John Cage‘s “4’33″” is one of the most infamous pieces of “music” of the 20th century. There are air-quotes around “music” because “4’33″” is only music in the broadest definition; Wikipedia even has a footnote defending their use of “composition” to describe it. The piece is infamous for what it requires of the performer: namely, not much of anything. The piece is ostensibly for piano though, in theory, any instrument could be used. The pianist walks out onto a stage, sits at the bench and then proceeds to close and open and close and open the lid of the keyboard at specific times, marking out the “movements.” The key part is that the performer never once plays a single note for the entirety of the four minutes and thirty-three seconds they sit at the piano. Continue reading »
