John Cage

John Cage (1912-1992) was a composer and music theorist who pioneered a non-standard use of musical instruments.
Cage worked extensively with Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism, and was influential in the development of modern dance through collaborations with his romantic partner Merce Cunningham. Several of his compositions used a technique in which objects were placed between the strings in a piano to create different sounds. His "Imaginary Landscape No. 4" uniquely calls for twenty-four performers on twelve radios.
However, his most well-known work is 4′33″, a piece in which musicians are instructed not to play any notes, the experience of which is taken from the peripheral sounds that take place during the four minutes and thirty-three seconds. Since its introduction in 1952, it has provoked discussion on the merits of performance art, but has also become the object of derision due to its status as a "piece of music" for which no music was written.
==References==
* When Oscar the Grouch, in the guise of "the Great Grouchanini," conducts a chorus of street residents in Sesame Street Episode 0698 by not pointing his baton at them, the result is silence. Delighted by the quiet, Oscar remarks, "Eat your heart out, John Cage."
* John Cage is one of several industry experts parodied as reviewers for the 1977 Sesame Street album Big Bird Leads the Band. In response to the question, "What is the music world saying about Big Bird Leads the Band?," the following testimony, as a whimsical reference to 4′33″, is given:
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Musical References