Composer

:

Morton Feldman

Genre

:

Chamber

Style

:

Open Form

Compose Date

:

1982

Average_duration

:

75:11

For John Cage is a composition by Morton Feldman, an American composer known for his experimental and avant-garde works. The piece was composed in 1982, a year after the death of John Cage, a fellow composer and friend of Feldman. It was premiered on October 9, 1982, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For John Cage is a single movement work that lasts approximately 75 minutes. It is scored for a large ensemble of 17 instruments, including strings, winds, percussion, and piano. The piece is characterized by its slow and quiet nature, with long sustained notes and delicate textures. Feldman's use of silence and space is also a prominent feature of the work, with moments of complete silence interspersed throughout the piece. The composition is dedicated to John Cage, and Feldman has stated that it was inspired by Cage's philosophy of music and his interest in chance operations. However, For John Cage is not a tribute or homage to Cage in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a reflection on the ideas and concepts that Cage explored in his own work, such as indeterminacy, silence, and the relationship between sound and space. For John Cage is a prime example of Feldman's mature style, which is characterized by its emphasis on sound and texture over traditional musical structures and forms. The piece is a meditation on the nature of sound and its relationship to time and space, and it invites the listener to engage with the music on a deep and contemplative level.

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