Search - Cage, Gahl, Lang :: Melodies & Harmonies (Dig)

"The piece 4'33", written by John Cage, is possibly the most famous and important piece in 20th century avant-garde ... in one short piece, Cage broke from the history of classical composition and proposed that the primary act of musical performance was not making music, but listening." -- PBS American Masters Klaus Lang, trained organist and internationally renowned composer, performs these pieces on a Fender Rhodes for the first time. Annelie Gahl, known as a versatile interpreter of both Old and New Music, plays the violin exactly as requested by Cage, without vibrato and with minimum weight on the bow. The musical material dates back to the 18th century--it is based on chorales, hymns, and congregational songs of the Protestant Church, all of them written by composers born as Americans and indirectly related to European musical traditions. Cage adapted and fragmented these pieces of utility music, positioning them in time as individual, singular objects.