From the September 2012 magazine: “Where the Heart Beats”

In our September magazine, Andrea Miller reviews (along with several other great new books) Kay Larson's new biography of the late avant-garde composer John Cage, Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhist, and the Inner Life of Artists.

John Cage was a largely overlooked musician who had been working with found sound, noise, and alternative instruments for years. Then in August, 1952, Cage's composition 4'33″ was performed at the Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock. For four minutes and thirty-three seconds there was no intentional sound, yet there wasn't silence. While the pianist didn't play, the audience could listen to the environment sounds of the hall. This was revolutionary in the music world and caused an uproar. One newspaper said that a stunt like this was an "insipid fungus growth" that could "eat into the common sense of our people." Regardless, 4'33″ catapulted Cage into the epicenter of the avant-garde and he came to influence and inspire a wide range of luminaries, including Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Merce Cunningham, and Jasper Johns. Where the Heart Beats is the first biography to deeply explore the role of Zen in John Cage's life and work.

You can read the rest of our "September Books in Brief" here. Also, the Fall 2012 Buddhadharma magazine includes a lengthy excerpt from Larson's book exploring 4'33," from its Zen-inspired lessons to its infamous first performance to its enduring legacy; read a selection from it here. And to get an idea of what a performance of 4'33″ is like, watch this video of pianist David Tudor performing it.

Read More @ Source



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From the May 2012 magazine: Sister Chan Khong’s path of peace

Image
Photo: Florence Delahaye Sister Chan Khong is best known as Thich Nhat Hanh's closest collaborator, but she's also a dedicated activist and gifted teacher in her own right. Andrea Miller profiled her in the May 2012 Shambhala Sun magazine, and the entire piece is now online here .  "People think that engaged Buddhism is only social work, only stopping the war," Chan Khong says. "But, in fact, at the same time you stop the war outside, you have to stop the war inside yourself." Over her lifetime, Sister Chan Khong has learned the importance of not making peace, but rather being peace, being understanding, being love—and to embody this way of being twenty four hours a day. The key, she tells the Shambhala Sun, is to practice mindfulness. "When your body and mind are not one, you do not see deeply," she says. Read the rest of "Path of Peace: The Life and Teachings of Sister Chan Khong" here . And browse our entire May 2012 issue o...
Keep reading

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Concludes Teachings to Taiwanese Devotees

Image
Homepage » News » His Holiness the Dalai Lama Concludes Teachings to Taiwanese Devotees » October 5th 2012 Dharamsala, India, 4 October 2012 (Samuel Ivor, The Tibet Post International) - Concluding His teachings on Atisha's "Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" given at the request Taiwanese disciples, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet culminated the fourth day (October 4th 2012) with a series of vows, blessings and future guidance to the gathering of devotees. The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, by Atisha Dipam karashrijnana (982-1054), was further examined and translated by one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time. Drawing upon the central and final verses of the text, His Holiness cross-examined and explained key points during the teaching, which was held in the main temple in Dharamshala, India. During the teaching, the Dalai Lama re-iterated that the cultivation of Bodhisattva (enlightened existence) should be done gradually, over ti...
Keep reading

Gender discrimination in religious practice

Image
By Samten Yeshi and Gyalsten K Dorji, Kuensel Online, May 21, 2012 Timphu, Bhutan -- Gender inequality took over to blend with spirituality in the second session of the Mountain Echoes festival, which began yesterday at the Tarayana Centre in Thimphu. << Writing the spirit: Swati Chopra, Kunzang Choden and Dr Tashi Zangmo Three women speakers constantly argued and discussed that women have equal spirit to attain the level of spirituality as men, while they referred to religious traditions that underestimated the spirits of women. The conversation revolved around Buddhist traditions where, at one point, Swati Chopra, who writes on spirituality and its relevance to modern lives, explained the Madhyamika ideology and the middle path teaching, associated with change and impermanence. According to her, the irrational system that became a tradition blocks change, where women are deprived from certain spiritual teachings, even in Buddhist. "Change has...
Keep reading