John Cage:

For years he was dismissed as an eccentric exponent of arbitrary noise punctuated by silence. Now, however, John Cage is universally acknowledged as the most influential composer of his generation. Cage’s activities as composer, graphic artist, poet, teacher, critic and—not least—writer are explored in this collection of readings by and about this avant-garde pioneer, covering his most innovative period, 1933–1970. The main concern of John Cage: An Anthology is, of course, music: here composers and critics such as Virgil Thompson, Henry Cowell, Edward Downes, and Michael Zwerin analyze Cage’s contribution to sound; Cage comments on his own works, such as Sonatas and Interludes, Cartridge Music, and Williams Mix; and the editor, Richard Kostelanetz, also includes Cage’s groundbreaking essay, ”Future of Music: Credo” and his perceptive remarks about composers from Satie and Webern to Stockhausen, But this anthology by no means neglects the other aspects of Cage’s creativity. Cage writes fondly here of his collaboration with Merce Cunningham, the space-time avant-garde dancer and choreographer; Barbara Rose and Dore Ashton review Cage’s influence on the contemporary art scene; his poetry is both represented herein and analyzed by Kostelanetz; and his teaching is remembered vividly by his students. Including a newly updated bibliography, discography, and catalog of compositions, as well as more than sixty illustrations, this collection is invaluable not only for students, teachers, and scholars, but for all who take a lively interest in the growth of the avant-garde in the twentieth century.