Sound Genius

A Meeting of Sound Genius

In 1963, twenty-one year old music experimentalist, John Cale earned a scholarship to study music in the United States. He moved from Wales to New York and participated in an 18-hour piano recital with one of his avant-garde influences John Cage, then 53.  These two men, meeting at different stages of life both made huge contributions to the worlds of music and art. They set precedents and sent shockwaves through the status quo of sound. In the case of John Cale, he is still a vibrant player in the art world today. Who are these men, how have they influenced our relationship to music and sound and how do we differentiate Cage and Cale without confusing the two pioneers who worked in similar areas of art at similar times in history? G precedes L alphabetically and John Cage precedes John Cale historically so that works well for our purposes categorically.

John Cage

John Cage was born in 1912. He was a major player in the avant-garde movement of the 1930’s and beyond. He was contemporary, friend and collaborator with artist Robert Rauschenberg and dancer Merce Cunningham. Cage studied under Arnold Schoenberg. He is most famous for his composition 4’33. This piece of music has been heralded by critics, as the single most significant composition in modern classical and avant-garde music. It’s beauty lies in its silence and demonstrates Cage’s underlying message about sound; listen. Attending a concert to hear 4’33” performed would consist of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of listening to a pianist “not play.” It would be an opportunity for an ear prepared to accept sound to take notice of the ambient sound in the environment.  Cage loved natural sound. Though composing 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence may seem like an under achievement, this  revelatory piece of music came on the backs of years spent in study of music, sound manipulation and art principles. Cage was highly influenced by Marcel Duchamp’s “found art.” John Cage developed music made from found objects: a bathtub, running water, a saw etc. He also rebuilt or augmented instruments at whim. He was known to place plates and various objects in the strings of a piano to create a desired sound. He created what he termed “Chance Music” by navigating his compositions based on readings he took from the ancient I Ching. Cage is considered to be a pioneer in minimal, drone, electronic and the non-standard use of musical instruments. He had charisma and a sense of humor. His works have been featured in the most prestigious museums and are housed the most elite libraries. Lucky for us, we can experience many sides of his brilliance today on the Everyman stages of Youtube. 

John Cale

John Cale was born in 1942 in Wales. Though considered a child prodigy and student of classical music, he came to the U.S. to further his education and love of avant-garde music. He is associated with art and experimental rock, noise music, protopunk, drone, spoken word, classical music and baroque pop. Cage’s production and collaboration credits include: Patti Smith, Nico, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, The Stooges, The Modern Lovers, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Marc Almond, Squeeze and many more (including John Cage). He plays viola, piano, keyboards, harpsichord, bass, guitar and he is a vocalist, poet and lyricist. He was a founding member of the Velvet Underground and a fixture at Andy Warhol’s Factory. He has navigated a long and rich solo career through early bouts of drug abuse and waxing and waning record company interest.  He has remained true to his art and has always embraced his Welsh roots. In 2009 he represented his country in the Venice Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition.  He produced an audio-visual piece that incorporates music, poetry, and film. In the conclusion, the piece also offers a nod to one of Cale’s early influences John Cage. It presents a man returning to his homeland, to the piano on which he spent so much time practicing as a child, to sit at this piano and then not play.

Works Cited
Jones, Jonathan. “From the Valleys to Venice” 12 May 2009. The Guardian UK http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/may/12/john-cale-venice-biennale-velvet-welsh-pavilion

Unterberger, Richie. “John Cale” All Music Guide. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:aifqxqw5ldfe~T1

“John Cage, About The Composer” 1 August 2001. American Masters PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/john-cage/about-the-composer/471/
Ross, Alex. The Rest is Noise. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2007

Ross, Alex. The Rest is Noise. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2007