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October Files
John Cage
An extended trajectory of Cage literature, from early critical reaction to writing by contemporaries to current scholarship.
John Cage (1912-1992) defined a radical practice of composition that changed the course of modern music and shaped a new conceptual horizon for postwar art. Famous for his use of chance and "silence" in musical works, a pioneer in electronic music and the nonstandard use of instruments, Cage was one of the most influential composers of the last century. This volume traces a trajectory of writings on the artist, from the earliest critical reactions to the scholarship of today. If the first writing on Cage in the American context, often written by close associates with Cage's involvement, seemed lacking in critical distance, younger scholars--a generation removed--have recently begun to approach the legacy from a new perspective, with more developed theoretical frameworks and greater skepticism. This book captures that evolution.
The texts include discussions of Cage's work in the context of the New Music scene in Germany in the 1950s; Yvonne Rainer's essay looking back on Cage and New York experimentalism of the 1960s; a complex and original mapping of Cage's place in a wider avant-garde genealogy that includes Le Corbusier and Moholy-Nagy; a musicologist's account of Cage's process of defining and formalizing his concept of indeterminacy; and an analysis of Cage's project that considers his strategies of self-representation as key to his unique impact on modern and postmodern art.
John Cage (1912-1992) defined a radical practice of composition that changed the course of modern music and shaped a new conceptual horizon for postwar art. Famous for his use of chance and "silence" in musical works, a pioneer in electronic music and the nonstandard use of instruments, Cage was one of the most influential composers of the last century. This volume traces a trajectory of writings on the artist, from the earliest critical reactions to the scholarship of today. If the first writing on Cage in the American context, often written by close associates with Cage's involvement, seemed lacking in critical distance, younger scholars--a generation removed--have recently begun to approach the legacy from a new perspective, with more developed theoretical frameworks and greater skepticism. This book captures that evolution.
The texts include discussions of Cage's work in the context of the New Music scene in Germany in the 1950s; Yvonne Rainer's essay looking back on Cage and New York experimentalism of the 1960s; a complex and original mapping of Cage's place in a wider avant-garde genealogy that includes Le Corbusier and Moholy-Nagy; a musicologist's account of Cage's process of defining and formalizing his concept of indeterminacy; and an analysis of Cage's project that considers his strategies of self-representation as key to his unique impact on modern and postmodern art.
- GenresNonfictionMusic
232 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 10, 2026
8 essays on the work of John Cage, from 1959 to 2009, most but not all from the journal October. I've always felt ambivalent about Cage—I appreciate his influence, a lot of music I like might not have been made without him, but his work and self-presentation frustrate me. I'm tired of hearing jokes about 4'33", I don't think his engagement with Eastern thought was serious or compelling, etc. On the other hand, he invented prepared piano and defined the parameters of most experimental music that came afterward.
The collection starts with two essays, pro and contra, that illustrate Cage's relation to the classical avant-garde at the time—Stockhausen in particular. These are the book's strongest essays, showing how Cage's work redefined the role of "composer" and giving a sense of the philosophical framework from which he broke. The third essay, by Yvonne Rainer, shows Cage's real utility: Rainer derives a Cage of her own, in dialogue with Barthes and Godard, who provides a model or at least spur for her own work. It is probably not coincidental that this essay says the least about Cage's actual compositions.
But it is good to get all the details on the work. One essay relates Cage to modern architecture, another details his use/misuse of Eastern thought, another shows his relation to "event scores" and Fluxus, another describes his teaching at the New School. Cage is a cliche as a public figure; specifics are the only remedy. With them he comes across as a good teacher and a thoughtful, even calculating, artist.
I finished the book more interested both in Cage and in the avant-garde movements he influenced, especially Fluxus. Fluxus can seem, as Maciunas is quoted describing it, "gag-like." At worst it's like a punchline without a setup. These essays give a bit of that setup, show what the art was meant to do. It feels ambitious enough that you can forgive it for not succeeding.
The collection starts with two essays, pro and contra, that illustrate Cage's relation to the classical avant-garde at the time—Stockhausen in particular. These are the book's strongest essays, showing how Cage's work redefined the role of "composer" and giving a sense of the philosophical framework from which he broke. The third essay, by Yvonne Rainer, shows Cage's real utility: Rainer derives a Cage of her own, in dialogue with Barthes and Godard, who provides a model or at least spur for her own work. It is probably not coincidental that this essay says the least about Cage's actual compositions.
But it is good to get all the details on the work. One essay relates Cage to modern architecture, another details his use/misuse of Eastern thought, another shows his relation to "event scores" and Fluxus, another describes his teaching at the New School. Cage is a cliche as a public figure; specifics are the only remedy. With them he comes across as a good teacher and a thoughtful, even calculating, artist.
I finished the book more interested both in Cage and in the avant-garde movements he influenced, especially Fluxus. Fluxus can seem, as Maciunas is quoted describing it, "gag-like." At worst it's like a punchline without a setup. These essays give a bit of that setup, show what the art was meant to do. It feels ambitious enough that you can forgive it for not succeeding.
December 4, 2015
Rather than being written by John Cage (despite how it is listed here), this is a collection of criticism of Cage's work drawn from the journal October.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews