Sunday, October 14, 2012

Blog #2


John Cage expressed his belief that random chance can, does, and should play a role in the act of artistic creation. In his experience, that act is musical composition. Both the principle and the practice, he repeatedly suggested are manifestations of an essential force of creation, and a perspective on that force (Zen Buddhist philosophy). In other words, he believed that randomness and chaos are as actively functional in the universe and in the life of the human individual as order and structure and should therefore be accepted, if not embraced, as a fundamental aspect of existence.
John Cage had argued that the act of creating music has for too long been defined by principles of order and structure. The implication is that his work and approach are in fact an evolution, a movement forward in the expression of the universal and individual creative impulse. John Cage encouraged new ways of thinking and experiencing music in particular and existence in general.
The idea of meaning emerging from chance and randomness is what led to his theory of indeterminacy. Indeterminacy, in turn, contributes to his definition of music as any sound heard. 

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