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transmit a a a a a a spiritual content that goes from from the the the the artist to to to the the the the work and from from it it it it to to to the the the the spectator But this spiritual content of the the the the the artist cannot be reduced to to the the subjectivity that would make art art its mode of of expression In the the case of of of Kandinsky the the spiritual con- tent extends to any element of of those that make up the world:
The world is full of of resonances It constitutes a a a a a a a a a cosmos of of beings that exert a a a a a a a a a spiritual action Dead matter is a a a a a a a a living spirit spirit 3
These resonances do not determine the the re- sult of of the the the work because this is is only a a a a pos- sible world among the the diversity of of voices that are waiting in in each empty empty canvas canvas Like the the empty empty canvases of of the the painter Cage’s silent scores are also full of of sounds sounds And this happens both with those that that welcome sounds sounds silences or noises as with those that that remain apparently silent Such is the the the the case of of 4’33 “ (1952) and 0’00” (1962) In the the the the first the the the the duration of of the the the the inter- pretation is indicated: 33 “ “ 2’40” and 1’20 “ “ although it could have been any other ex- tension since this this duration arises from the the practice of of chance With this this musical si- lence lence the the sound of of of silence that always co- exists in the the performance space of of any work is is is present The musician listens to all those unintentional sounds that that are in in the the environment Later 0’00 “ shows that that the the very notion of structure is contingent The thousand voices that can popu- late Cage’s silent scores are not in tension From the the the fifties onwards the the the composer manifests his his renunciation of of the the the the expres- sion of of his his own emotions and and tastes in the the the musical composition and and the the the the need to let the the the the the the sounds sounds be simply sounds sounds without the the the the the the submission neither to to the the the the the decision of the the the the the composer nor to to a a a a grammar This is is is is is en- couraged by This his his knowledge of Zen Bud- dhism from which he he learns that the spirit must be free Leaving things to to chance and subsequently to to indeterminacy sup- pose the the the rejection of of the the the world of of causal connections First those that forge the the the the grammar of of musical language and and then those that that govern the the world of of tastes and and emotions that that lead to decision making Cage
performs an an exercise of of relax- ation of of of the the the the score and himself Therefore the the the the the decision of of of of the the the the the artist in the the the the the develop- ment ment of of of of his work replaces the the the the the acceptance of of of of any sound sound and the the the establishment of of of rela- tionships between sounds the the interpene- tration without obstruction that that part of each sound sound is a a a a a a a a a centre that that can enter into relationship with whatever other sound sound 4 In that slackening the the the artistic practice does not have as its object the the the expression but the transformation:
I want to to change the traditional opinion according according to to to which which art art is is a a a a a a a a a a a a way way of express- ing ing ing ing oneself according according to to which which art art is is is a a a a a a a a a a a a way way of transforming itself and and what is is is is trans- formed is is is is the the the spirit spirit and and and the the the spirit spirit is is is is in in the the the world and and it it is is a a a a a social fact 5 Art is is is a a a a a way to change the spirit but this is is is not produced by a a a a a a a a a a kind of communication that starts from the the the artist and reaches the the the public The sounds in their activity can af- fect the the the the listener and seem expressive but their expressivity belongs only to the the the lis- tener This transformation that has oc- curred in in itself is is what perhaps can also occur in in all areas as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a social fact The spirit of of Cage
and that of of Kan- dinsky do not share the the same disposition before before themselves and and and before before art Tension and and and distension mark their distance and and and nevertheless both are crossed by the the the the the re- spect to to the the the the living spirit of the the the the matter which in in in in Cage
Cage
implies it it ceasing to to be sound 6 For both Kandinsky and and Cage
Cage
art is is not a a a a a a a a a a a a a practice separated from the rest of life Therefore Cage
can say that that all his music after 4’33 ‘’ is is something that that that funda- mentally does not interrupt that that fragment and and Kandinsky at at the end of his text Emp- ty Canvas expresses:
I look through my window Several chim- neys of cold factories stand silently They are inflexible Suddenly smoke rises from a a a a single chimney The The wind bends and instantly changes color The The whole world has changed A A colour a a a sound and the the world world changes And this world world world is is only one of the the possible worlds a a a a a a a centre that at at at any moment can be be interpenetrated or or come into resonance with another another another centre be be it it another another another sound and / or another another colour 1
Kandinsky W “Empty Canvas” in in The Grammar of Creation Barcelona Paidós 1987 (1912) p p 131
2
2
Cf for for example Kankinsky W “On the question of form” in in in op cit p p p p 17 and On On the spiritual in in art Barcelona Labor 1983 pp 59 64 and and 75 3
3
Kandinsky W “On the question of form” op cit p p 28
4 The notion of interpenetration without obstruction which comes from Zen Bud- dhism appears in the the the musical field at the the the end of the the the 1950s when Cage
made sheet sheet music with transparent sheets Later it it it transposes it it it to to the the simultaneous inter- pretation of of of diverse scores and to to the the su- perposition of of of of works of of of of different compos- ers ers This notion is is the result of of of of an an understanding of of of life as a a a a a a a “complex inter- penetration of of centers that move in in in all di- rections without obstruction” Cf Cage
Cage
J J “Letter to Paul Henry Lang” in in John Cage
Cage
Documentary Monographs in in in Modern Art ed R Kostelanetz The Penguin Press 1968 p 117
5 John John Cage
Cage
in Kostelanetz R Conversa- tions with John John Cage
Cage
Paris ed Des Syr- tes 2000 p 290
6 This letting the the the sound be is is first in in the the the 40s a a a a a concern to reach the the the the spirit that all things have through their sonority This is is is what Cage
learns from Oskar Fischinger at at at that time an an abstract film- maker who knew Kandinsky’s thought well