On 7 Feb 2005 at 12:34, Phil Daley wrote:

> At 2/7/2005 12:06 PM, Andrew Stiller wrote:
> 
>  >>  To those who assert that music is a purely cultural phenomenon, I
>  >>  would point out that this idea has been put to the test, quite >>
>   rigorously, by John Cage, who insisted that any sounds or
>  combination >>  of sounds could be construed as music if one merely
>  had the will to do >>  so, and spent 40 years of his life composing
>  music on precisely that >>  principle. Was this music as successful
>  (moving, exciting, attractive) >>  as other musics? Could other
>  music, composed on the same principle, be >>  more successful? >> >> 
>  No, and no.
> 
>  >DFenton's response:
> 
>  >You have scientific proof that Cage was wrong?
> 
> The first question:  "Was this (Cage's) music as successful (moving,
> exciting, attractive) as other musics?"
> 
> I don't see how anyone can argue a yes answer to this question.  The
> "scientific proof" would be that pretty much no one has ever heard of
> him (outside of academic music people).

Hah! He's more famous *outside* music, in visual arts, theater and 
dance, than he is in *music*. Not because of his music, but because 
of his esthetic theories.

When he visited Oberlin while I was a student, his visit was actually 
sponsored by the dance department.

-- 
David W. Fenton                        http://www.bway.net/~dfenton
David Fenton Associates                http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc

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