MU 121-GP Introduction to Music Fall Term 2020

I personally think the music in Cage's 4'33" was in the silence and in each persons own head. Since Cage is a big believer in Zen meditation and the purpose of it is to let all thoughts and words pass through without getting caught up in them and focusing attention inward, the silence in the piece allowed the listeners to do this. If there were words or notes then the listeners may then become too caught up in finding meaning in the words and not themselves.

I personally agree with what Anna said below in regards to "if there were words or notes then the listeners may then become too caught up in finding meaning in the words". I think some of the best music appears when there are no words. With more words listeners spend too much time thinking about the meaning of the lyrics and the meaning of the entire song in general instead of appreciating the quality of the music itself.

As we talked about music in class, we said it was passing of time. I agree with Anna Catherine. I think that the music in Cage's 4'33" was the silence. The time passing. In my head I am constantly thinking, overthinking, most of the time. It seems to never stop spinning with thoughts. I think the song gives you anticipation, it makes you wonder what is going to happen. I had to listen to the song. As time went by not a note was played, but I found that my mind seemed to be at peace listening to the silence and reflecting on what it could be.

What sticks out to me about 4:33 is something we discussed before. Which is that with every piece of music that is played or performed live it is heard a little differently each time. Whether it's because of the way an audience's energy impacts a performer or because of the way a piece sounds in different spaces or more directly how a performer may alter their performance a little each time. With 4:33 this difference in each performance is especially true because any sound made in the space then becomes part of the "silence" or non-silence and therefore part of the performance in a sense. So the way I interpret 4:33 is that it's less of an exercise of technique but more of an exercise in awareness of our surroundings which is one of the main things many people focus on in meditation. Meditation is typically an exercise in raising awareness of our surroundings and become in tune with the spaces we occupy similarly the silence of 4:33 requires listeners to really hone in on what's happening in the space around them and become in tune with their surroundings which really allows the typically passive listener to realize the role they can actually play in a performance.

I agree with what everyone seems to be posting. Because zen is thoughtful meditation this piece of music with no musical notes is meant to launch the listener into a state of meditation without notes or words.The listener is forced to be introspective and dwell on relaxing thoughts that result from the quietness all around. Maybe the composer is forcing the listener to ask the question, what is music? If music speaks to the soul how does silence or the absence of musical notes and lyrics affect one’s soul. So the music is the mindful meditation that takes place in the silence.

In John Cage's 4'33" I believe he could be giving the listener a chance to be quiet. In one's thoughts and actions. We also need to take into account that music can mean different things to different people. In this instance music can be a feeling. What do you feel when you listen to it? I feel as though he also wanted to challenge the traditional idea of "music."

I too believe that this piece of music is meant to allow to listener to have their own interpretation of what it means to them. Music means different things to different people. It also allows the listener to take a moment and truly reflect on what it means to them and how it can make them feel in general. The song is open for interpretation and does not have a clear meaning like most music which is what makes it so unique. It means something different to every person.

I strongly agree with many points in the responses that I just read. I believe that the "music" was meant to be in the audiences head through the silence. The goal of Zen meditation is to regulate attention through the mind which was Cage's overall goal through his performance. Cage wanted the "music" to be heard and interpreted differently in each audience members head.

I think that Cage wrote 4'33 as a statement. I think he wanted others to know that there is no correct way to define music, but that music must be thought-provoking and eye-opening. Obviously, most pieces of music do have notes, but Cage wanted people to realize that having notes in a piece does not make music what it is. What makes music music is the fact that it sparks conversations, thoughts, feelings, and meaning. By having no notes in his piece, he is wanting anyone who "listens" to 4'33 to think about what the bigger meaning and purpose of music is. As we discussed in class, music is the passing of time, so therefore his piece is music, but much more unconventional than any normal song.

This piece was an example of performance art. The music is the silence and the random sounds of the performers moving around. It is the culmination of Cage's Zen ideas of defying the conventional elements of western music. These zen ideas are derived from Daoist belief of flowing with the flow, or keeping ones mind in the void. While meditating one must keep their mind free of any thought. This song is the musical version of this practice and encourages the audience to stop thinking about the notes or the meaning and simply enjoy the music.

I also agree with what Anna Catherine said. I think that the music portrayed in Cage's 4'33'' gave everyone the ability to think of the piece in different ways which would give everyone a different feel to the music. I also agree with what Anna Luth said in regard to the "silence" in the piece making people anticipate what was coming next. I think this piece was brilliantly made in regards to making each persons experience with it unique.

When I really considered the piece we discussed in class, I thought back on the question that was asked, "What defines music?" The popular ideas seemed to be that it had to occupy time. I think that this is a really important aspect of the piece and music in general, but I believe that what really defines music in my eyes is the effect it has on a person mentally and emotionally. This is an odd intangible idea, but when I thought about 4'33" I realized that this is what it brought to the table. It is a song that made me think and consider this very question that we are discussing right now. So for that reason I believe that the "music" is in the response people have to a piece, not the actual sound or time that is filled.