I performed 4'33" many years ago for my music history class at university. Even though everyone in the room knew what I was doing and why, they couldn't keep from making comments throughout. That was Cage's intention, wasn't it, to get a reaction from the audience, and even to redefine the meaning of audience? I think that Cage happened along at a time when the boundaries of musical composition and listening were being pushed and pulled and challenged to the limit, and it is only understandable that someone would want to push the musical aspects of silence and time.

I heard Cage lecture at our university, too. A lot of the students were thrilled, but I was bored and unmoved. Perhaps it had something to do with his slide show of mushrooms.

~b.w.