Klarinet Archive - Posting 000686.txt from 2001/09

From: "Tony Wakefield" <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Silence is Golden - for Bill W.
Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 11:47:29 -0400

Bill,

This is a carefully yet quickly prepared response. It took me most of this
morning to compose my little piece.

"Tony, since you quoted my message, I want to offer my apology. My
intention was to 'play _with_ you', definitely not to jibe at you.
That's the truth".

I know that. There is no need to apologise. Others unwittingly followed on
from yours. My own 'composition' was not intended to insult, but to draw
attention to the fact that some do not know the difference between a serious
and genuine composition and a piss take.

"Isn't "over-intellectualizing" another way of saying that the
_essential_ sensory ingredients of rational thought have been discarded,
and what remains is invalid?"

Yes. Very much so.

"Second --- I agree that 4'33" makes a valid statement, but it is not
music. As Tony Pay commented, 4'33" shows that content and context
cannot be separated, and therefore 4'33" says something useful about
human nature".

That human nature can be quite gullible at times.

"Since (again as Tony Pay commented) music is ultimately
part of our humanity, 4'33" says something useful about music; but total
silence is not music, <even though good music necessarily includes
silence as well as sound>".

I`m going to ignore <> as all music has silence and sound. Why should 4.33
say something useful about 'music', or anything, just because music is part
of humanity?
Why do we associate 4.33 with music, as there is no sound to tell us what we
are listening to. I will ignore the sounds, or the silence from audience
even tho` Cage might not. It has to be through pre-determined communication.
SEEING musicians enter the auditorium. SEEING the instruments. SEEING the
music folder. HEARING the previously performed pieces, and SEEING the title
of the work in the programme. That preparation then allows the audience,
once the 'performance' has started to imagine in their mind`s ear what
sounds/noises/music they would hear in this 'composition', if indeed they
were to actually hear real sound. I could think that a lecture in a
university, with the appropriately robed lecturer mouthing silently his
thesis to his students would not work.
Why? What`s the difference? It`s because of the intellectual gullibility
which prevails corruptively in the Arts. (And I might add for the benefit
composers and their notoriety.)

"But to say it again, I agree that 4'33" is not music. 4"33" is useful
and productive.... as is a good lecture.... but it is not music".

I fail to see how silence, however profound or broken it may be, can be
useful and productive, outside of 3 minute commemorative silences, outside
of silent prayer, outside of sleep, outside of deep understanding between
two people in a deep and beautiful relationship.

My son is not silent - he has just broken off with his girlfriend, so I`ll
have to go and give him some time.

Best,

Tony W.

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