John Cage - 4’33: A social experiment

 

Given the fact that John Cage’s music addresses a problem not of music but of society his work 4’33 encourages listeners to adapt Cage’s attitude: let it be, let it go. Since the song is silent itself, neither the lyrics nor the instrumentals influence its effect on the crowd. Instead the 4:33 minutes of silence lead to a reaction within the audience. Of course, if the audience is already familiar with the work, the reaction will be different. Still, the song gives people the opportunity to be in the moment and to let go of everything. Therefore, Cage also points out the problem that our society is constantly rushed and our senses are immediately stimulated. Silent moments make us pause and reflect on our behavior. That is the reason why his work can be interpreted as a social experiment. While Cage is on stage, he is able to watch the audience.

When I first watched the video of his work, I was surprised. I rather focused on what was going to happen next than on the actual performance so that I did not enjoy it. After realizing that the silence was meant to be, I focused on the audience in the video and their behavior. Even though it is not actual silence since there is always something going on, I struggled with 4’33. I myself am so used to being surrounded by sounds all the time that I cannot deal with the absence of them. Cage said that he used to listen to 4’33 regularly throughout the day and I think he has a point there in doing so. It is necessary to stop for a while and notice our environment but also ourselves in order to be able to focus again. Cage found out about people prefer being distracted to having to deal with silence very early and made this into a song. Consequently, I find 4’33 very important to listen to since it challenges our understanding of music as well as our mindset.

Regarding its influence on the music industry, Cage stated that music did not need to be composed but it was already happening every minute, every second around us. While people felt laughed at and affronted, he questioned the contemporary definition of music. 4’33 demonstrates that everything is and can be music. The silence of the instruments highlights the music around us and also inside us. Kyle Gann referred to the song as a kind of meditation, I personally think of it being an opportunity to create our own music in that 4 minutes and 33 seconds. This work shows more than any other song that what we hear and perceive is always individually. Just like this song any other song we might hear is interpreted differently depending on our mood and situation.