An Excerpt from John Cage's "Composition in Retrospect"

NONINTENTION (THE ACCEPTANCE OF SILENCE) LEADING TO NATURE; RENUNCIATION OF CONTROL; LET SOUNDS BE SOUNDS.


EACH ACTIVITY IS CENTERED IN ITSELF, I.E., COMPOSITION, PERFORMANCE, AND LISTENING ARE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES.


(MUSIC IS) INSTANTANEOUS AND UNPREDICTABLE; NOTHING IS ACCOMPLISHED BY WRITING, HEARING, OR PLAYING A PIECE OF MUSIC; OUR EARS ARE NOW IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.



A NEED FOR POETRY.

JOYCE: "COMEDY IS THE GREATEST OF ARTS BECAUSE THE JOY OF COMEDY IS FREEST FROM DESIRE AND LOATHING."

AFFIRMATION OF LIFE.


PURPOSEFUL PURPOSELESSNESS.


ART = IMITATION OF NATURE IN HER MANNER OF OPERATION.


COEXISTENCE OF DISSIMILARS; MULTIPLICITY; PLURALITY OF CENTERS; "SPLIT THE STICK, AND THERE IS JESUS."



ANONYMITY OR SELFLESSNESS OF WORK (I.E., NOT SELF-EXPRESSION).

A WORK SHOULD INCLUDE ITS ENVIRONMENT, IS ALWAYS EXPERIMENTAL (UNKNOWN IN ADVANCE).


FLUENT, PREGNANT, RELATED, OBSCURE (NATURE OF SOUND).



EMPTY MIND.



NO IDEAS OF ORDER.


NO BEGINNING, MIDDLE, OR END (PROCESS, NOT OBJECT).


UNIMPEDEDNESS AND INTERPENETRATION; NO CAUSE AND EFFECT.


INDETERMINACY.



OPPOSITES = PARTS OF ONENESS.



TO THICKEN THE PLOT (RAMAKRISHNA); HIS ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: WHY, IF GOD IS GOOD, IS THERE EVIL IN THE WORLD?



AVENTURE (NEWNESS) NECESSARY TO CREATIVE ACTION.



THE MIND IS DISCIPLINED (BODY TOO), THE HEART TURNS QUICKLY FROM FEAR TOWARDS LOVE (ECKHART).



ANYTHING CAN FOLLOW ANYTHING ELSE (PROVIDING NOTHING IS TAKEN AS THE BASIS).



INFLUENCE DERIVES FROM ONE S OWN WORK (NOT FROM OUTSIDE IT).



CHANCE OPERATIONS ARE A USEFUL MEANS; MOKSHA.



BEING LED BY A PERSON, NOT A BOOK; ARTHA.



LOVE.



RIGHT AND WRONG.



NON-MEASURED TIME.



PROCESS INSTEAD OF OBJECT.



AMERICA HAS A CLIMATE FOR EXPERIMENTATION.



WORLD IS ONE WORLD.



HISTORY IS THE STORY OF ORIGINAL ACTIONS.



MOVE FROM ZERO.



ALL AUDIBLE PHENOMENA = MATERIAL FOR MUSIC.



IMPOSSIBILITY OF ERRORLESS WORK.



SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER (CREATION, PRESERVATION, DESTRUCTION, QUIESCENCE).



POSSIBILITY OF HELPING BY DOING NOTHING.



MUSIC IS NOT MUSIC UNTIL IT IS HEARD.



MUSIC AND DANCE TOGETHER (AND THEN OTHER TOGETHERS).


MEN ARE MEN; MOUNTAINS ARE MOUNTAINS BEFORE STUDYING ZEN. WHILE STUDYING ZEN, THINGS BECOME CONFUSED. AFTER STUDYING ZEN, MEN ARE MEN; MOUNTAINS ARE MOUNTAINS. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER? NO DIFFERENCE. JUST THE FEET ARE A LITTLE OFF THE GROUND (SUZUKI).



IF STRUCTURE, RHYTHMIC STRUCTURE.



BOREDOM PLUS ATTENTION = BECOMING INTERESTED.



PRINCIPLE UNDERLYING ALL OF THE SOLUTIONS = QUESTION WE ASK.


ACTIVITY, NOT COMMUNICATION.



THE NINE PERMANENT EMOTIONS (THE HEROIC, THE MIRTHFUL, THE WONDROUS, THE EROTIC; TRANQUILLITY; SORROW, FEAR, ANGER, THE ODIOUS).



THE PRACTICALITY OF CHANGING SOCIETY DERIVES FROM THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGING THE MIND.



THE GIVER OF GIFTS (RETURNING TO THE VILLAGE HAVING EXPERIENCED NO-MINDEDNESS).



STUDYING BEING INTERRUPTED.



NOTHING-IN-BETWEEN.



OBJECT IS FACT NOT SYMBOL (NO IDEAS).



POETRY IS HAVING NOTHING TO SAY AND SAYING IT; WE POSSESS NOTHING.



UNCERTAINTY OF FUTURE.



NOISES (UNDERDOG); CHANGING MUSIC AND SOCIETY.



NOT WORKING = KNOWING. WORKING = NOT KNOWING.



DISTRUST OF EFFECTIVENESS OF EDUCATION.



HCE (here comes everybody)

IT IS, IS CAUSE FOR JOY.

EARTH HAS NO ESCAPE FROM HEAVEN (ECKHART).