In the article “Searching for Silence,” written by Alex Ross, John Cage’s “4’33” is discussed. This is a silent piece of music that is supposed to prove that everything is music. I really like how this article included Cage’s quote, “There’s no such thing as silence.” When first performing this piece, he wanted to show that everything is considered music. There is never a moment in our lives that is completely silent. The article discusses how this piece is interpreted by different listeners. There are both people who support this movement entirely and people who are incredibly skeptical. People have called this work “absolutely ridiculous” and “stupid.” There have been many supports of Cage’s piece over the years. Musicians have put their own twist on the musical piece by performing it in different locations and at different times. Something about this performance fascinates me because it is considered the same piece but will be completely different every time it is heard and performed. John Cage was the first person to show that music can be an art form and doesn’t only have to be seen and presented as a music form. Throughout Cage’s life, he did not necessarily follow all the rules that most people presented to him or tried to teach him. This is something that was taken to the extreme when he first performed “4’33” for the first time.
