John Cage: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

John Cage's map runs from a Schoenberg classroom in Los Angeles to the Zen lectures of Columbia University, from prepared-piano dance accompaniments to the I Ching as compositional engine. Because his practice bled into dance, visual art and writing, the mix follows those threads too. It ends with the ambient and noise musicians who took silence as permission.

The Kynda mix for John Cage

• Key Influence · Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg (1912). Cage studied with Schoenberg in Los Angeles in the mid-1930s, working without fee on the condition he devote his life to music. Schoenberg reportedly told him he had no feeling for harmony and called him not a composer but an inventor of genius. Cage's response was to build structures from duration and rhythm instead of pitch relations, yet he described Schoenberg as the decisive teacher of his life and revered this work's rigor.
• Influencia Obscura · Studie Nr. 7 by Oskar Fischinger (1931). In 1937 Cage worked briefly in Los Angeles as an assistant to the abstract animator Fischinger, hand-moving objects for his films. Cage repeatedly recounted that Fischinger spoke of every object possessing a spirit that could be released by drawing sound out of it — a remark Cage credited with sending him around striking and scraping everything he could find, the germ of his percussion orchestra and prepared piano.
• Local Roots · December 1952 by Earle Brown (1952). Brown moved to New York in 1952 and joined Cage on the Project for Music for Magnetic Tape, splicing tape alongside David Tudor and Morton Feldman. December 1952 is a page of floating rectangles with no notes at all, the graphic-notation landmark of the New York School that formed around Cage's Grand Street loft. Brown's open scores and Cage's indeterminacy developed in direct conversation in the same rooms.
• Beyond the Medium · An Introduction to Zen Buddhism by D. T. Suzuki (1934). Cage attended Suzuki's lectures at Columbia University in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and the encounter reframed his aesthetics: music as the sobering and quieting of the mind, open to divine influences, and silence as never empty. Zen non-intention underwrites 4'33", the chance operations and the lectures full of deliberate contradiction. Cage called the purposeless play of Zen the purpose of his work.
• Peer · Klavierstück XI by Karlheinz Stockhausen (1956). Cage toured Europe in 1954 and 1958, playing at Donaueschingen and Darmstadt, where his chance pieces detonated among the serialists. Stockhausen's Klavierstück XI, a single sheet of nineteen fragments the pianist chooses among at random, is the most direct European absorption of Cage's indeterminacy. The two men's exchange, admiring and competitive, shaped the fault line between chance and control in postwar music.
• From the Canon · Sonatas and Interludes by John Cage (1948). The summit of the prepared piano: bolts, screws, rubber and plastic placed between strings turn one instrument into a percussion orchestra of bells and thuds. Written over two years and premiered by Maro Ajemian, its sixteen sonatas were organized around the permanent emotions of Indian aesthetics. It marks the hinge of Cage's career — maximum expressive intent, just before chance operations removed intention altogether.
• Key Collaborator · Rainforest by David Tudor (1968). Tudor was Cage's indispensable pianist, premiering 4'33", Music of Changes and the Concert for Piano and Orchestra; Cage said he wrote for what Tudor could do and that Tudor's capabilities expanded his own imagination. Tudor then became a composer of live electronics, and Rainforest — sound fed through suspended metal objects that resonate as loudspeakers — made for Cunningham's company, shows the partner's own invention.
• Legacy · Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno (1978). Eno has long named Cage among the figures who reoriented his thinking, and his systems-based approach — tape loops of differing lengths left to drift out of phase, music designed to be as ignorable as it is interesting — descends directly from Cage's indeterminacy and his insistence that ambient sound is already music. Music for Airports treats listening environments the way 4'33" treats a concert hall.

What influenced John Cage

• Arnold Schoenberg. References Cage's study period under composer Arnold Schoenberg and Schoenberg's assessment of him. (also via Pierrot lunaire) “Like Rauschenberg, Cage had moved away from the teachings of his instructor, Arnold Schoenberg , in favor of a more experimentalist approach to music.” (Wikipedia)
• Marcel Duchamp. Cage cites a remark by Marcel Duchamp as shaping his thinking on memory and repetition. (also via 4′33″, Erratum Musical) “There's a beautiful remark of Marcel Duchamp: To reach the impossibility of transferring from one like object to another the memory imprint.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Erik Satie. Cage cites composer Erik Satie's remark on experience as influential to his philosophy. (also via Sonatas and Interludes, Vexations) “it’s by the composer Erik Satie and it’s related to that remark that I just quoted from Char – he checked his version. Satie says experience is a form of paralysis.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Robert Rauschenberg. Harris identifies Rauschenberg’s white paintings as an inspiration for Cage’s 4′33″. (also via 4'33", Theatre Piece No. 1, Theater Piece No. 1) “Although Rauschenberg considered Albers his most important teacher, he found a more compatible sensibility in John Cage , an established composer of avant-garde music.” (Wikipedia)
• Buckminster Fuller. Cage credits Buckminster Fuller's ideas about human-nature organization as valuable to his thinking. “I think that Mr. Fuller has a very clear and useful way to bring about an equation, a proper relationship, a proper organization between nature and society, human beings.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Oskar Fischinger. Fischinger's remark inspired Cage's experiments with unconventional sound sources. (also via Studie Nr. 7) “This was inspired by Oskar Fischinger , who told Cage that "everything in the world has a spirit that can be released through its sound."” (Wikipedia)
• Henry Cowell. Cowell was one of Cage's composition teachers. (also via The Banshee) “Cage's teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933–35), both known for their radical innovations in music” (Wikipedia)
• D. T. Suzuki. Cage attended Suzuki's lectures on Zen Buddhism. (also via An Introduction to Zen Buddhism) “Cage also attended, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, D. T. Suzuki 's lectures on Zen Buddhism” (Wikipedia)
• René Char. Cage cites poet René Char's idea as influencing his approach to novelty and repetition. “the remark of René Char, the French poet, that each act is virgin even the repeated one” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Vexations by Erik Satie (1893). Vexations (Erik Satie) — titan for John Cage “The piece is a chance-controlled reworking of Erik Satie's Socrate, and, as both listeners and Cage himself noted, openly sympathetic to its source.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Studie Nr. 7 by Oskar Fischinger (1931). Studie Nr. 7 (Oskar Fischinger) — ghost for John Cage “This was inspired by Oskar Fischinger, who told Cage that "everything in the world has a spirit that can be released through its sound." Although Cage did not share the idea of spirits, these words inspired him to begin exploring the sou…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Finnegans Wake by James Joyce (1939). Finnegans Wake (James Joyce) — culture for John Cage “At Pomona, he encountered the work of the artist Marcel Duchamp via Professor José Pijoan, of the writer James Joyce via Don Sample, of the philosopher Ananda Coomaraswamy, and of the composer Henry Cowell.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Adolph Weiss. Cage studied composition with Weiss. “Cage traveled to New York City in 1933 and started studying with Weiss as well as taking lessons from Cowell himself at The New School” (Wikipedia)
• Gita Sarabhai. Cage arranged to learn Indian music and philosophy from Sarabhai. “In return, he asked her to teach him about Indian music and philosophy.” (Wikipedia)
• Ananda Coomaraswamy. Cage read Coomaraswamy's writings during the studies that informed his music. “Cage also attended, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, D. T. Suzuki 's lectures on Zen Buddhism , [ 49 ] and read further the works of Coomaraswamy .” (Wikipedia)
• I Ching. Cage used the I Ching as a tool for composing music. “The I Ching , an ancient Chinese classic text and decision-making tool, became Cage's standard composition tool for the rest of his life.” (Wikipedia)
• The Theatre and Its Double by Antonin Artaud (1938). Artaud's treatise strongly influenced Cage's theatrical practice. “In following these developments Cage was strongly influenced by Antonin Artaud 's seminal treatise The Theatre and Its Double .” (Wikipedia)
• Marshall McLuhan. Cage's reading of McLuhan informed several projects. “His reading of media theorist Marshall McLuhan on the cultural effects of new media, and architect Buckminster Fuller on the transformative potential of technology, informed several projects from this period.” (Wikipedia)
• Henry David Thoreau. The text explicitly identifies Thoreau as an influence on Cage. “Cage described himself as an anarchist, and was influenced by Henry David Thoreau .” (Wikipedia)
• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (1855). Reading Whitman's book renewed Cage's enthusiasm for America. “After several months in Paris, Cage's enthusiasm for America was revived after he read Walt Whitman 's Leaves of Grass .” (Wikipedia)
• Pierrot lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg (1912). Pierrot Lunaire (Arnold Schoenberg) — titan for John Cage “Cage's teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933–35), both known for their radical innovations in music, but Cage's major influences lay in various East and South Asian cultures.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Banshee by Henry Cowell (1925). The Banshee (Henry Cowell) — titan for John Cage “Cage's teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933–35), both known for their radical innovations in music, but Cage's major influences lay in various East and South Asian cultures.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Erratum Musical by Marcel Duchamp (1913). Erratum Musical (Marcel Duchamp) — ghost for John Cage “At Pomona, he encountered the work of the artist Marcel Duchamp via Professor José Pijoan, of the writer James Joyce via Don Sample, of the philosopher Ananda Coomaraswamy, and of the composer Henry Cowell.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• An Introduction to Zen Buddhism by D. T. Suzuki (1934). An Introduction to Zen Buddhism (D. T. Suzuki) — culture for John Cage (wikidata.org)
• The Transformation of Nature in Art by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1934). The Transformation of Nature in Art (Ananda K. Coomaraswamy) — culture for John Cage
• Gertrude Stein. Living Room Music (John Cage) — legacy for Gertrude Stein (via Living Room Music)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Merce Cunningham (1919). Cunningham describes his long collaboration with John Cage on chance operations. (also via Sonatas and Interludes, Theater Piece No. 1, 4'33") “Cage played the piano for a dance concert by Merce Cunningham, Louise Lippold and Sara Hamill on August 20.” (Journal of Black Mountain College Studies)
• Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi designed sets for a production by Cage and Cunningham. (also via The Seasons) “Music John Cage, The Seasons (for Orchestra) Set Isamu Noguchi Costumes Isamu Noguchi” (Merce Cunningham Trust)
• Black Mountain College. Cage taught at Black Mountain College. “Cage taught at Black Mountain College in the summers of 1948 and 1952 and was in residence during the summer of 1953.” (BMC Yearbook)
• David Tudor. Notes David Tudor's collaborative role realizing Cage's 'Indeterminacy' score. “It was during this period that he began a multi-year collaboration with the musician and composer David Tudor.” (Daniel Langlois Foundation)
• Lou Harrison. Cage and Harrison worked together for several years. (also via La Koro Sutro) “Indeed, upon meeting the two immediately established a strong bond and began a working relationship that continued for several years.” (Wikipedia)
• The New School. Cage taught experimental composition at The New School. “When he was asked to teach a music course at the New School in New York City in the late 1950s, he said yes, but only if he could also teach a class in mushroom identification. He taught the class for three years.” (New York Botanical Garden)
• New York Mycological Society. Cage was a co-founder of the society. “The present New York Mycological Society was founded in 1962 by the composer John Cage, Guy Nearing, Lois Long, Frank Ferrara and Esther Dam and a small group of other mushroom lovers and students.” (New York Mycological Society)
• Nam June Paik. Cage and Paik appeared in a joint concert. “Cage was one of the primary influences on Paik's work, as well as his friend and frequent collaborator.” (Electronic Arts Intermix)
• Syvilla Fort (1917). Cage composed Bacchanale for a dance by Fort. “For her piece Bacchanale (1940), Fort asked Cage to write something with an African “inflection.” Cage envisioned a percussion ensemble, but there wasn’t enough room in the Repertory Playhouse to accommodate.” (Wendy Perron)
• Sonic Youth. Sonic Youth performed some of Cage's Number Pieces. (via Number Pieces, Goodbye 20th Century) “Cage's influence was also acknowledged by rock acts such as Sonic Youth (who performed some of the Number Pieces [ 142 ] )” (Wikipedia)
• New School for Social Research. Cage recounts teaching a mushroom identification class at the New School for Social Research. “give a class in mushroom identification at the New School for Social Research.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Rothko Chapel by Morton Feldman (1971). Rothko Chapel (Morton Feldman) — geography for John Cage “More important was Cage's chance encounter with Morton Feldman in New York City in early 1950.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• La Koro Sutro by Lou Harrison (1972). La Koro Sutro (Lou Harrison) — peer for John Cage “In 1938, on Cowell's recommendation, Cage drove to San Francisco to find employment and to seek out fellow Cowell student and composer Lou Harrison.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Lejaren Hiller. Cage created HPSCHD with Hiller. “HPSCHD (1969), a large-scale multimedia work created in collaboration with composer and computer scientist Lejaren Hiller” (Wikipedia)
• Michael Bach. Cage conceived ONE13 with Michael Bach. “Cage conceived his last musical work with cellist and composer Michael Bach : "ONE13" for cello with curved bow and three loudspeakers” (Wikipedia)
• Henning Lohner. Lohner worked with Cage to produce and direct One 11. “One 11 , commissioned by composer and film director Henning Lohner , who worked with Cage to produce and direct the 90-minute monochrome film.” (Wikipedia)
• Mills College. Cage held a faculty position at Mills College. “Harrison soon helped Cage to secure a faculty position at Mills College , teaching the same program as at UCLA” (Wikipedia)
• Cornish College of the Arts. Cage taught while working at Cornish. “he found work as composer and accompanist for choreographer Bonnie Bird at the Cornish College of the Arts . The Cornish School years proved to be a particularly important period in Cage's life. Aside from teaching and working as accompa…” (Wikipedia)
• Chicago School of Design. Cage taught at the Chicago School of Design. “Cage taught at the Chicago School of Design and worked as accompanist and composer at the University of Chicago .” (Wikipedia)
• Wesleyan University. Cage taught experimental music at Wesleyan. “In 1960 the composer was appointed a fellow on the faculty of the Center for Advanced Studies (now the Center for Humanities) in the Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wesleyan, [ 72 ] where he started teaching classes in experimental music.” (Wikipedia)
• Travelogue. Cage collaborated on Travelogue. “In 1977 Rauschenberg, Cunningham, and Cage reconnected as collaborators for the first time in thirteen years to create Travelogue (1977), for which Rauschenberg contributed the costume and set designs.” (Wikipedia)
• Maya Deren (1917). Cage was part of Deren's New York social circle. “In 1944, back in New York City, her social circle included Marcel Duchamp , André Breton , John Cage , and Anaïs Nin .” (Wikipedia)
• Bebe Barron. The passage says the Barrons helped Cage realize Williams Mix. “as employed in the piece Williams Mix , which they had assisted John Cage in realizing at their Greenwich Village studio” (Wikipedia)
• Louis Barron. The passage says the Barrons helped Cage realize Williams Mix. “as employed in the piece Williams Mix , which they had assisted John Cage in realizing at their Greenwich Village studio” (Wikipedia)
• December 1952 by Earle Brown (1952). December 1952 (Earle Brown) — geography for John Cage “The two composers quickly became friends; some time later Cage, Feldman, Earle Brown, pianist David Tudor, and Cage's pupil Christian Wolff came to be referred to as "the New York school".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• For 1, 2 or 3 People by Christian Wolff (1964). For 1, 2 or 3 People (Christian Wolff) — geography for John Cage “The two composers quickly became friends; some time later Cage, Feldman, Earle Brown, pianist David Tudor, and Cage's pupil Christian Wolff came to be referred to as "the New York school".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Klavierstück XI by Karlheinz Stockhausen (1956). Klavierstück XI (Karlheinz Stockhausen) — peer for John Cage “Boulez, who used to promote Cage's work in Europe, was opposed to Cage's particular approach to the use of chance, and so were other composers who came to prominence during the 1950s, such as Karlheinz Stockhausen.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Structures, Livre I by Pierre Boulez (1952). Structures, Livre I (Pierre Boulez) — peer for John Cage “=== 1950s: Discovering chance === After a 1949 performance at Carnegie Hall, New York, Cage received a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, which enabled him to make a trip to Europe, where he met composers such as Olivier Messiaen and …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Rainforest. Rainforest (David Tudor) — collaborator for John Cage “The two composers quickly became friends; some time later Cage, Feldman, Earle Brown, pianist David Tudor, and Cage's pupil Christian Wolff came to be referred to as "the New York school".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Sounddance by Merce Cunningham (1975). Sounddance (Merce Cunningham) — collaborator for John Cage “He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• White Painting by Robert Rauschenberg (1951). White Painting (Robert Rauschenberg) — collaborator for John Cage “Cage's work as musicologist helped popularize Erik Satie's music, and his friendship with Abstract expressionist artists such as Robert Rauschenberg helped introduce his ideas into visual art.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Who John Cage influenced

• Frank Zappa. The passage identifies Zappa among musicians who acknowledged Cage's influence. (also via Lumpy Gravy) “Cage is a big influence. We've done a thing with voices, with talking, that is very like one of his pieces, except that of course in our piece the guys are talking about working in an airplane factory, or their cars.” (Village Voice, reproduced by Zappa Wiki Jawaka)
• Brian Eno. Silence: Lectures and Writings (John Cage) — culture for Brian Eno (via Silence: Lectures and Writings, John Cage, Ambient 1: Music for Airports) “Cage in particular was influential for me. In his case, composition was a way of living out your philosophy and calling it art.” (Tom Phillips; originally The Independent)
• Karlheinz Stockhausen. Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (John Cage) — titan for Karlheinz Stockhausen (via Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, Music of Changes, Klavierstück XI) “Stockhausen's piano writing in his later Klavierstücke was influenced by Cage's Music of Changes and David Tudor.” (Wikipedia)
• Fluxus. Cage's classes influenced the formation of Fluxus. “Although Maciunas is credited as its official founder, composer John Cage was equally influential in the development of Fluxus ideology.” (American Masters)
• Helmut Lachenmann. Cage's extended-technique work influenced Lachenmann. “Indeed, a pure, radical experience like the music of Cage is something special. If performed without any trimmings, it meant for me, too, a purifying experience.” (Three Questions for Sixty-Five Composers)
• Gavin Bryars. Bryars briefly studied under Cage. “Under John Cage’s guidance, Bryars’ 1960s and early 70s text scores became key works of the English Experimental movement.” (The Quietus)
• Laurie Anderson. Anderson names Cage foremost among artists she loved while discussing an idea important to her music. (also via Sonatas and Interludes) “The teaching of impermanence, that everything is constantly changing, was also a central tenet for many of the artists I loved—John Cage being the main one.” (Train a Happy Mind)
• John Cale. Cale worked with avant-garde composer John Cage. “Cale had worked with experimental composers John Cage , Cornelius Cardew and La Monte Young” (Wikipedia)
• Lumpy Gravy by Frank Zappa (1968). The article describes Lumpy Gravy as a monument to Cage. “It is an "incredible ambitious musical project", [ 35 ] : 56 a "monument to John Cage ", [ 22 ] : 86 which intertwines orchestral themes, spoken words and electronic noises” (Wikipedia)
• Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno (1978). Ambient 1: Music for Airports (Brian Eno) — legacy for John Cage “The development of electronic music was also influenced by Cage: in the mid-1970s Brian Eno's label Obscure Records released works by Cage.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Tōru Takemitsu. Takemitsu identified Cage as an influence. “The Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu has also cited Cage's influence.” (Wikipedia)
• Gary Rydstrom. Rydstrom cited Cage's work as a major influence on his sound design. “Academy Award -winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom cited Cage's work as a major influence.” (Wikipedia)
• Thom Yorke (1968). Yorke regarded Cage as one of his artistic heroes. “the music-group's leader Thom Yorke considered Cage one of his "all-time art heroes".” (Wikipedia)
• Paul Taylor (1930). 4′33″ (John Cage) — ghost for Paul Taylor (via 4′33″) “Specifically, Rauschenberg's series of “white” paintings resulted in John Cage’s composition, 4’33”, for which Taylor’s piece Duet (1957), was inspired.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Philip Glass (1937). Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (John Cage) — titan for Philip Glass (via Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano) “== Career == === 1964–1966: Paris === In 1964, Glass received a Fulbright Scholarship; his studies in Paris with the eminent composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, from autumn of 1964 to summer of 1966, influenced his work throughout his l…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Goodbye 20th Century by Sonic Youth (1999). Goodbye 20th Century (Sonic Youth) — legacy for John Cage “Cage's influence was also acknowledged by rock acts such as Sonic Youth (who performed some of the Number Pieces) and Stereolab (who named their song "John Cage Bubblegum" after him), composer and rock and jazz guitarist Frank Zappa, and…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Well-Tuned Piano by La Monte Young (1964). The Well-Tuned Piano (La Monte Young) — legacy for John Cage “Cage's rhythmic structure experiments and his interest in sound influenced a number of composers, starting at first with his close American associates Earle Brown, Morton Feldman, and Christian Wolff (and other American composers, such a…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Andy Warhol (1928). Silence: Lectures and Writings (John Cage) — culture for Andy Warhol (via Silence: Lectures and Writings) (wikidata.org)
• Forbidden Planet by Fred M. Wilcox (1956). Williams Mix (John Cage) — ghost for Forbidden Planet (via Williams Mix) “After recording the basic sounds, the Barrons further manipulated the sounds with reverberation, delay, filters, and tape manipulations (as employed in the piece Williams Mix, which they had assisted John Cage in realizing at their Green…” (en.wikipedia.org)