Imaginary Landscape No. 5 (1952) by John Cage

[drashfield]

shit wow  thats skilllllllls

[jillykobilly]

I was kind of bored with the twirler at first, but HOLY COW!! She's amazing! And I really like how you took the liberty to bring Cage's piece into the 20th century. Well done.

[q1q1q127]

Worthless faggotry.

[MissCSUFJess]

Simply genius..well done! Not everyone can appreciate let alone fully understand what it is that you are doing but it is simply amazing.

[datimpster]

@MissCSUFJess Thank you so much! And thank you for realizing that. It may just sound like noise, but it definitely took a lot of effort to make it happen, thanks to John Cage's exceptionally detailed score.

[jkljkl1945]

Glad to be able to experience som Cage on Youtube. This piece does not give me much. But now at least i know this. Some of his other compositions are much more melodic and "easy" to enjoy as far as i'm concerned. "Dream" being one of those. Thanks for performing and uploading.

[trainman238]

So, essentially.. this would be perfect for someone who's totally trippin out on acid.

[khrousty]

Excellent!

[incuboaquien]

Perfect. I loved your interpretation.

[UnderAGlassBell1]

He is still ahead of his time.

[SirAnnemarieTheThird]

I don't understand how it works. Is the performer on stage controlling the music?

[emphaticleech]

I think it's hilarious that people are so negative towards this. I mean, all music at one point was looked at as "garbage" and "not music". Maybe we could learn from history and NOT judge something just because it's different?

[ahmeadows]

i read the entire video description. yet, i still think it sounds like random snippets of music that are spliced together, with a guy dancing around the stage. i hope i never hear this again.

[vanes9066]

@kopkilla25 WWHy so angry??

[kaiandseanrule]

@kopkilla25 you speak only the truth sir

[vanes9066]

Just remembered: I have something to do..But seriously--I'm awed at the human bodys (Namaste poster: Reading notes not neccessary to understand awe at ability! I'm aware of Cages brillance from "Dance and Myth:part 1" video ((Nancy Allison's hot..)) anyways..)ability.

[peace4bne]

One of the best things I have ever seen and heard on YouTube...seriously.

I want to try to perform this using my playlist. Well done!!

[RedFang4]

wtf

[vanes9066]

@RedFang4 Speaking of swears..WHile someone felt compelled to hide "hell" as a comment..""WTF" ladies and gentleman,stands for..well..Ask your nephew..

[icketypickety]

definitely an interesting 4 minutes ,i've just started listening to john cage , morton feldman and arnold schoenberg true innovators i must say and thanks for the post...

[theguitarstrumpet]

this was at UT correct? the hall looks familiar

[DulBeat]

Number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine...

[HxHenry]

as i sit here, i am fascinated. but angry. angry that anyone would take this shit seriously. it just sounds like walking around a city randomly hearing things you're trying to ignore.nice baton twirling though.

[Berliozboy]

How come i can only hear basicly 1 channel at a time? The timing sounds off also

[LogInForPaper]

So did he basically take extracts from other peoples' music and mash them together into the worst mix ever?

[Zedzilla]

I think the element of chance is vital to the piece. By using sequencing software to very exactly cut and edit, I feel you have changed the meaning behind the original composition. However, that being said it is definitely an appropriate adaptation for modern day performance.

Congratulations on your musical project!

[FanajiQidodu]

I cant get this action out of my head-> tiny[dot]cc/doherhole

[Dez29302]

I don't know if I'll ever understand serialism, and this type of electronic music. In my opinion, it's just mixing a bunch of random sounds together. Is there a theory to the chaos?

[garmonbozia318]

Dez: Serialism is possibly the most theoretically rigorous music in history. In integral serialism, a piece is built on a row of 12 notes in which every note is stated before any are repeated. This row and its variants are then used throughout the piece for melodies or chords. The row is mainly used as a way to structure big pieces without relying on tonality. A similar collection of rhythms is gathered and used similarly. Cage's electronic music, on the other hand, often IS random.

[garmonbozia318]

Dez: Cage worked out a system for randomizing every component of a piece, with the idea being to take the composer out of the picture, and allow the universe to determine what came out. (I think) a lot of his music is designed to put the sounds themselves on display, dissociated from any traditional meaning or expressive aim. In doing so, his music invites us to listen to all sounds as music, and to try to find the beauty in everything we hear. Just my take on it.

[JacktotheT]

You may be thinking of aleatory music?

[buildingblox]

Thanks, I REALLY enjoyed this :) Happy New Year!

[Radwalls]

big audience

[datimpster]

There were actually about 100 people in the audience, at least. It was a big hall and they were mostly sitting in the back! :)

[Smaejdah]

what can you exept.. just listen :D

[Stunt2one]

I have seen other scores of this, but this selection of tracks is ver original and very good, my favourite I think :)

[123ihaf2pee]

im confused, though. how is this supposed to be from 1952? i heard "morris brown" by outkast and "chariot" by gavin degraw. oh. its in the info, too. didnt notice that.

[brunonwRj]

i heard "dancing queen" by ABBA, lol

[EMPERORMIKI]

Jesus ... this is brilliant, and gorgeous.

[jazzmelodicminor77]

ok so the people pay to see the dancer? where are the musicians i can put a lot of songs together like do so where its the arts the drugs are bad i can tell what a shit the dancer great and also nothing played on the laptop was one of hes creation what the heck bullshit this guy its in drugs for sure and the people that pay to see this shit worst unleast the want to see the dancer ok hahahaha

[guitarradanada]

what the hell was that!

[vanes9066]

@guitarradanada Why was this comment hidden? Hell is just a place folks.Let it out I say with the swears..Long as their not directed at people..

[blancofrancesca]

Il lavoro di Cage è stato veramente geniale.

[leafsoup]

there's like 10 people in the audience, lol.

[element774]

yea..but 40 thousand people here.

[hakuga05]

spread across almost two years :P

Cage was a pioneer, nothing but respect for his legacy.

[josepablofm]

wow, and the human that dances is so good with this thing

[josepablofm]

great and beautiful

[glangorous]

Kudos to you on updating the medium, but Merce Cunningham she ain't.

[blankpapers]

whats there to understand?

[mrtyreman]

zappa was better, the difference was that he had a sense of humour and was mocking this kind of 'art' regardless, I respect cage, but only up to a point... Art is for 99.9% of the worlds population, this music is for 0.01%, congratulations on being unique lol

[ambientgreg]

Journey and ABBA in a Cage peice...that alone was worth the price of admission. (MY word)...

[Iaxobus]

Feel free to substitute "entralling" with an actual english word, such as "enthralling". Cheers.

[Iaxobus]

I must say I'm not particularly fond of such chaotic rummage as is presented here. The performer on stage doesn't seem to be very impressive either - no offense to the few who find it entralling...

My word, I would be frightened to know what was going on in Cage's mind when he was putting this harum-scarum piece together!

[darnmat]

I tried to 'realize' (not understand) it's beauty. However, i think i need to realize more of John Cage. I know his philosophies or what... i just need to realize more of him in a very spiritual (and possibly pleasurable) aspect.

[kajaja420]

this isn't pushing art or whatever. cage was probably was a really smart dude who cashed in on philosophical douche bags with a fake persona, kinda like larry the cable guy being from a rich suburban family is to rednecks

[stephentheleaf]

You asked a question and answered it. He pushed the art on a philosophical way. May be he had a «fake persona» but does it changes something to his music or his work? Plus, he based this composition on the Marcel Duchamp's concept (the ready-made).

[kajaja420]

What question? I asked no question. And if you think he pushed art in a philosophical way, then I'm guessing that yes, it does change something about his music and work, which Cage would have considered his art.

[DarkAndMartyr]

Thinking of the predasesors to Cage such as classical composers from the romantic era, Cage is an innovative genius, he was something new doing things that now days may seem like common practise 50 years ago

[kajaja420]

you can't just compare an avant-garde composer to a classical composer. He made noises that sounded random but aren't, but he didn't make any kind of standard in music that i would learn about when trying to play music, because he didn't make music. You people need to quit making him look like a genius, you douchefags, im giving both of you a thumbs up so you can shove it up your ass

[DarkAndMartyr]

can i just shuv it up your ass instead, u sound like u'd prefer it

[cubikman]

even after reading the program

it's still random garbage

as other's have siad throwing random sinpets together doe's not make a composition

thumbs down a complete waste of time

[karoloandria]

thumbs down to complete ignorant comment!?

[laurion69]

And you did not hear variation III yet.. Ah! Ah! Ah! :-)

[generic334]

in my opinion its like the emperor's new clothes. the "invisible clothes" are passed off as only the smart and introspective people "get it" untill theres a little boy in the crowd of gibbering sheep who cries out hang on theres nothing to get! im not saying john cage was a hack composer he wrote some decent stuff but these so called groundbreaking works of art are nothing more than muddles of sound and not the things he should be remembered for

[daveisgr81]

You don't get it what this stuff is all about.

[generic334]

i suppose the baton twirler is there to keep the audience thinking this wasnt a COMPLETE waste of money

[datimpster]

And I suppose I posted the program notes in the "more info" area to the right, so that viewers would read them and possibly learn something before leaving a pointless comment.

[vanes9066]

@datimpster True..But I like your humor..

[philosoful]

@datimpster

I've looked at your track listing but I can't find the choir style song occurring at 2:42 - 2:55, I'd be most grateful if you could let me know the name of the song, seems lovely!

[WalterCianciusi]

Great!

[mrdorgon]

killer

thanks

[laurion69]

Cage was not a composer since he simply could not compose anything...

This muddles are not compositions.

[joerules03]

the debate is still on whether he was a composer or philospher, however given your statement "he was not a composer simply because he could not compose anything," is just silly. Everything up until late 1940 was taken out of the classical tradition all the way up to Shoenberg(his teacher). Once the 1950's hit, he took a completely different direction with his musical ideas. I don't however think your ignorant mind is implying that.

[DarkAndMartyr]

ye im doing a research essay on him now, and it does seem as though he literally changed his style and direction as soon as the 50s hit. still awesome though. water walks one of my favourites haha

[BRunkel07]

I think my favorite part was the MYNWA clip (from 2002 right?). Did you march Madison Scouts then?

[jheronimusbosch]

Haha at minute 2:00 there's a part from Shostakovich's 5th symphony, great!

[mpantel88]

it is a pity!....

[ZoolookTheMudkip]

What.

[apendicita]

:))

[apendicita]

As for the more (what some would call) melodic Cage songs, there's no doubt they 'create emotions', as well as Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Strauss (and lots of others) or Glass and Satie. We should try harder to see the good bits of everything ;)

[simnos1]

You really think that? That Cage is anywhere near as adept at manipulating emotion as Tchaikovsky.. or Mahler?

Honestly, 90% Cages music leaves me cold, and in the course of my music study I have listened to A LOT of it. I know he's an innovator but lets not go over the top.

[apendicita]

I didn't say he necessarily wanted this, I said he just achieved it :)

[simnos1]

Haha very fine distinction there.

[BulbousAlsoTapered]

Given the fact that Cage explicitly stated that he had no desire to manipulate emotion, it is silly to use this as a criterion for judging his work. Emotions may or may not be felt by the audience, but Cage is certainly NOT trying to "manipulate" them.

I can honestly say that I enjoy listening to Cage's music more than Mahler and Tchaikovsky (I also had to listen to all 3 of them in the course of my music study, Cage is the only one I still listen to after graduation).

[simnos1]

Yeah, I remember seeing an interview where he said that. I was just responding to

apendicita's statement.

Fair enough, each to their own. My bias is that I listen to music usually to have an emotional reaction. That's also what I try to put into my music. What do you enjoy about listening to Cage?

[BulbousAlsoTapered]

Cage wrote a lot of different kinds of music, so I enjoy listening to different pieces for different reasons. I enjoy the folk-like melody of "Wonderful Widow of 18 Springs", the aural complexity of "HPSCHD", the timbral exploration of the prepared piano pieces, etc. There are also compositions which are historically important simply because Cage & his contemporaries explored a lot of ideas which were later adopted by other musicians - chance, prepared piano, graphic notation, tape music etc.

[alvinkuo777]

This kind of experimental music does nothing for me; frankly I prefer Ligeti and Carter and Messiaen. I understand why some people would like this kind of "music," but I am amazed that you prefer this over Mahler and Tchaikovsky. You honestly prefer listening to this over Mahler's Das Lied von de Erde? As experimental this music is, it fails to leave any impression other than warbling of random sounds. I prefer to think of John Cage as an important philosopher than a worthwhile composer.

[BulbousAlsoTapered]

I remember reading an interview where Cage said that musicians describe him as a philosopher, while philosophers call him a musician.

Different people have different tastes - personally I never enjoyed Mahler or Tchaikovsky, but I don't seek out videos of their music to tell everyone that. I prefer the version of this on Hat Art CD 6179, using Anthony Braxton recordings. Regardless of personal taste, Imaginary Landscape No. 5 is a historically important example of early tape composition.

[LackingLack0]

normally i come down heavily in favor of the avant garde people and against the reactionaries, but your post i can sort of consent to. i think you are being reasonable and even handed in this comment unlike most critics

[apendicita]

The pleasure of listening part of John Cage's music, like this piece, consists mostly of the great excitement and emotion that you don't know what's coming next; also, all the songs reunited in the piece here for example have their own set of memories and therefore feelings, in our minds, or, even better, souls. Even the rather lifeless sounds can trigger emotions in us.

[joseaglz]

well, i dont like it, because its suposed that music makes you feel good, complete;

but this dont create any emotion.

i dont want to look like a conservator

but please, we all know who is mozart, bach

chopin, bizet, schoenberg... because their

music has quality, and im sure that nobody is

going to play or listen to this music, nobody is going to know who is john cage in 50 years.

the musician in the videos is good, but he should think better what he plays

[datimpster]

John Cage was definitely an innovator and contributed to the changing of music history during the 20th century. Be sure to read the program notes to the right, to better understand Cage's intention of what the piece is and why it was so innovative for 1952. Thanks for watching!

[Savagecuntfart]

Like watching flys fuck.

[nippelfreak]

i was expecting you making some "ping ping ping pong" on the "giant xylophone"^^

[Sarahew88]

Ok, as the "Artist" says, make all judgements only to him that way the public wont see your opinion. Hide all opinions in his email box and not on the open forum. I am sure you are very intelligent and artisitc, but because some do not appreciate it, does not mean they are obtuse. Dont be so thin skinned. Accept criticism for what it is. Crying about it only shows your age. I have a kid that mows my lawn, I bet you can videotape him chewing bubble gum to the Star Wars soundtrack.

[alaksandra]

Where is the public?

[anabellik]

Ran away, probably :P

(just kidding!)

[sumbag22]

This was excellent in my opinion, it even made a tear in my eye. Such raw honesty is hard to come by these days.

[palfguy]

what in the hell is this? you twirl a baton to some music? i'm trippin balls!

[LazyTranslator]

This is a nice treatment of the work! I think cage would totally appreciate your bringing this to modern times with the music choice and software. I undertsnd the need for visuals, but the twirler was awkward.

For Chrisman737:You obviously know very little about Cage's music or modern art in general. It sounds to me as though you reject anything that challenges your tainted intuition. Maybe try musing on art's progress through the ages. Perhaps that will speak to your overly pragmatic mind.

[chrisman737]

A good example of the oppression of modern art. Emphasis is on an obtuse expression based on an overly intellectualized musical theory. This frees the performer to present anything (or nothing, as in the case of another Cage "work"). People who disagree are immediately dismissed as being "ignorant," thus isolating the performance even more from the audience. Sorry, but this is not good art. And that is not an ignorant statement.

[datimpster]

Hello all!

First off, thank you SO much for watching my recital videos and giving comments. I really appreciate the unexpected exposer.

A note about comments. I would really appreciate it if you limit your comments to something constructive and/or intelligent. If you don't understand something, you can simply email me (and I'd be more than happy to respond) or do a little research on your own. I've even provided program notes. The ignorant comments just make you look foolish. Thank you!

[sliversophie]

It's not a FAKE???

[FreeSteeze14]

it is so boring in the begging

but u picked it up and i needed that laugh

[curleysloth]

I loved it. I like the Vertigo soundtrack in there a lot! I don't know what's wrong with people -- unable to follow or imagine a musical narrative if it isn't yankee mother-f...in doodle. Beautiful work.

[Triangleshower]

its bullcrap like this that makes people prejudiced against good avant-gardism.

[Matteded]

hahaha I needed a good laugh

[banginbeckuhhh]

what?

[Sarahew88]

An extraordinary amount of time mashing music together and a little bit of time chatting up a twirler. Art doesnt have to have a point, but come on. I can just imagine the family and friends that were tormented into having to endure this then slap him on the back afterwards. I love art, and not trashing this, just expressing I dont get it.

[cybeavertoo]

Start looking at it from the performer's point of view, instead of being a sitting duck for what they come up with.

Activating the audience is part of a lot of Cage's work.

The performer mayb has a swell time, really enjoying it, all contexts of it he could get a hold on. As a listener u should do the same.

When u walk through a normal landscape do u try to 'get it'? Ofcourse not. Those are the ways of art. You like it, you dislike it. The only absolutes r in the realm of the performer.

[rax134]

You mention you didn't actually realize Cages score as he composed it but instead "chose" your material & avoided indeterminancy. Still, this is nice work on your part.

[datimpster]

Most of clips I chose were completely random - sometimes starting at the beginning of the track, and sometimes in the middle. There were only a few that I chose a specific clip. I didn't feel like this was necessarily a bad thing, as Cage's score doesn't indicate against this. Where the clips ended up in the score was completely random. I think I still realized it as he composed and I followed the directions in his score.

Thanks for your comment and for watching!

[Stoned1000]

I'm glad I'm Stoned....

[croesus1987]

wish i was.. wtf was that.

[mmcau]

i don't understand this...

[demoskinos200]

WOW incredibile !!!!!!!!!