The only critical comment appropriate for me would be pointing out that "4'33" and its variants are not a "silent piece" but, in truth, a noise piece, whose subject is an appreciation of all the unanticipated, indeterminate sounds within the frame of its predetermined length. The esthetic point behind this classic example of what came to be called Conceptual Art is that unintended noise can be accepted as music. Later works by Cage and others develop this theme.

This emphasis upon noise, not silence, accounts for why Cage himself repeatedly referred to his "so-called silent piece," conceding to everyone else's parlence. Nonetheless, I find that people speaking of Cage's "silent piece" nowadays implicitly indicate that they're not gotten far in Cagean understanding. Another similar Cagean illiteracy, though not so common is identifying my CONVERSING WITH CAGE as "edited" by me. It's not for reasons noted in the epigraph from Cage himself at the beginning of that book.

© 2003 - Richard Kostelanetz

EPIGRAPH - by John Cage

ADDENDUM - by Hammond Guthrie