Music Banter - View Single Post - What is music, what is not?
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Old 11-24-2014, 07:28 PM   #245 (permalink)
Josef K
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The interpretation I favor is that the music being made is the music that naturally comes from the real world. Basically I agree with what Frownland is saying.

Justin, if you looked up 4'33" on Youtube, and all you got from it was "I don't hear the musicians playing," you were, in my opinion, missing the point of the piece. You talk about how it's "silent" in your house right now. Cage asks you to consider just how silent it actually is - what are the small noises that you normally wouldn't pay attention to? Why aren't they just as valid musically as, I don't know, the Beatles are? Cage attempts to make you consider these things - if you don't (which is clearly the case), there's a question of whether Cage has failed or whether you as the listener are somehow not living up to your responsibilities. (I tend to favor the first point of view, for whatever it's worth, but it's an interesting argument.)

(I'm going to cut this off here so I can get back to watching the Ferguson press conference. Frownland is saying this better than I can.)
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