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.