"As Long As It Can Be" - longest piece in the world

[tompilk]

How slow is „As slow as possible“?
The pace indication „as slow as possible” for the organ piece „Organ 2/ASLSP” by John Cage poses this question. John Cage, born in 1912 in Los Angeles and died in 1992 in New York, was a student of Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg. After Schoenberg, there are only a few composers in the history of the modern music with a similar meaning, not only in the development of the new understanding in music but also beyond the border of the acutal music producing. John Cage was a philosopher, a painter and a man of letters. Behind all of his work one can feel the need to „create awareness” for music, for behavior pattern and for our own ability to think. In 1985 ASLSP was created as a version for the piano but in 1987 John Cage changed it for the organ at the suggestion of the organist Gerd Zacher. 10 years after that, in 1997, on a symposium for organs in Trossingen, the question how one can understand „as slow as possible” and how one should perform the piece came up. Organists, musicologists, organbuilding workers, theologians and philosophers talk about the technical, the aesthetic and the philosophical aspects that can meet the title and the piece. The question of how to realise the opus leads to the conclusion that „as slow as possible” can be thought and played indefinetly – at least as long as the life of an organ is and also as long as peace and creativity in the following generations exists. From that question a project was developed over the time that caused a sensation worldwide. But why Halberstadt? In 1361 the famous Blockwerk organ was constructed. This organ stood in the cathedral of Halberstadt and was the first one with a claviature of 12 notes. Even this very day the scheme of this claviature is used on our keyboard instruments. So one can say that the cradle of modern music was in Halberstadt. In the year 2000, 639 years have passed after the „fatal day of Halberstadt” (Harry Partch) the play of Cage „as slow as possible” will be performed for 639 years. The place will be St. Burchardi one of the oldest churches of the city. Built around 1050 by Burchard of Nahburg, this church functioned as Cistercian convent for more than 600 years. In the 30 years lasting war, St. Burchardi was partially destroyed but rebuild in 1711 and secularized by Jérome in 1810. For 190 years the church was used as a barn, a hovel, a distillery and a sty.
St. Buchardi was rediscovered by Johann-Peter Hinz for this extraordinary project that can rouse the fascination of many people in the world. With the assistence of the city of Halberstadt and the help of private persons St. Burchardi is cleaned, to save it from the rain it got a new roof, new windows were installed and the church as a whole was protected in its substance so that a pair of bellows in accord with the first faber organ could be build. Today we can listen to the first triad out of six organ whistles in one small organ that grows during the performance: „as slow as possible”. In view of our fast moving age this plan is a way of trying to slowdown, the „discovery of slowness” and the planting of an „musical apple tree” can be understood as a symbol of confidence in the future. St. Burchardi can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m..

The Cage-organ is designed and built by the organbuilder Romanus F. Seifert & Son with the assistance of Reinhard Hüfken-Orgelbau from Halberstadt

Check out this website... https://www.john-cage.halberstadt.de/new/index.php?l=e

It's the longest piece in the world and is going to last 300 and odd years... also the note changes every 5 years or so and you can buy a plaque for 1000 euros to signify the change of the note...
What do you guys think of this?
Tom

[I Love Xenakis]

As much as I like avant-garde, and as much as I like and respect John Cage, I find this piece idiotic.

[leahcim]

It's the longest piece in the world and is going to last 300 and odd years... also the note changes every 5 years or so and you can buy a plaque for 1000 euros to signify the change of the note...
What do you guys think of this?[/b]

It sounds like a great piece to add to anyone's repertoire.

I shall practise it slowly HS until I can get it up to tempo.

[stormx]

Has John Cage written any piece of real music, or are all his works "circus acts" like this one (or 4:33)?   

[tompilk]

there are some "normal" pieces i believe... although i have not yet heard one... heres the guestbook i signed on the website...

[Etude]

Try "In a Landscape".  It's closest to normal as Cage will get.  And It's very beautiful, though repetitive.

[I Love Xenakis]

Try:

Four Walls
Three Pieces for Percussion
any of his early minimalist pieces
Etudes Australes
Pieces for Piano

[pikko]

John Cage Year Lublin 2012

Lublin, Poland

01.01.2012 - 31.12.2012

John Cage Year Lublin 2012

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[j_menz]

It's the longest piece in the world and is going to last 300 and odd years... also the note changes every 5 years or so and you can buy a plaque for 1000 euros to signify the change of the note...
What do you guys think of this?

So if I listen to it, I won't have time to listen to anything else, ever, and I'll be dead long before it finishes???

Frankly, I'll pass.

I'll be passing on the plaques too.

[emill]

  Oh well just to complete this out of this world project is this brief description.

The performance began on 5 September 2001 with 17 months of silence (the piece begins with a rest) and the first sound to be heard was an E major chord on 5 February 2003. The performance time will, as stated above, be some 639 years, meaning that the piece will end, assuming that it's not terminated or interrupted by some unforeseen event, some time in the year 2640.

In music ... how does one appreciate a 17-month rest?

Maybe next time John Cage will start with a one century rest!! 

[mussorgsky]

This is very STUPID!!! John Cage is an IDIOT!!!

[pianoplayjl]

John Cage is the biggest joke of classical music. Can't even compose. Why whould he do such a stupid thing?