6th Chord of Cage Composition

Posted by Sarah Canice Funke Jul 7, 2008

John Cage, known for his experimental compositions that often use instruments in unusual ways or challenge our ideas of what counts as music, gave no instructions regarding just how long "as long as possible" really was when he composed a work by that title in 1985.

The first performance didn't take his title very seriously, executing the work in a mere 29 minutes. The town of Halberstadt, however, has determined to make Cage's music last. The town has decided that modern life is too fast-paced and audiences don't have patience anymore. Everyone wants to get to the end immediately, or at least within their own lifetime, it seems.

Yet harking back to an era when it used to take centuries to build a cathedral rather than months, Halberstadt will take 639 years to perform the Cage's work. Audiences will have to be content knowing that they won't live to hear the end, instead setting up something that will be enjoyed by their descendants.

The piece began in Sept. 2001 and sat silently till the first chord was played in February 2003. Two more notes were played in July 2004. Another change came in July 2005 and another in January 2006.

This new note was played on Saturday, July 5 when Halberstadt officials moved the weights holding down the pedals of an organ in the town's medieval church.

For more information, please read the CBC News article.