The Sound of Silence Discussion Essays - 1237 Words

Dictionary.com defines silence, as being an absence of a sound or noise, but for John Cage this could not be farther from the truth. Most people would agree with the dictionary definition that no noise is silence but Cage believed that silence is sound. Cage was not only a great composer but is known for his odd perspective and philosophy on silence and sound. His unique outlook differs from many composers, he believed to let â€Å"sounds be themselves† and to not manipulate them (â€Å"John Cage- Music, Sound and Silence). As stated in the YouTube video of John Cage about silence he believes that music is one of those things that don’t mean anything and that we should let things be as they are. This theory differs from many composers, who wish to†¦show more content†¦Cage refuted these movements rather than following them, he had his own ideas and thoughts. Cage was influenced by others as well as certain philosophies and ways of thinking. Zen Buddhism was a big influence in Cage’s career. This influenced Cage’s thoughts on music and how it should be used to change the mind and soul. Cage wanted to â€Å"evoke stillness† in his life as well as show others how to do so (Prichett). He learned also from D.T. Suzuki, a known teacher of Zen Buddhism. Through this philosophy and the teachings of Suzuki, Cage brought about a true understanding of music where the listener creates their own illustration. Cage used Zen Buddhism to further understand music and how it works independently. Another of Cage’s influences is Merce Cunningham, who later became his life long partner. They met while Cage was working as a dance accompanist at UCLA in 1937. They were not only partners but also worked together. During this time the two experimented with different ideas involving percussion and dancers. He began to write music for percussion ensembles, which then resulted in using dancers as musicians (pritchet). They brought lif e to inanimate objects or object known to be â€Å"unmusical†. Cage illustrated through this that music comes from anything and everywhere. He illustrated that he was able to use people in music and make movement into sound. Cage saw music and sound in an unusual way, differentShow MoreRelatedMusic Is The Sounds And Lack Of Sounds Of A Musical Work1384 Words   |  6 Pagesthe sounds and lack of sounds of a musical work are organized. Throughout the past years, many professors of ethnomusicology and music in general have attempted to define exactly what music is. Although there was and is a lot of discussion on the matter, most researchers began with the notion that music is essentially organized sound. However, there are cases where sounds are organized but humans do not consider them as music. Some of these instances include speech, poetry, and natural sounds. DueRead MoreNoise Is The Unwanted Sound1231 Words   |  5 Pagesunwanted sound. With the development all aroun d the sources of unwanted sound are increasing day by day by knowingly or unknowingly. Hence the noise monitoring at two silence and two commercial zones in the Visakhapatnam city was carried out. The locations for Silence zone were ‘Sri Shanthi Ashram’ and ‘Biodiversity Park’ and for Commercial zones were ‘Purna Market’ and ‘Dabagarden’. The results show that the equivalent noise levels are higher in the both commercial zones than the both silence zonesRead MoreEssay on Spiral of Silence1738 Words   |  7 PagesPublic communication is very important when in a discussion with coworkers and such. The one weakness that some people run into is silence. The spiral of silence theory by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann explains why certain people fall under the pressure and seclude to silence. Silence may not always be a bad thing, but according to a study by Lucy J. MacGregor, the fact is that silence during a speech or conversation is absol utely bad. With this, silence while talking to a large group negatively affectsRead MoreA Short Story1418 Words   |  6 PagesVisibility down to a short distance, nothing else. This was not going to be easy, he thought. But he kept at it. Looking up after every few steps in the hope of seeing something. He had travelled quite some distance by now. At one point he heard the sound of someone approaching. He was surprised by how fast he fell flat on the ground. If he did not move, he would not be seen. He looked up to see two Enforcers moving past in conversation. He could not make out what they were saying but it did make himRead MoreThinking Is Dependent on Language720 Words   |  3 Pagesthe homes of subjects and the transcriptionists were asked to record every sound or space of silence exactly as the patient had stated by sound or silence (Low, 2006). Low followed these instructions by asking the participants to review the transcribed notes for accuracy which also gave subjects validation in that what the subject said and felt was important to the study (Low, 2006). Low found that to facilitate discussion between she and the subjects, she needed to develop what we might call aRead MoreCommunication As A Globalized Environment921 Words   |  4 Pagesone of humanity’s greatest tools â€Å"for understanding, cooperation and action† but it also can leave people confused and frustrated (Carmen Mircea, 2009). The Merriam Webster dictionary defines communication as â€Å"the act or process of using words, sounds, signs or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express ideas, thoughts feelings, etc., to someone else†. Effective communication in an international or multi-national setting is much more difficult than when communication occurs inRead MoreNarrative Essay - Original Writing1658 Words   |  7 PagesAbruptly and unexplainably, I was suddenly awoken from an exhaustive sleep. But, I don’t know how I was awoken. There was not a touch or sound. Just silence in the middle of the night. But, there I was; as awake and coherent as you are as you read this. I snapped up in bed, to a sitting position. There was an unexpected illuminating glow in the room. Everything was visible; the bed stand with the pink rose covered lamp. The tan overstuffed chair next to the bed with my blue flannel robe draped overRead MoreWhat Is A Innovant Strategy806 Words   |  4 PagesIn this discussion, a shared professional experience that ties into what is known as a dominant strategy (Thomas Maurice, 2010). In July 2016, I took part in a meeting concerning three firms, one firm was from Kentucky called Green Energy Plus, wholesale supply firm (Green Energy Plus, 2016). The second firm is called Natures Comfort an outdoor boiler company (2017) in which they had an innovated idea to modernize hotel room for a company called Choice Hotels (Choice Hotels, 2017). AlthoughRead More Goup Decision Making Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesMany groups start out with--or quickly set up--a power structure that makes it clear that the chairman (or someone else in authority) will make the ultimate decision. The group can generate ideas and hold free discussion, but at any time the chairman may say that, having heard the discussion, he or she has decided upon a given plan. Whether this method is effective depends a great deal upon whether the chairman is a sufficiently good listener to have culled the right information on which to make theRead MoreThe School That I Would Give Temple University Essay1565 Words   |  7 Pagesmeant a lot of my classes were voice and sound related. I can’t begin to describe the weird sounds and phrases we had to produce with our mouths. Learning this way really helped because learning where my alveolar ridge is and how a specific sound, for example an alveolar tap, feels and sounds helped my understanding of my anatomy and the sound itself. This way of learning is by far much easier to comprehend than an anatomical explanation. For my Science of Sound class I even had to do a demonstration