Synopses & Reviews
American composer John Cage (1912-1992) was without doubt one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music. He spent much of his career in pursuit of an unusual goal--"giving up control so that sounds can be sounds", as he put it. As well as composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. This Companion celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements and provides readers with a fully rounded portrait of a fascinating figure.
Review
"These essays ... represent a significant contribution to understanding the uniqueness of Cage. Highly recommended." Choice
Synopsis
Celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements, providing a rounded portrait of an influential composer.
Synopsis
John Cage was one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music. Besides composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. This Companion celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements, providing a fully rounded portrait of a fascinating figure.
About the Author
David Nicholls is Professor of Music at the University of Southampton. Author of American Experimental Music, 1890-1940 (Cambridge, 1990) and editor of The Cambridge History of American Music (Cambridge, 1998) and numerous articles on topics in American music, he has also acted as contributing editor for the reissue of Henry Cowell's New Musical Resources (CUP, 1996) and The Whole World of Music: A Henry Cowell Symposium (1997). He is also editor of the journal American Music.
Table of Contents
List of illustrations; Notes on contributors; Preface; Acknowledgements; Chronology; Part I. Aesthetic Contexts: 1. Cage and America David Nicholls; 2. Cage and Europe Christopher Shultis; 3. Cage and Asia: history and sources David W. Patterson; Part II. Sounds, Words, Images: 4. Music I: to the late 1940s David W. Bernstein; 5. Words and writings David W. Patterson; 6. Towards infinity: Cage in the 1950s and 1960s David Nicholls; 7. Visual art Kathan Brown; 8. Music II: from the late 1960s William Brooks; Part III. Interaction and Influence: 9. Cage's collaborations Leta E. Miller; 10. Cage and Tudor John Holzaepfel; 11. Cage and high modernism David W. Bernstein; 12. Music and society William Brooks; 13. Cage and postmodernism Alastair Williams; 14. No escape from heaven: John Cage as father figure Kyle Gann; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.