#john-cage — Public Fediverse posts

“An experimental action is one the outcome of which is not foreseen.”
J. Cage

For Cage, “experimental” does not simply mean “new” or “unconventional.” Rather, it refers to an action whose outcome is not known in advance. The work is not fully determined by the composer but remains open to chance, indeterminacy, environmental conditions, and attentive listening.

#johncage #ExperimentalMusic #music
#musictheory #musicasperimentale

“An experimental action is one the outcome of which is not foreseen.”
J. Cage

For Cage, “experimental” does not simply mean “new” or “unconventional.” Rather, it refers to an action whose outcome is not known in advance. The work is not fully determined by the composer but remains open to chance, indeterminacy, environmental conditions, and attentive listening.

#johncage #ExperimentalMusic #music
#musictheory #musicasperimentale

Whenever someone speaks notional, precisely, about how something should be done, listen to him, if you can, with the greatest interest, knowing that his speech describes a single line in a sphere of potentially unlimited activity, that each of the measures he gives you exists within a field wide open for exploration.
John Cage

#johncage #musictheory #ExperimentalMusic #philosophy

Whenever someone speaks notional, precisely, about how something should be done, listen to him, if you can, with the greatest interest, knowing that his speech describes a single line in a sphere of potentially unlimited activity, that each of the measures he gives you exists within a field wide open for exploration.
John Cage

#johncage #musictheory #ExperimentalMusic #philosophy

Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs,
Nowth Upon Nacht
John Cage
Chloé Vaught soprano
Javier Arrebola piano

https://youtu.be/33DOegQe7bQ

#NowPlaying #JohnCage

Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs,
Nowth Upon Nacht
John Cage
Chloé Vaught soprano
Javier Arrebola piano

https://youtu.be/33DOegQe7bQ

#NowPlaying #JohnCage

Fragen! Fragen!

Es gibt eine schöne Geschichte über den Zen-Lehrer Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki.

Er nahm an einer Konferenz über Philosophie in Hawaii teil. Nach den Vorträgen des ersten Tages, als sich alle in der Vorhalle trafen, fragte einer der Philosophen Suzuki nach seiner Meinung über einen Vortrag. Suzuki antwortete: „Das war ein sehr guter Vortrag.“ – „Aber das Wichtigste im Zen ist das Leben.“ Am nächsten Tag gab es einen anderen Vortrag. Derselbe Philosoph fragte, wie er ihn fand. Er sagte wieder: „Er war sehr gut.“ – „Aber das Wichtigste im Zen ist der Tod.“ Der Philosoph war überrascht. Er sagte: „Wie kann ihre Antwort mal ´Leben` und mal `Tod` lauten?“ Suzuki sagte: „Im Zen gibt es zwischen beiden kaum Unterschiede.“

(Erzählt von John Cage)

John Cage playing chess with Teeny Duchamp in the back of a car in Bonn, 1982. Photo by Robert Masotti, taken from the liner notes to The Sessions (ECM New Series 1696).

#JohnCage #TeenyDuchamp #chess

John Cage playing chess with Teeny Duchamp in the back of a car in Bonn, 1982. Photo by Robert Masotti, taken from the liner notes to The Sessions (ECM New Series 1696).

#JohnCage #TeenyDuchamp #chess

I wish this article were more in-depth about the new staging, but it gives a bit of info on a new production of Cage's Apartment House 1776.

Wish I could get to Detroit to see this!

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/nx-s1-5806321/apartment-house-1776-john-cage-opera

#JohnCage #Opera

I wish this article were more in-depth about the new staging, but it gives a bit of info on a new production of Cage's Apartment House 1776.

Wish I could get to Detroit to see this!

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/nx-s1-5806321/apartment-house-1776-john-cage-opera

#JohnCage #Opera

John Cage, 4'33''.

Joana Gama, piano, at the Rescaldo Festival, Lisbon, 18 February 2018.

https://youtu.be/IMRxkdQCsjE?si=Hful8xANZjnxCinn

#JohnCage #JoanaGama

John Cage, 4'33''.

Joana Gama, piano, at the Rescaldo Festival, Lisbon, 18 February 2018.

https://youtu.be/IMRxkdQCsjE?si=Hful8xANZjnxCinn

#JohnCage #JoanaGama

Every artist needs their muse. For Avery Dart, that would be the eel, the main subject of Lurkers of Languid Waters, a record from his experimental ambient/black metal project, Escaping Aghartha. Dart uses his music to bring awareness to various environmental issues, such as the plight of frogs, birds, owls, the ocean, and pollution. The problem facing the eel, in particular the freshwater anguillid eels of Japan, Europe, and America, stems from overfishing. Dart seeks to raise awareness and money for the cause of protecting them. A portion of the record’s profits go towards Nature’s Anguillid Eel Specialist Group, a group that studies the population of these mysterious fish. Escaping Aghartha hopes you can spare some room in your heart for a moray.

A little-known fact about eels is their ability to shapeshift throughout the various cycles of their life, and Lurkers of Languid Waters similarly shifts genre across its 74-minute runtime. There’s progressive black metal, doom, drone, noise, industrial, ambient, dungeon synth, and more. The album is as slippery as its subject, though lacking in its bite. Opener “Eel Black Market” serves as a microcosm for the whole. The shifting guitar tones struggle to grasp for purpose from the start, and a repellent combination of “dirty” vocals and grating riffs starts things off on the wrong fin. Across 16 minutes, the song’s hooks fail to catch hold—a good outcome for the fish, but bad for the music. Escaping Aghartha utilizes synths that sound like a video game soundtrack, droning riffs, chanting, and bubble noises that make you feel trapped in a fish tank. Sure, the initial shock of the strangeness on display may grab one’s attention, but the intolerable nature of the music won’t hold it for long.

The choices that Avery Dart makes give the impression that he purposely set out to make the listener uncomfortable. To start, there are the vocals, mostly from Dart, that range from tolerable to unlistenable. By the end of “Eel Black Market,” his snarls are incomprehensible and grating. On the blackened doom of “The Phantoms that Haunt and Linger,” they are weak and muffled, contributing to a lethargic malaise. On “Eaten to Obliteration,” they are raw and hoarse. A few experimental choices bring to mind John Cage, such as bell chimes (“Eaten to Obliteration”) and a nightmarish buzzing segment that sounds like a mosquito in your ear (“Altered Currents”). These sections feel added without musical purpose, just random noise. This mammoth record will put you in the shoes of the eel in their final journey, when they travel thousands of miles to the Sargasso Sea on nothing but their stored fat reserves, spurt out millions of eggs, and then sink to their deaths from exhaustion.

Remarkably, Lurkers of the Languid Waters undergoes a transformation once it crosses the hour mark. Hooks catch hold and stick. Buzzy guitars make way for hooky synths and blackened trems. Though “Transformations” is pretty good, it’s “Journey to the Sargasso Sea” where things really take a turn for the best. The album suddenly sounds musical and purposeful rather than meandering and dense. The synths and trems team up to conjure an uplifting, triumphant mood, serving as the soundtrack for the eel’s final journey. At 12 minutes, it’s a tad long, but its progressive structure keeps it engaging. This goes to show that a little bit of hooks can go a long way. If only Escaping Aghartha had applied this approach to the rest of the album.

I’ll give Dart this: I’ve learned a lot about eels and their plight thanks to my time with his record. The purpose of Lurkers of the Languid Waters is to spark interest, conversation, and perhaps even action to protect these misunderstood fish. Yet the mere existence of this album can only go so far if it’s a chore to listen to. I spent time with it because I took on the duty of reviewing it, but others likely won’t be so willing. I’d be more tempted to plunk down some money on a CD, which does feature some terrific artwork, if the music were just a little more tolerable. I’d love to help defend a cause like this, but my ears are important too.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 22nd, 2026

Every artist needs their muse. For Avery Dart, that would be the eel, the main subject of Lurkers of Languid Waters, a record from his experimental ambient/black metal project, Escaping Aghartha. Dart uses his music to bring awareness to various environmental issues, such as the plight of frogs, birds, owls, the ocean, and pollution. The problem facing the eel, in particular the freshwater anguillid eels of Japan, Europe, and America, stems from overfishing. Dart seeks to raise awareness and money for the cause of protecting them. A portion of the record’s profits go towards Nature’s Anguillid Eel Specialist Group, a group that studies the population of these mysterious fish. Escaping Aghartha hopes you can spare some room in your heart for a moray.

A little-known fact about eels is their ability to shapeshift throughout the various cycles of their life, and Lurkers of Languid Waters similarly shifts genre across its 74-minute runtime. There’s progressive black metal, doom, drone, noise, industrial, ambient, dungeon synth, and more. The album is as slippery as its subject, though lacking in its bite. Opener “Eel Black Market” serves as a microcosm for the whole. The shifting guitar tones struggle to grasp for purpose from the start, and a repellent combination of “dirty” vocals and grating riffs starts things off on the wrong fin. Across 16 minutes, the song’s hooks fail to catch hold—a good outcome for the fish, but bad for the music. Escaping Aghartha utilizes synths that sound like a video game soundtrack, droning riffs, chanting, and bubble noises that make you feel trapped in a fish tank. Sure, the initial shock of the strangeness on display may grab one’s attention, but the intolerable nature of the music won’t hold it for long.

The choices that Avery Dart makes give the impression that he purposely set out to make the listener uncomfortable. To start, there are the vocals, mostly from Dart, that range from tolerable to unlistenable. By the end of “Eel Black Market,” his snarls are incomprehensible and grating. On the blackened doom of “The Phantoms that Haunt and Linger,” they are weak and muffled, contributing to a lethargic malaise. On “Eaten to Obliteration,” they are raw and hoarse. A few experimental choices bring to mind John Cage, such as bell chimes (“Eaten to Obliteration”) and a nightmarish buzzing segment that sounds like a mosquito in your ear (“Altered Currents”). These sections feel added without musical purpose, just random noise. This mammoth record will put you in the shoes of the eel in their final journey, when they travel thousands of miles to the Sargasso Sea on nothing but their stored fat reserves, spurt out millions of eggs, and then sink to their deaths from exhaustion.

Remarkably, Lurkers of the Languid Waters undergoes a transformation once it crosses the hour mark. Hooks catch hold and stick. Buzzy guitars make way for hooky synths and blackened trems. Though “Transformations” is pretty good, it’s “Journey to the Sargasso Sea” where things really take a turn for the best. The album suddenly sounds musical and purposeful rather than meandering and dense. The synths and trems team up to conjure an uplifting, triumphant mood, serving as the soundtrack for the eel’s final journey. At 12 minutes, it’s a tad long, but its progressive structure keeps it engaging. This goes to show that a little bit of hooks can go a long way. If only Escaping Aghartha had applied this approach to the rest of the album.

I’ll give Dart this: I’ve learned a lot about eels and their plight thanks to my time with his record. The purpose of Lurkers of the Languid Waters is to spark interest, conversation, and perhaps even action to protect these misunderstood fish. Yet the mere existence of this album can only go so far if it’s a chore to listen to. I spent time with it because I took on the duty of reviewing it, but others likely won’t be so willing. I’d be more tempted to plunk down some money on a CD, which does feature some terrific artwork, if the music were just a little more tolerable. I’d love to help defend a cause like this, but my ears are important too.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 22nd, 2026

#JohnCage

#JohnCage

JOHN CAGE / STEVE REICH / MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS / RALPH GRIERSON
Three Dances & Four Organs
1975 U.S. pressing

Early evening warped tomfoolery.

About to paint my study bookshelf, and wanted something weird and a little out there.

This fits the bill and then some.

A curated program featuring Reich’s landmark “Four Organs For Four Electric Organs & Maracas” piece, as well as John Cage’s three-part “Three Dances For Two Amplified Prepared Pianos”.

It is a #minimal , post-modern #classical mindfuck.
Definitely not something you’d listen to while driving in your car or cue up at a party. 😂

#vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #retro #vintage #art #music #abstract #artrock #weird #bizarre #fringe #stevereich #johncage

JOHN CAGE / STEVE REICH / MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS / RALPH GRIERSON
Three Dances & Four Organs
1975 U.S. pressing

Early evening warped tomfoolery.

About to paint my study bookshelf, and wanted something weird and a little out there.

This fits the bill and then some.

A curated program featuring Reich’s landmark “Four Organs For Four Electric Organs & Maracas” piece, as well as John Cage’s three-part “Three Dances For Two Amplified Prepared Pianos”.

It is a #minimal , post-modern #classical mindfuck.
Definitely not something you’d listen to while driving in your car or cue up at a party. 😂

#vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #retro #vintage #art #music #abstract #artrock #weird #bizarre #fringe #stevereich #johncage

#NowPlaying #ScottishMusic #ModeRecords #Improvisation

#TheWhistlebinkies perform #JohnCage's "Scottish Circus" (studio version, Glasgow 2007)

https://moderecords.bandcamp.com/album/scottish-circus-mode-352

opere asemiche di differx esposte a palazzo collicola, spoleto, 2026 / video di dino ignani

il contesto è quello della mostra Vita minore, a cura di Gianni e Giuseppe Garrera: https://slowforward.net/2026/02/21/oggi-21-febbraio-a-palazzo-collicola-spoleto-vita-minore-a-cura-di-gianni-e-giuseppe-garrera

altri link: https://slowforward.net/2026/03/28/scritture-contro-il-linguaggio-a-palazzo-collicola/ e  https://slowforward.net/2026/03/14/differx-a-palazzo-collicola/

Bonjour à toutes et à tous,

nous jouons Vidiel'a
les 8, 9 et 10 avril prochain
aux Quinconces-L'Espal, Scène Nationale du Mans.
https://www.quinconces-espal.com/la-saison/spectacles/vidiel-a

Au plaisir de vous voir!

#musiquecontemporaine
#JohnCage
# Marie-NoëlleDeverre
#Edwigebage
#Margotcharon

Ich kann nicht verstehen, warum die #Menschen vor neuen #Ideen #Angst haben. Ich habe Angst vor den alten.
(John #Cage)
#psychotHHerapie #Zitat #Zitate #JohnCage

https://www.jangoeritz.de/zitate

Shoplifting, sex shows and sheepdog-breeding: great artists and the side-hustles they did to get by https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/mar/24/artists-side-hustles-john-cage-jean-genet-kathy-acker-shoplifting-sex-shows-sheepdog-breeding #Culture #JohnCage #JeanGenet #ChantalAkerman #JeanlucGodard #Film #Books #Art #ArtAndDesign #Painting #ClassicalMusic #Music

Shoplifting, sex shows and sheepdog-breeding: great artists and the side-hustles they did to get by https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/mar/24/artists-side-hustles-john-cage-jean-genet-kathy-acker-shoplifting-sex-shows-sheepdog-breeding #Culture #JohnCage #JeanGenet #ChantalAkerman #JeanlucGodard #Film #Books #Art #ArtAndDesign #Painting #ClassicalMusic #Music

A FRAGMENT FROM GROBIAN'S PHILOSOPHICAL-THEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY WITH AN EXTENSIVE REACH INTO THE SCIENCES, ARTS, AND POLITICS (I.E., WITH A REACH HERE AND THERE): THE LETTER 'B'

bungler — a wretch with not a shred of talent, unable to perform even Cage’s 4′33″

#bungler #DictionaryHumor #GrobiansPhilosophicalTheologicalDictionary #JohnCage #ThirtyEighthToot #UnconventionalPhilosophy #WhiteWind #WhtWnd

https://whtwnd.com/karolkarlik.bsky.social/3mg5geetu332m

🧡 Couples 🧡

John Cage & Merce Cunningham

"It's very simple now, because I'm looking forward to seeing you again rather than backward to having seen you recently. That's a happy way to be" __ Cage

John Cage first met Merce Cunningham in 1938 when he was still married to Xenia Kashevaroff. Their paths crossed again in 1942 + Cage invited Cunningham, who was a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, to work on a project. Their collaboration turned into a life-long creative + romantic partnership. Cunningham founded his own dance company in 1953 with Cage serving as the company’s music director, a position he held until his death. They staged over 50 dance works together.

#johncage #mercecunningham #couples #valentines #valentinesday #composer #choreogropher #dance #lovestory #lovestories

Pipe organ plays single song for 639 years | Popular Science
https://www.popsci.com/technology/pipe-organ-one-song-2640/
#JohnCage

Pipe organ plays single song for 639 years | Popular Science
https://www.popsci.com/technology/pipe-organ-one-song-2640/
#JohnCage

Listening through the Cage/Feldman open-ended conversations, recorded at WBAI studios in New York (1966–67). Cage questioning Feldman’s ‘soft sounds,’ then sudden loud cut-ins, and more. https://archive.org/details/CageFeldmanConversation2

Publication (print): https://underbelly.nu/product/radio-happenings-conversations-1966-1967/
#JohnCage #Feldman #SoftSounds

The first annual John Cage competition was canceled because the organizers couldn't decide whether the tournament should occur inside of a cage, whether the cage was soundproof (as the repertoire was mostly silence), and whether or not the participants had to be named John

#musictheory #classicalfm #johncage #fromthedrafts

The first annual John Cage competition was canceled because the organizers couldn't decide whether the tournament should occur inside of a cage, whether the cage was soundproof (as the repertoire was mostly silence), and whether or not the participants had to be named John

#musictheory #classicalfm #johncage #fromthedrafts

New blog post: How I came to know John Cage in the mountains of Western NC and regularly stumble on ways his thinking has helped me navigate complexity.

https://www.sounding.com/2026/01/20/scale-is-step-by-step/

#JohnCage #BlackMountain #Complexity #Riak #SaltStack #DistributedDatabases #DistributedSystems #ComplexSystems #SystemsThinking

New blog post: How I came to know John Cage in the mountains of Western NC and regularly stumble on ways his thinking has helped me navigate complexity.

https://www.sounding.com/2026/01/20/scale-is-step-by-step/

#JohnCage #BlackMountain #Complexity #Riak #SaltStack #DistributedDatabases #DistributedSystems #ComplexSystems #SystemsThinking

Saw a #bumpsticker today that said “I Love #NicholasCage.” Wonder if I could find one that says, “I love #JohnCage.”

John Cage: Landscapes (1948) Performance by Andrew Dawson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJ59Oa4wl8

Andrew Dawsons Antwort auf John Cage: Landscapes (1948) Gefilmt in seinem Studio in London im November 2015. http://www.andrewdawson.info – Mit Dank an Laura Kuhn, Direktorin des John Cage Trust.

#AndrewDawson #JohnCage #Landscapes1948 #MinoruOnoda #NeueMusik #Performance

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #TheSleepingForecast

John Cage & Bertrand Chamayou:
🎵 All Sides of the Small Stone (for Erik Satie)

#JohnCage #BertrandChamayou

https://cageedition.bandcamp.com/track/all-sides-of-the-small-stone-for-erik-satie

https://open.spotify.com/track/7tGWccySzho4XMngE1Qhvc

The Wild, Sad Life of John Cage’s First Lover

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/onward-and-upward-with-the-arts/the-wild-sad-life-of-john-cages-first-lover