{"id":183,"date":"2020-12-09T19:05:28","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T00:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/?p=183"},"modified":"2020-12-09T19:08:05","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T00:08:05","slug":"the-unique-and-unconventional-genius-of-john-cage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/2020\/12\/09\/the-unique-and-unconventional-genius-of-john-cage\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unique and Unconventional Genius of John Cage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Through unconventional techniques, confusing compositions, and jarring sounds, twentieth century American composer John Cage changed the course of music history. Born in California in 1912, Cage became one of the most influential avant-garde composers and music theorists, and used his unique musical philosophy to baffle audiences.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">1<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">\u201cJohn Cage,\u201d <i>Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica<\/i>, September 01, 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/John-Cage\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/John-Cage<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Even after his death in 1992, Cage\u2019s legacy has inspired many musicians to think outside of the box. Particularly through his interpretation of sound, his reinvention of instrumentation, and his adaptation of musical form, John Cage sparked an era of musical innovation, and earned the title of musical genius.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Reshaping Sound<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cage\u2019s most infamous, and most widely misinterpreted, work is his 1952 piece, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4\u201933\u201d.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The concept and performance of this piece are quite simple, but can be surprising and confusing to an unknowing audience member. A pianist steps onto the stage and approaches the piano, as with every other solo performance. They take the bench, close the lid over the keys, and start a timer. Exactly thirty seconds later, the pianist resets the timer, signaling the end of the first movement. With three movements and a total duration of four minutes and thirty-three seconds, John Cage debuted his \u201csilent composition\u201d to the world.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">2<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Kyle Gann, &#8220;No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage&#8217;s 4&#8217;33&#8221;,&#8221; <em>New Music Box<\/em>, April 01, 2010,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/nmbx.newmusicusa.org\/from-no-such-thing-as-silence-john-cages-433\/.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Philosophically, Cage was fascinated by sound, and the possibility of the lack thereof.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">3<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Will Hermes, \u201cThe Story of 4\u201933\u201d,\u201d <i>NPR<\/i>, May 08, 2000, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> He sought to question the contents of music and art; that is, he wished to discover how absence of sound could be considered music.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_4');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_4');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_4\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">4<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_4\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Kyle Gann, &#8220;No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage&#8217;s 4&#8217;33&#8221;,&#8221; <em>New Music Box<\/em>, April 01, 2010,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/nmbx.newmusicusa.org\/from-no-such-thing-as-silence-john-cages-433\/.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> As documented in his essay series <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Silence<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Cage concludes that pure silence is essentially unachievable.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_5');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_5');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_5\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">5<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_5\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Will Hermes, \u201cThe Story of 4\u201933\u201d,\u201d <i>NPR<\/i>, May 08, 2000, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Even in a chamber designed to simulate absolute silence, Cage notes that he could still hear different pitches, ultimately coming from the work of his nervous system and his cardiovascular system.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_6');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_6');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_6\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">6<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_6\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Will Hermes, \u201cThe Story of 4\u201933\u201d,\u201d <i>NPR<\/i>, May 08, 2000, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Sound will always be present, no matter what. Through <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4\u201933\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Cage explored this idea further, and shifted his focus to ambient sound, and how it can be utilized in music.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_7');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_7');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_7\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">7<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_7\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Kyle Gann, &#8220;No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage&#8217;s 4&#8217;33&#8221;,&#8221; <em>New Music Box<\/em>, April 01, 2010,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/nmbx.newmusicusa.org\/from-no-such-thing-as-silence-john-cages-433\/.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While there is no music coming from the performer, as one may generally expect, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4\u201933\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> does not, and cannot, consist of complete silence. Listen to William Marx\u2019s performance of the piece below, and take note of what <em>can\u00a0<\/em>be heard. A man coughing, people rustling in their seats, a quiet \u201cshh\u201d from an audience member, and a number of other indeterminate sounds are all present throughout the performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"John Cage&#039;s 4&#039;33&quot;\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JTEFKFiXSx4?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>William Marx&#8217;s performance of 4&#8217;33&#8221;.<\/em><span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_8');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_8');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_8\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">8<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_8\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joel Hochberg, \u201cJohn Cage\u2019s 4\u201933\u201d,\u201d Youtube Video, 7:44, December 15, 2010, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4&amp;t=1s&amp;ab_channel=JoelHochberg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4&amp;t=1s&amp;ab_channel=JoelHochberg<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These sounds are the foundation of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4\u201933\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They are mundane, mindless, and common, but when put in the correct context, are transformed into art. Generally speaking, when one thinks of musical genius, they might think of the technical and emotional brilliance of the great composers of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_9');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_9');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_9\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">9<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_9\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Paul Robertson, \u201cWhat is Musical Genius?,\u201d <i>Clinical Medicine<\/i> 8, no. 2 (2008): 181, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcpjournals.org\/content\/clinmedicine\/8\/2\/178.full.pdf\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.rcpjournals.org\/content\/clinmedicine\/8\/2\/178.full.pdf<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Even though many of them introduced new methods of manipulating and controlling sound, Cage was the first to fully employ the idea of silence and ambient sound as music, as achieved in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4\u201933\u201d.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> As what he deemed to be his favorite and most important piece, Cage used <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4\u201933\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to redefine how sound can be truly considered art in the musical canon.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_10');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_10');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_10\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">10<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_10\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Kyle Gann, &#8220;No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage&#8217;s 4&#8217;33&#8221;,&#8221; <em>New Music Box<\/em>, April 01, 2010,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/nmbx.newmusicusa.org\/from-no-such-thing-as-silence-john-cages-433\/.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Revolutionizing Instrumentation and Form<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to his unique use of sound in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4\u201933\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Cage often expanded an instrument\u2019s sound capacity through his own, contemporary invention: the prepared piano. The idea behind this creation was to increase the percussive capabilities of the piano to produce specific, otherwise unattainable, sounds.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_11');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_11');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_11\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">11<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_11\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Maggie Molloy, \u201cInside John Cage\u2019s Prepared Piano: Q&amp;A with Jesse Myers,\u201d <i>Second Inversion: Rethink Classical<\/i>, May 11, 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_11').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_11', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Cage was able to achieve this by placing everyday objects, such as screws, nuts, bolts, rubber, and even cutlery on occasion, within the body of the piano.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_12');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_12');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_12\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">12<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_12\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Maggie Molloy, \u201cInside John Cage\u2019s Prepared Piano: Q&amp;A with Jesse Myers,\u201d <i>Second Inversion: Rethink Classical<\/i>, May 11, 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_12').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_12', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The placement of these objects was far from random. For each piece that was performed on a prepared piano, Cage would create a detailed and explicit table of preparations to go along with the score, that indicated which objects were to be used, and their precise locations in the piano.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_13');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_13');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_13\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">13<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_13\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Jeffrey Perry, \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis,\u201d <i>Music Theory Spectrum<\/i> 27, no. 1, (2005): 37, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_13').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_13', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Completing these preparations can be anything but an easy or simple process, but hearing the remarkable effect that they have on pieces of music exemplifies the brilliance of Cage\u2019s elaborate modification to the piano.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-234\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/files\/2020\/12\/prepared-piano-300x203.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/files\/2020\/12\/prepared-piano-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/files\/2020\/12\/prepared-piano-768x519.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/files\/2020\/12\/prepared-piano-1024x692.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/files\/2020\/12\/prepared-piano-940x635.jpg 940w, https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/mus123\/files\/2020\/12\/prepared-piano.jpg 1072w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Image of a prepared piano, by Maggie Molloy.<\/em><span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_14');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_14');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_14\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">14<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_14\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maggie Molloy, \u201cInside John Cage\u2019s Prepared Piano: Q&amp;A with Jesse Myers,\u201d <i>Second Inversion: Rethink Classical<\/i>, May 11, 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_14').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_14', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sonatas and Interludes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (1946-1948) is a collection of pieces written by Cage to be performed on the prepared piano.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_15');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_15');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_15\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">15<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_15\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Betsy Schwarm, \u201cSonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano,\u201d <i>Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica<\/i>, July 21, 2014, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_15').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_15', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> With this collection, Cage wished to express nine distinct emotions: the heroic, the erotic, the wonderous, the comic, sorrow, fear, anger, mirth, and the odious.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_16');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_16');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_16\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">16<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_16\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Betsy Schwarm, \u201cSonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano,\u201d <i>Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica<\/i>, July 21, 2014, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_16').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_16', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> To do so, he chose to write in sonata form, using its standard exposition, development, and recapitulation structure.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_17');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_17');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_17\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">17<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_17\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Sidney Prim, \u201cWhat is Sonata Form?,\u201d <i>Liberty Park Music<\/i>, May 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_17').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_17', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Many great classical composers of the eighteenth century, such as Mozart and Haydn for example, developed and popularized the sonata.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_18');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_18');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_18\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">18<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_18\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Sidney Prim, \u201cWhat is Sonata Form?,\u201d <i>Liberty Park Music<\/i>, May 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_18').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_18', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Now, the form is quite standard in composition and in music theory, without significant structural modifications since its popularization.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_19');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_19');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_19\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">19<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_19\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Sidney Prim, \u201cWhat is Sonata Form?,\u201d <i>Liberty Park Music<\/i>, May 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_19').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_19', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cage made sure to abide by the accepted form for his sonatas, and composed most of them in binary form.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_20');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_20');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_20\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">20<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_20\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Betsy Schwarm, \u201cSonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano,\u201d <i>Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica<\/i>, July 21, 2014, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_20').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_20', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> While nothing was altered structurally, Cage focused his musical innovations in this piece through sound, specifically by use of deliberate preparations for the piano, as explained by Stephen Drury of the New England Conservatory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to Prepare a Piano with Stephen Drury\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/myXAUEuECqQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Stephen Drury discussing the preparation of a piano.<\/em><span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_21');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_21');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_21\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">21<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_21\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New England Conservatory, \u201cHow to Prepare a Piano with Stephen Drury,\u201d Youtube Video, 5:09, December 23, 2011, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=myXAUEuECqQ&amp;ab_channel=NewEnglandConservatory\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=myXAUEuECqQ&amp;ab_channel=NewEnglandConservatory<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_21').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_21', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even though the sonata form has been utilized many times over the past few centuries, Cage\u2019s modifications to the instrument, as well as his rhythmic structures, were completely unique. Sound and rhythm defined much of Cage\u2019s musical philosophy and innovation, and both of which are explored frequently throughout the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sonatas and Interludes <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">collection.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_22');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_22');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_22\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">22<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_22\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Jeffrey Perry, \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis,\u201d <i>Music Theory Spectrum<\/i> 27, no. 1, (2005): 36, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_22').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_22', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Looking specifically at the rhythmic structure in these sonatas, there are a number of key things that Cage does, as analyzed by Jeffery Perry. As an example, in Sonata II, Cage uses an anticipatory, hesitating rhythm to help musically express one of the nine emotional themes of the collection, mirth.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_23');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_23');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_23\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">23<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_23\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Jeffrey Perry, \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis,\u201d <i>Music Theory Spectrum<\/i> 27, no. 1, (2005): 48, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_23').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_23', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This rhythmic structure is highly reminiscent of early jazz, which is generally an adaptable and flexible style to compose in.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_24');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_24');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_24\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">24<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_24\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Jeffrey Perry, \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis,\u201d <i>Music Theory Spectrum<\/i> 27, no. 1, (2005): 48, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_24').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_24', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Since the early classical composers who refined the sonata form were certainly not using jazz or its techniques in their compositions, this is an example of Cage\u2019s impressive ability to transform an already well-developed structure using modern ideas and themes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The techniques, rhythms, and energy of Sonata II highlight how well Cage was able to combine classic musical form with modern means of expression. Inara Ferreira\u2019s performance of the piece demonstrates how through both the prepared piano and rhythmic structure, Cage evoked the feeling of mirth through his music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"John Cage - Sonata II (from Sonatas and Interludes) - Inara Ferreira, prepared piano\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xObkMpQqUyU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Inara Ferreira performing Sonata II, from Cage&#8217;s Sonatas and Interludes.<\/em><span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_25');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_25');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_25\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">25<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_25\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inara Ferreira, \u201cJohn Cage &#8211; Sonata II (from Sonatas and Interludes) &#8211; Inara Ferreira, prepared piano,\u201d Youtube Video, 2:18, August 31, 2012, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xObkMpQqUyU&amp;ab_channel=InaraFerreira\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xObkMpQqUyU&amp;ab_channel=InaraFerreira<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_25').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_25', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sonatas and Interludes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> collection represents how Cage was able to synthesize older, well-accepted structures with his own interpretation of sound, rhythm, and performance. While keeping the rules and traditions of the sonata intact, Cage broadened the capabilities of the form to achieve a distinct expression of emotion. And, through the use of the prepared piano, Cage was able to revolutionize the instrument and its sound. The prepared piano alienates the original piano from a sound perspective, while still maintaining much of its original character and purpose. This exactly parallels what Cage did with the sonata: taking a well-developed, fixed form, and expanding its capacity to communicate his ideas about sound, music, and emotion. For centuries, virtuosos and composers have changed the landscape of music through their originality, and John Cage is no different. His bold approach to composition, his willingness to venture into previously unexplored musical territories, and his profound philosophical take on sound as an art form, set Cage apart, and affirmed his recognition as a musical genius.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Reevaluating Genius<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">John Cage\u2019s body of work is, at the very least, unconventional. Yet, because of his willingness to break musical boundaries, many musicians have attributed their success and their exploration of music to Cage\u2019s work.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_26');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_26');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_26\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">26<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_26\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Max Blau, \u201c33 Musicians On What John Cage Communicates,\u201d <i>NPR<\/i>, September 05, 2012, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/08\/30\/160327305\/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/08\/30\/160327305\/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_26').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_26', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> As stated by Glenn Kotche, a drummer for the band Wilco, \u201cJohn Cage communicated the freedom to rethink, to ask questions, to reinvent and to trust.\u201d<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_27');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_27');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_27\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">27<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_27\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Max Blau, \u201c33 Musicians On What John Cage Communicates,\u201d <i>NPR<\/i>, September 05, 2012, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/08\/30\/160327305\/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/08\/30\/160327305\/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_27').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_27', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Through his experimentation with art, Cage is undoubtedly a musical genius that will go down in history, even though his music differs greatly from other musical geniuses of a traditionally classic musical canon. A large part of his philosophy was to change both what was considered music and what was considered genius, since he believed that genius in music had been far too strict and hierarchical, historically speaking.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_28');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_28');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_28\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">28<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_28\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Sara Haefeli, &#8220;The Problem with Geniuses,&#8221;\u00a0<em>The Avid Listener<\/em>, July 24, 2020,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/theavidlistenerblog.com\/2020\/07\/24\/the-problem-with-geniuses\/.<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_28').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_28', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> His unique use of sounds, instrumentation, and concepts certainly achieved that goal, redefining what kinds of music can be viewed as art and genius.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cage opened many doors from a musical perspective, but there is still an important limitation of his genius to address. Despite the fact that his compositions were widely unconventional, Cage himself falls under the same demography as the vast majority of recognized and celebrated musical geniuses throughout history: a white male. Musical genius is based upon originality, exceptional talent, and novelty, and has the power to transcend social constructs.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_29');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_29');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_29\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">29<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_29\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Paul Robertson, \u201cWhat is Musical Genius?,\u201d <i>Clinical Medicine<\/i> 8, no. 2 (2008): 181, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcpjournals.org\/content\/clinmedicine\/8\/2\/178.full.pdf\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.rcpjournals.org\/content\/clinmedicine\/8\/2\/178.full.pdf<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_29').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_29', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yet, those constructs largely affect the writing and remembrance of history, resulting in many musicians of great accomplishment and genius being forgotten or undervalued, because of their race, gender, or background.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_30');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_183_1('footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_30');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_30\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">30<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_30\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Sara Haefeli, &#8220;The Problem with Geniuses,&#8221;\u00a0<em>The Avid Listener<\/em>, July 24, 2020,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/theavidlistenerblog.com\/2020\/07\/24\/the-problem-with-geniuses\/.<\/span><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_30').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_183_1_30', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Uniformity, disempowerment, and exclusion do not belong in the history of musicianship or genius.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">John Cage\u2019s music transformed the world\u2019s understanding of sound and freedom in composition. His work will continue to be performed, questioned, understood and misunderstood, and ultimately loved and appreciated by many. It is crucial to ensure that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">all <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">musicians, now and in the future, who are innovating and changing the landscape of music in a similar way to Cage, are given an equal opportunity for respect and remembrance, just as all musical geniuses in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Bibliography<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blau, Max. \u201c33 Musicians On What John Cage Communicates.\u201d NPR. September 05, 2012. Accessed December 03, 2020. https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/08\/30\/160327305\/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ferreira, Inara. \u201cJohn Cage &#8211; Sonata II (from Sonatas and Interludes) &#8211; Inara Ferreira, prepared piano.\u201d Youtube Video. 2:18. August 31, 2012. Accessed December 05, 2020. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xObkMpQqUyU&amp;ab_channel=InaraFerreira.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gann, Kyle. &#8220;No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage&#8217;s 4&#8217;33&#8221;.&#8221; New Music Box. April 01, 2010. Accessed December 03, 2020. https:\/\/nmbx.newmusicusa.org\/from-no-such-thing-as-silence-john-cages-433\/.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Haefeli, Sara. \u201cThe Problem with Geniuses.\u201d The Avid Listener. July 24, 2020. Accessed November 30, 2020. https:\/\/theavidlistenerblog.com\/2020\/07\/24\/the-problem-with-geniuses\/.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hermes, Will. \u201cThe Story of 4\u201933\u201d.\u201d NPR. May 08, 2000. Accessed December 03, 2020. https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hochberg, Joel. \u201cJohn Cage\u2019s 4\u201933\u201d.\u201d Youtube Video. 7:44. December 15, 2010. Accessed December 05, 2020. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4&amp;t=1s&amp;ab_channel=JoelHochberg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Molloy, Maggie. \u201cInside John Cage\u2019s Prepared Piano: Q&amp;A with Jesse Myers.\u201d Second Inversion: Rethink Classical. May 11, 2016. Accessed November 15, 2020. https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New England Conservatory. \u201cHow to Prepare a Piano with Stephen Drury.\u201d Youtube Video. 5:09. December 23, 2011. Accessed December 07, 2020. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=myXAUEuECqQ&amp;ab_channel=NewEnglandConservatory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perry, Jeffrey. \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Music Theory Spectrum <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">27, no. 1 (2005): 35-66. Accessed November 15, 2020. http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prim, Sidney. \u201cWhat is Sonata Form?.\u201d Liberty Park Music. May, 2018. Accessed December 05, 2020. https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Robertson, Paul. \u201cWhat is Musical Genius?.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clinical Medicine<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 8, no. 2 (2008): 178-181. Accessed December 03, 2020. https:\/\/www.rcpjournals.org\/content\/clinmedicine\/8\/2\/178.full.pdf.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schwarm, Betsy. \u201cSonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano.\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica. July 21, 2014. Accessed November 15, 2020. https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;John Cage.&#8221; Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica. September 01, 2020. Accessed November 15, 2020. https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/John-Cage. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_183_1();\">References<\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_183_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_183_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_183_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\">References<\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_1');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_1\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">\u201cJohn Cage,\u201d <i>Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica<\/i>, September 01, 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/John-Cage\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/John-Cage<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_2\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_2');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>2,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_4\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_4');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>4,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_7\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_7');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>7,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_10\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_10');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>10<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Kyle Gann, &#8220;No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage&#8217;s 4&#8217;33&#8221;,&#8221; <em>New Music Box<\/em>, April 01, 2010,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/nmbx.newmusicusa.org\/from-no-such-thing-as-silence-john-cages-433\/.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_3\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_3');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>3,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_5\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_5');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>5,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_6\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_6');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>6<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Will Hermes, \u201cThe Story of 4\u201933\u201d,\u201d <i>NPR<\/i>, May 08, 2000, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2000\/05\/08\/1073885\/4-33<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_8');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_8\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>8<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joel Hochberg, \u201cJohn Cage\u2019s 4\u201933\u201d,\u201d Youtube Video, 7:44, December 15, 2010, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4&amp;t=1s&amp;ab_channel=JoelHochberg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4&amp;t=1s&amp;ab_channel=JoelHochberg<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_9\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_9');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>9,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_29\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_29');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>29<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Paul Robertson, \u201cWhat is Musical Genius?,\u201d <i>Clinical Medicine<\/i> 8, no. 2 (2008): 181, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcpjournals.org\/content\/clinmedicine\/8\/2\/178.full.pdf\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.rcpjournals.org\/content\/clinmedicine\/8\/2\/178.full.pdf<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_11\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_11');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>11,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_12\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_12');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>12<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Maggie Molloy, \u201cInside John Cage\u2019s Prepared Piano: Q&amp;A with Jesse Myers,\u201d <i>Second Inversion: Rethink Classical<\/i>, May 11, 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_13');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_13\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>13<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Jeffrey Perry, \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis,\u201d <i>Music Theory Spectrum<\/i> 27, no. 1, (2005): 37, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_14');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_14\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>14<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maggie Molloy, \u201cInside John Cage\u2019s Prepared Piano: Q&amp;A with Jesse Myers,\u201d <i>Second Inversion: Rethink Classical<\/i>, May 11, 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.secondinversion.org\/2016\/05\/11\/concert-preview-john-cage-sonatas-and-interludes-qa-with-jesse-myers\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_15\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_15');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>15,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_16\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_16');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>16,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_20\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_20');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>20<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Betsy Schwarm, \u201cSonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano,\u201d <i>Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica<\/i>, July 21, 2014, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Sonatas-and-Interludes-for-Prepared-Piano<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_17\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_17');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>17,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_18\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_18');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>18,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_19\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_19');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>19<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Sidney Prim, \u201cWhat is Sonata Form?,\u201d <i>Liberty Park Music<\/i>, May 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.libertyparkmusic.com\/sonata-form\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_21');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_21\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>21<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New England Conservatory, \u201cHow to Prepare a Piano with Stephen Drury,\u201d Youtube Video, 5:09, December 23, 2011, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=myXAUEuECqQ&amp;ab_channel=NewEnglandConservatory\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=myXAUEuECqQ&amp;ab_channel=NewEnglandConservatory<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_22');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_22\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>22<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Jeffrey Perry, \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis,\u201d <i>Music Theory Spectrum<\/i> 27, no. 1, (2005): 36, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_23\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_23');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>23,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_24\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_24');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>24<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Jeffrey Perry, \u201cCage\u2019s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Performance, Hearing and Analysis,\u201d <i>Music Theory Spectrum<\/i> 27, no. 1, (2005): 48, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1525\/mts.2005.27.1.35<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_25');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_25\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>25<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inara Ferreira, \u201cJohn Cage &#8211; Sonata II (from Sonatas and Interludes) &#8211; Inara Ferreira, prepared piano,\u201d Youtube Video, 2:18, August 31, 2012, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xObkMpQqUyU&amp;ab_channel=InaraFerreira\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xObkMpQqUyU&amp;ab_channel=InaraFerreira<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi\" ><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_26\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_26');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>26,<\/a> <a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_27\" class=\"footnote_backlink\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_27');\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>27<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Max Blau, \u201c33 Musicians On What John Cage Communicates,\u201d <i>NPR<\/i>, September 05, 2012, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/08\/30\/160327305\/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates\"><span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/08\/30\/160327305\/33-musicians-on-what-john-cage-communicates<\/span><\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_28');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_28\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>28<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Sara Haefeli, &#8220;The Problem with Geniuses,&#8221;\u00a0<em>The Avid Listener<\/em>, July 24, 2020,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/theavidlistenerblog.com\/2020\/07\/24\/the-problem-with-geniuses\/.<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_183_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_183_1_30');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_183_1_30\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>30<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Sara Haefeli, &#8220;The Problem with Geniuses,&#8221;\u00a0<em>The Avid Listener<\/em>, July 24, 2020,\u00a0<span class=\"footnote_url_wrap\">https:\/\/theavidlistenerblog.com\/2020\/07\/24\/the-problem-with-geniuses\/.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_183_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_183_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_183_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_183_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_183_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_183_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_183_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_183_1').is(':hidden')) { 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