Music is the silence between the notes. ~Claude Debussy
There is one piece of music that critics have refused to call “music”. This is 4'33 by John Cage.
In 1952, John Cage did something quite outside his comfort zone and something quite uncomfortable for the rest of the music lovers.
4'33 is a 4 and a half minute long, silent piece that John cage sold to the Muzak company. ‘Silence’ was an under-rated concept that John Cage gave exposure to, in this piece.
It all started when John Cage visited an anechoic chamber —rooms that are acoustically treated to minimize sound to almost zero — at Harvard University. Interestingly, there was one sound he could still hear: The sound of his blood rushing in his body.
At this moment, he realized that ‘silence’ doesn’t even exist. Everything, no matter how low, makes a sound. It’s just easier to ignore them amidst the stronger sounds.
It wasn’t even about controlling noise. It was about the sounds that were already there, but you suddenly hear for the first time when you’re really ready to listen. ~Dallas Taylor (Sound designer, host of the podcast 20,000 Hertz)
4'33 is one piece of music that literally sounds different everywhere you listen to it. It’s a…
