Silence
by John Cage · first published 1961
80% recommend20% neutral
Silence, A Year from Monday, M, Empty Words and X (in this order) form the five parts of a series of books in which Cage tries, as he says, "to find a way of writing which comes from ideas, is not about them, but which produces them." Often these writings include mesostics and essays created by subjecting the work of other writers to chance procedures using the I Ching (what Cage called "writing through").
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…also touches on similar themes, is "Composers as Gardeners".[1] In the "Generative Music" essay, Eno mentions being influence John Cage. For a closer look at his thought, I highly recommend his book "Silence".[2] [1] - https://www.edge.org/conversation/brian_eno-composers-as-gar... [2] - https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Lectures-Writings-50th-Annive...
on “Generative Music – Brian Eno (1996)” ↗His book "Silence" is also really worth reading to understand his philosophy. https://www.amazon.com/Silence-John-Cage/dp/0714510432/ref=s...
on “Notations: John Cage Publishes a Book of Graphic Musical Scores (1969)” ↗Silence, John Cage Man Against Myth, Barrows Dunham The Elements Of Style, Strunk & White (4th ed.) Telling Writing, Macrorie The Zen Teaching Of Huang Po The Pocket Pema Chödrön Why I Write, George Orwell…
on “Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?” ↗…Anatole - Kafka Was The Rage Bulgakov, Mikhail - Master And Margarita, The Bulwer-Lytton, Edward - Zanoni Burgess, Anthony - A Clockwork Orange Burgess, Anthony - Earthly Powers Cage, John - Silence: Lectures And Writing Camus, Albert - Stranger, The Capote, Truman - In Cold Blood Carter, Angela - Nights At The Circus Chabon, Michael - Wonder Boys Chatwin, Bruce - Songlines, The Cohn, Nik - Awopbopaloobop…
on “David Bowie’s Top 100 Books (2013)” ↗"Silence" by John Cage. Before it, I thought of Zen as an abstraction; after reading it, I saw how it could be (and ought to be) a way of life.
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗True, "Silence" is actually a book: http://www.amazon.com/Silence-Lectures-Writings-Anniversary-...
on “Vi Hart on Stravinsky's Atonal Compositions [video]” ↗This reminds me of a story from John Cage’s “Silence”[1] Sometime in the 60s or 70s Krishnamurti came to the US and gave some lectures. Cage was at one of these. Krishnamurti started the lecture saying something along the lines of “Please don’t take notes.…
on “I just finished reading a book and took lots of notes. Now what?” ↗