Chris Raschka, Illustration for Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”. by Nicholas Day (Holiday House). © 2024 Chris Raschka. Used with permission from Neal Porter Books/Holiday House Publishing, Inc.
Special Storytime: Nicholas Day
Free with Museum admission
An offbeat history of John Cage’s 4’33”, a musical composition of blank bars.
One night in 1952, master pianist David Tudor took the stage in a barnlike concert hall called the Maverick. A packed audience waited with bated breath for him to start playing. Little did they know that the performance had already begun.
A rain patters.
A tree rustles.
An audience stirs.
David was performing John Cage’s 4’33”, whose purpose is to amplify the ambient sounds of whatever venue it inhabits. That shocking first performance earned 4’33” plenty of haters; and yet the piece endures, “performed” by the smallest garage bands and the grandest symphonies alike, year after year. Its fans hear what John Cage hoped we would hear: “Nothing” is never silent, and you don’t need a creative genius, a concert hall, or even a piano to hear something worthwhile. All you have to do is stop and listen.
Join award-winning author Nicholas Day as he reads his new book, Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”. Guaranteed to spark generative thought and lively debate among readers of all ages, Nothing is not to be missed.
Book signing to follow program. Can’t make the event? You may reserve signed books online.
