John Cage, revolutionary innovator of modern music, celebrates his 100th birthday on 5 September. The Institute of Music is organising a Cage concert on this day. Christiane Abt and Prof. Dr Lars Oberhaus talk about Cage's work, his visits to Oldenburg and the concert.
QUESTION: Ms Abt, Mr Oberhaus, Cage stands for the radical renewal of contemporary classical music like almost no other composer. What are his achievements?
LARS OBERHAUS: John Cage was not only a composer, but also a painter, writer and inventor. He introduced many innovative ideas into contemporary music that are taken for granted today. These include electronic or prepared instruments and the use of everyday materials as sound generators. His interdisciplinary aspects are constantly reflected in his work - for example, when he works with chance or silence as a compositional principle. Cage's expanded concept of music encompasses the idea that everything that sounds can be music.
QUESTION: One of Cage's best-known works is probably 4'33''. A piece in which no sound is heard. For many, this was pure provocation.
CHRISTIANE ABT: The piece is provocative because it breaks with the traditional idea of music in a radical way. We assume that music is about sound, that the musician must have special artistic skills. But in 4'33'', the pianist "only" opens and closes the lid of the grand piano. And therein lies the innovative aspect of the piece: the silence or the sounding environment is taken into account as an equal partner of the tone/sound/noise.
OBERHAUS: It is also worth mentioning that Cage, despite all his radicalism, ties in with musical tradition. He composed the piece in three movements and notated the word "tacet" between them; a very common notation for orchestral musicians who have "nothing" to play for a longer period of time.
QUESTION: What do you personally find fascinating about Cage?
OBERHAUS: I am impressed by Cage's inventive spirit and his foresight into the music of the future. This also includes his sense of humour and his naturalness in treading unfamiliar musical paths.
ABT: I am also fascinated by the unusual artistic paths he takes in order to achieve an expansion of perception. I also find his ideas on the dissolution of the traditional concert business and the transition between the arts extremely inspiring.
QUESTION: John Cage was a frequent guest in Oldenburg and gave concerts at the Institute of Music. How did that come about?
ABT: The connection between Oldenburg and John Cage would be inconceivable without Dr Gertrud Meyer- Denkmann, a former lecturer at the Institute of Music and the university's first honorary doctor. She was in contact with Cage and tirelessly promoted his work in her seminars and concerts. Meyer-Denkmann got to know Cage at composition workshops and invited him to Oldenburg. In 1963, he gave a concert in Oldenburg's Schlosssaal. In 1982, he even attended a breakfast with students and teachers in the Chamber Music Hall. The concert and workshop will also take place there and in the neighbouring rooms.
QUESTION: At the concert, students and teachers from the Institute as well as Oldenburg musicians will perform Cage compositions in several rooms at the same time. Are you following a specific concept?
OBERHAUS: We are transferring a concept that Cage used in his compositions to the concert programme: so-called time brackets symbolise variable durations in which the pieces can be performed. The pieces are played simultaneously so that the audience can decide for themselves what they want to hear.
ABT: The selection of compositions is based on what is feasible - for example, students perform pieces for the prepared piano. In addition, media, display walls and sound installations provide information about Cage's work, his circle of friends and his "philosophy". We even offer macrobiotic food - after all, Cage only ate macrobiotic food.
QUESTION: One day after the concert, you organised the "Cage Cosmos" workshop. There you teach primary school pupils about Cage's multifaceted oeuvre. With all due respect: even adults often find it difficult to access his works - how are primary school pupils supposed to manage that?
OBERHAUS: Primary school pupils are far more open to experimental approaches to instruments or voices than young people who already have specific listening habits or playing experience. Even if the philosophical context of John Cage's works certainly cannot be the centre of the workshop, it offers opportunities to experiment with unusual sounds and ways of making music a la Cage. A great deal of previous musical knowledge is often not necessary. In addition, studies have shown that early exposure to "sound experiments" can be a key to developing an "open ear" for contemporary music later in life.
QUESTION: In preparation for the concert, which Cage composition would you recommend to laypeople as an introduction?
ABT: There are no binding recommendations, as Cage's works are very different and also appeal to different types of listeners. The layman should rather bring curiosity and openness for new things.
OBERHAUS: Certainly, an examination of Cage's life and his "philosophy" as well as his environment and role models - Satie, Cunningham, Rauschenberg - is a good introduction. I recommend Cage's book "Silence" or Peter Greenaway's film "Cage".
Further information: The "Cage 100" concert will take place on Wednesday, 5 September, in the Chamber Music Hall (Haarentor campus, building A11) at the University of Oldenburg. One day later, Thursday 6 September, the participants of the "Cage Cosmos" workshop will present their compositions at 11.00 a.m. in the Chamber Music Hall. Admission to both events is free.
