Oct 08 2004
John Cage’s Silence
The first performance of John Cage’s 4′33″ created a scandal. Written in 1952, it is Cage’s most notorious composition, his so-called silent piece. The piece consists of four minutes and thirty-three seconds in which the performer plays nothing.
Cage said, “People began whispering to one another, and some people began to walk out. They didn’t laugh — they were just irritated when they realized nothing was going to happen, and they haven’t fogotten it 30 years later: they’re still angry.”
Cage said, “People began whispering to one another, and some people began to walk out. They didn’t laugh — they were just irritated when they realized nothing was going to happen, and they haven’t fogotten it 30 years later: they’re still angry.”
The performance video-taped by the BBC is funny in some odd way.
