is the clock wrong for the blog. I'll find out in a minute (it is 1:19 pm)

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  14. Aha! Is is posting on California time (i.e., three hours earlier). In honor of Cage, Cowell, and Harrison?

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