reading response to John Cage

John Cage is remembered and acknowledged for many break through discoveries in music and art. He dabbled in numerous fields including music, architecture, gardening, ministry, and art. His recognition begins with Cage's piano. His music is less identifiable by nineteenth century standards than any other music being written in the 1960s yet his accomplishments influenced and continue to influence composers all over the globe. One significant feat was Cage's invention of the "prepared piano." This is a "system of muting the strings that transformed an ordinary grand piano into a kind of percussion orchestra," which was recognized by the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Academy of Arts and Letters which framed him for "'extending the boundaries of music and art.'" Moreover, Cage's work and philosophies parallel those of Duchamp in that they draw from the notion that creating art is merely a tool that contributes to the process of exposing to people the real art which is actually the life that we live - the art of living. He referred to the purpose of art as "'purposeless play,'" which is "an affirmation of life - not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation." One thing that really stood out to me that he said that "the idea of everybody reading the exact same information just revolted me." I think this way of thinking is very radical because there are so many things that people can learn about so why waste the copious amounts of knowledge that can be passed down to all generations by focusing only on ONE thing that everyone reads!!!!!?????