John Cage took delight in writing "serious" works that dressed down the concept of "serious" music — often leaving the audience unsure as to how they should react. We hear one such piece tonight in "Fads and Fancies in the Academy," which parodies children's songs and popular music of the 1940s.
24:33 on WNYC2: A John Cage Festival
24:33 on WNYC2: A John Cage Festival
Fads and Fancies in the Academy
Written for a dance at Mills College in 1940, "Fads and Fancies in the Academy" lay undiscovered until 1992. In addition to containing some of Cage's most rhapsodic piano writing, the work employs a snare drum, hand-claps, tom-toms, a wash-tub, a brake drum, a metronome, spoken words, and a metal ...
Margaret Leng Tan
Avant-garde pianist and John Cage disciple Margaret Leng Tan talks about her mentor's marvelous sayings, and his thoughts about his famous invention, the prepared piano (featured music includes the "Sonatas and Interludes").
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