Product Description

Conversing with Cage draws on over 150 interviews with John Cage conducted over four decades to draw a full picture of his life and art. Filled with the witty aphorisms that have made Cage as famous as an esthetic philosopher as a composer, the book offers both an introduction to Cage's way of thinking and a rich gathering of his many thoughts on art, life, and music.
John Cage is perhaps this century's most radical classical composer. From his famous "silent" piece (4'33") to his proclamation that "all sound is music," Cage stretched the aesthetic boundaries of what could be performed in the modern concert hall. But, more than that, Cage was a provocative cultural figure, who played a key role in inspiring scores of other artists-and social philosophers-in the second half of the 20th century. Through his life and work, he created revolutions in thinking about art, and its relationship to the world around us.
Conversing with Cage is the ideal introduction to this world, offering in the artist's own words his ideas about life and art. It will appeal to all fans of this mythic figure on the American scene, as well as anyone interested in better understanding 20th century modernism.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1232853 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

About the Author
Richard Kostelanetz has authored over 40 books of criticism of contemporary music and the arts. He is noted as one of the first critics to recognize the importance of John Cage, and has written and collected several books on Cage and his work. He is a long-time resident of SoHo in New York City.

Customer Reviews

excellent book for those wanting to know about Cage's ideas
This book is a collection of interviews with John Cage, the late avant garde composer who was one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. The interviews span nearly a half century and give a cogent idea of Cage's thought on music, art, education, politics, and social revision.

If you are curious about why a composer would write music that is "silent", why he would use chance, nonintention, and denounce music as communication, this is a good book to begin an overview of Cage's philosophy of art.

It also shows that Cage's musical thought was not monolithic, but changed several times in the course of his life, as did his music.

"art is either a complaint or do something else"
i consider this book to be the most valuable resource, in terms of art (art being all artistic medium) theory, that one can find. richard kostelanetz is a superb editor, and the book is organized to the infinitessimal of degrees. the book consists of a compendium of interviews with cage, conducted by various peoples, spanning about forty years. this book is a precise method through which to understand the means that led to cage's understanding of art and life. in that regard it serves as a fundamental piece of learning material because he divulges what he knows and how he came to know it, rather than how he feels.