[LAU] Re: Re: That must suck. For me it's about beauty--musicisjustone path

[Chuckk Hubbard]

On 4/5/07, david <gnome at hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
> Ivica Ico Bukvic wrote:
> >> Ivica Ico Bukvic escribe:
> >>> Again, depends upon the context. John Cage wrote a famous piece 4'33"
> >> which
> >>> is four minutes and 33 seconds of silence in three movements. How about
> >>> buying a CD of that one? Yet, its impact on the contemporary music scene
> >> is
> >>> monumental and it is practically impossible to find a book which
> >> discusses
> >>> 20th century music without mentioning this work.
> >> IIRC the point of that piece was that the duration was exactly 4'33"
> >> (wow!)
> >
> > Actually, no. The points are (more or less in the order of importance)
> > recontextualization of silence, exploration of indeterminacy, and
> > relinquishing the control over the creative process (which is to some extent
> > an outgrowth of the second point).
>
> The point was that Cage was too damn lazy or arrogant to create
> anything, so he produced 4'33" of meaningless nothingness. The piece
> reminds me of wide swathes of what passes for modern art in the painting
> world, where the painting is accompanied by a densely-written, 3-5 page
> explanation of the painting. Without the textual explanation, the
> painting itself communicates NOTHING - no meaning, etc. (IMHO, this is a
> sure sign that the work was funded by a grant.) As my artist-daughter
> describes them, they're a "spot on the wall."

I'd maybe call this a little too harsh, but I agree on the
significance.  Is it art?  Is it music?  Who cares: if it is
stimulating, I want to know about it, if not, to hell with it.  If the
only purpose is "to force people to think about what is art" or "to
force people to question their assumptions" I have little need for it.
 I have asked those questions all my life.  What I expect from an
artist or musician is that they know and love their craft, not that
they question it.  I'd rather read an extremely well-written sonnet
than an entirely new form with no content that only "challenges" me to
forget what I know about sonnets.  The question has been asked, and
people are thinking about it, and don't need another person to ask it.

-Chuckk

-- 
http://www.badmuthahubbard.com