Stop and prepare : Cage

[Quijote]

Well, if Michael can do it, so can I. Here is an interesting article that might stimulate you more than Stop, Repair, Prepare. Whatever you may think of John Cage's oeuvre, you will certainly need the "mother of all cushions" to sit through this one :

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/05/ar...ewanted=1&_r=1

To satisfy some of you, there are even several mentions of Beethoven. I do hope this article has not already been discussed here.

[Michael]

Too late. I have it on my iPod!

[Peter]

That 20 month rest would be most welcome!

[Joy]

And how!

[Preston]

Too late. I have it on my iPod!

[Quijote]

Ah, I see the Philistines (sic) are gathering around the Sea of Galilee, but none dare to dip their toes. Too many (fresh water) sharks in it, one supposes?
I can't be blamed for trying ...

[Hofrat]

I live an hour's car drive from the Sea of Galilee and I can attest that there is no gathering of Philistines or sharks. It is missing about one hundred million cubic meters of water though, so dipping toes might be difficult!

[Quijote]

You have turned my mixed metaphor to salt. Or other minerals ...

[Peter]

Ah, I see the Philistines (sic) are gathering around the Sea of Galilee, but none dare to dip their toes. Too many (fresh water) sharks in it, one supposes?
I can't be blamed for trying ...

What would be the point? You see Philistines gathering round the sea of Galiliee and I see the Gullible gathering at Halberstadt. We're not going to agree except perhaps with Rainer Neugebauer's remark "It doesn't sound like Beethoven". It certainly has its humorous side and I wonder if you'll be going to any of the performances or indeed all of them?

[Michael]

On a technical note, no doubt this slow-moving work will contain many hemidemisemiquavers ?

[Quijote]

What would be the point? You see Philistines gathering round the sea of Galiliee and I see the Gullible gathering at Halberstadt. We're not going to agree except perhaps with Rainer Neugebauer's remark "It doesn't sound like Beethoven". It certainly has its humorous side and I wonder if you'll be going to any of the performances or indeed all of them?

We haven't begun a debate yet, so how do you know whether we will agree or not? I suggest instead that we establish a framework (an 'agenda', if you like) for an intelligent discussion, setting out the points to be addressed.

Will I be attending any/all of the performances? As I imagine the pews will be rather hard I need to order extra cushions. I have reserved you half a dozen.

[Peter]

We haven't begun a debate yet, so how do you know whether we will agree or not? I suggest instead that we establish a framework (an 'agenda', if you like) for an intelligent discussion, setting out the points to be addressed.

Will I be attending any/all of the performances? As I imagine the pews will be rather hard I need to order extra cushions. I have reserved you half a dozen.

Well its ok for for a few comments and I'm pleased you drew our attention to it, but I'm not sure a lengthy debate on the topic is really that relevant to a Beethoven forum! It might work better in the other general forum?
I shall soon start a new thread on Beethoven's use of programme music since no one has yet taken up the bait.

[Quijote]

On a technical note, no doubt this slow-moving work will contain many hemidemisemiquavers ?

Ah Michael, I'm not sure if you have really understood Chris's explanation of this relative durational value in terms of the tempo. Let me try from another more hypothetical (and admittedly extreme) angle :

Suppose that Cage wrote a score for organ, set up with an appropriate mechanism for playing and holding the keys down as long as one wanted. The score gives a metronome tempo marking of 1 crotchet = 1 year, and has 64 notes or chords to be played per year. Those 64 notes/chords played over the year would be notated as hemidemisemiquavers, with one hemidemisemiquaver note/chord played approximately every 5.5 days.

Of course, it would be "technically" correct to notate the score thus, but unnecessary. To economise on printing ink he would do better to use a metronome marking of 1 semibreve = 5.5 days, and then the 64 notes to be played over the year (or one per 5.5 days) would be notated as a series of semibreves.

I hope this leaves you totally confused.

[Quijote]

Well its ok for for a few comments and I'm pleased you drew our attention to it, but I'm not sure a lengthy debate on the topic is really that relevant to a Beethoven forum! It might work better in the other general forum?

As you wish. To keep this on a "Beethoven track" I nearly choked on my croissant when reading this comment in the article :

"It doesn't sound like Beethoven," said Rainer Neugebauer, a member of the foundation behind the performance, scheduled to last 639 years.

Surely, there must be an Award for this sort of insight?

PS - I didn't know you had a stutter. Add icon. And don't try to edit your posting, or else you will render my "stutter" joke meaningless.

[Quijote]

I shall soon start a new thread on Beethoven's use of programme music since no one has yet taken up the bait.

One is looking forward to that. However, it needs to be pointed out that it will be difficult to keep the discussion 'hermetically sealed' to Beethoven, as there are several important historical issues surrounding this aspect.

And now back to Cage, elsewhere on this forum, although I doubt many will follow me. Time for a monologue, therefore.