John Cage

John Cage (1912–1992) was an American composer and thinker whose work reshaped the boundaries of modern music. Trained under Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, he developed a radical approach to sound, exploring indeterminacy, silence, and the role of chance in composition. Drawing inspiration from Zen Buddhism and the I Ching, Cage redefined music as a process of attentive listening rather than structured expression. His works span solo piano, percussion, and electronic media, including the Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano and the silent piece 4′33″. A major figure of the postwar avant-garde, he influenced generations of composers, performers, and choreographers through his collaborations with Merce Cunningham and his pursuit of music as an exploration of presence and perception.