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Composer John Cage was also a philosopher, a writer, and a printmaker, among other things, and a leading figure of the post-war avant-garde in America. He is considered the most influential American composer of the 20th Century. His composition teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933-35). In 1937, he formed a percussion orchestra in Seattle, something he did later in San Francisco, Chicago and New York, where he finally established himself in 1942. He was instrumental in the development of modern dance, and worked for a long time as the musical director of the Merce Cunningham Company. He worked as well in the visual art field, in particular with Jasper Johns.

John Cage was a restless explorer and an innovator, always looking for new sounds. He invented the “prepared piano” (a piano with its sound altered by placing various objects in the strings) and used many uncommon instruments (such as tin cans or blenders); he very soon included electric and electronic sounds in his compositions, and gave the notion of silence in music a completely new meaning by composing a work (4’33”), in 1952, where the three movements are performed without a single note being played. His compositional techniques are based upon chance and the non-intentionality of the creator, thus giving the musicians a great freedom for interpretation.

His artistic thought made a big impact on contemporary music: his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism encouraged him to completely dismiss the dogmatism of Western rationality. Many observers assert that Cage was more of a creator (in the wide acceptation on the word) than a traditional composer.

[i-09] [source: www.quatuorbozzini.ca]

John Cage

Los Angeles (California, USA), 1912 – New York City (New York, USA), 1992

  • Composer
  • Performer (piano)

On the web

On disc

Works

Past concerts

10 Dece 2022
4:00 pm
Cage
In person
Borås (Sweden)
20 Octo 2020
7:00 pm
Cancelled
ArnoldCage
In person
Quebec City (Québec)
20 June 2020
10:00 pm
Cancelled
CageMillerSokolović
In person
Snape (England, UK)
5 May 2018
8:00 pm
Cage
In person
Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
30 Apri 2018
7:00 pm
Série QB
CageDicksonFujiiHoshiyaJamiesonKondo
In person
Montréal (Québec)
21 Janu 2018
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
AperghisBouchardBoudreauCageCompagneDeromeEvangelistaGougeonHétuJulien-RobertLaporteMartinMorinNormandeauOesterleSarkissianToninatoVivierXenakis
In person Free admission
Montréal (Québec)
28 Octo 2016
2:00 pm
CageFeldmanFerneyhoughIvesOesterleStravinskyWebern
In person Free admission
Aberdeen (Scotland, UK)
23 Apri 2016
8:30 pm
Cage
In person
Wevelgem (Belgium)
24 Nove 2015
7:00 pm
Cage
In person
Borås (Sweden)
6 Marc 2015
8:00 pm
ButterfieldCageTenneyUnderhill
In person
Kingston (Ontario, Canada)
26 Febr 2015
7:00 pm
BoscBoudreauBrégentBreuleuxCageLebrat
In person
Montréal (Québec)
16 Dece 2014
5:00 pm
ArnoldCage
In person Free admission
Montréal (Québec)
5 Sept 2014
7:00 pm
CageHoshiyaKondoOesterleVivierWatanabe
In person
Tokyo (Japan)
7 June 2014
7:30 pm
CageClementiScelsiSciarrino
In person
Edmonton (Alberta, Canada)
28 May 2014
8:00 pm
CageClementiScelsiSciarrino
In person
Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
22 Apri 2014
8:00 pm
Série QB
Cage
In person
Montréal (Québec)
22 Febr 2014
1:00 pm
CageMolitorTenney
In person
Bristol (England, UK)
1 Febr 2014
CageClementiThórarinssonWalshe
In person
Reykjavik (Iceland)
28 June 2013
9:00 pm
Cage
In person
Harrington (Québec)
16 Nove 2012
8:00 pm
Cage
In person
Graz (Austria)
9 Sept 2012
4:00 pm
CageFeldmanFrey
In person
Borås (Sweden)
5 Sept 2012
7:00 pm
Série QB
Cage
In person Free admission
Montréal (Québec)
24 Augu 2012
8:30 pm
Cage
In person
Montréal (Québec)
11 Augu 2012
2:30 pm
Cage
In person Workshop
North Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)
29 July 2012
11:00 am
CageFeldmanMiller
In person
Ottawa (Ontario, Canada)
15 Marc 2011
8:00 pm
CageTenneyWolffZimmermann
In person
Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)
10 Marc 2011
8:00 pm
CageTenneyWolffZimmermann
In person
Victoria (British Columbia, Canada)
25 Febr 2011
9:00 pm
Cage
In person
Montréal (Québec)
7 Octo 2010
8:00 pm
Série QB
CageTenneyWolffZimmermann
In person
Montréal (Québec)
22 June 2010
8:00 pm
BozziniBozziniCageDelbecqMarchandMerkel
In person
Montréal (Québec)
28 Marc 2009
4:00 pm
CageTenneyWolffZimmermann
In person
Berlin (Germany)
25 Marc 2009
8:00 pm
CageStieblerZimmermann
In person
Brno (Czech Republic)
18 Marc 2009
9:00 pm
BoudreauCageFrehnerKoeringVörösova
In person
Lyon (Rhône, France)
4 Marc 2009
8:00 pm
Série QB
BeethovenBhagwatiCage
In person
Montréal (Québec)
9 Febr 2008
8:00 pm
Série QB
Cage
In person
Montréal (Québec)
6 May 2001
5:00 pm
CageFrey
In person
Aarau (Switzerland)
15 Marc 2001
8:00 pm
Série QB
CageIvesMozartRea
In person
Montréal (Québec)
9 Febr 2001
Série QB
CageIvesMarcelRea
In person
Montréal (Québec)
5 Febr 2001
Série QB
CageMozartRea
In person
Montréal (Québec)
18 Augu 2000
CageFeldman
In person
Sheffield (Vermont, USA)
12 Augu 2000
Série QB
CageFeldmanSokolović
In person
Montréal (Québec)