The Cambridge Companion to John Cage [Paperback]

Celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements, providing a rounded portrait of an influential composer.American composer John Cage (1912-1992) was without doubt one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music who he spent much of his career in pursuit of an unusual goal: 'giving up control so that sounds can be sounds', as he put it. As well as composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. This Companion celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements and provides readers with a fully rounded portrait of a fascinating figure.American composer John Cage (1912-1992) was without doubt one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music who he spent much of his career in pursuit of an unusual goal: 'giving up control so that sounds can be sounds', as he put it. As well as composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. This Companion celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements and provides readers with a fully rounded portrait of a fascinating figure.American composer John Cage (1912-1992) was without doubt one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century music. He spent much of his career in pursuit of an unusual goal-- giving up control so that sounds can be sounds , as he put it. As well as composing around 300 works, he was also a prolific performer, writer, poet, and visual artist. This Companion celebrates the richness and diversity of Cage's achievements and provides readers with a fully rounded portrait of a fascinating figure.List of illustrations; Notes on contributors; Preface; Acknowledgements; Chronology; Part I. Aesthetic Contexts: 1. Cage and America David Nicholls; 2. Cage and Europe Christopher Shultis; 3. Cage and Asia: history and sources David W. Patterson; Part II. Sounds, Words, Images: 4. Music I: to the late 1940s David W. Bernstein;l³"