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Worthwhile Cause Dear Editor: Even though I am opposed to institutions and to government, I belong to the American Music Center and I pay my taxes, though Henry David Thoreau, whose work I otherwise follow, didn't. I mean he didn't pay his taxes and was put in jail because of that. "What are you doing in there?" Emerson asked him. His reply: "What are you doing out there?" My reply is that I'm out here because, among other things, I'm writing music and I have less time now than I used to have. When I was asked by Joan La Barbara to help the American Music Center in their membership drive, I automatically said I would. I love her singing, her music, her way of living and working in the world, the society. Since I am about to be 80, I have many commissions, and the Center sent me a draft of the letter I should sign to save me time, but I couldn't sign it. This letter takes its place. I am, like your readers, living in a complex time. My life is one inconsistency after another. I do some things to save my skin, others because they give me pleasure. Still others because they seem right or good. I write music when I am not doing any such things. That is why I use chance operations. I am at the point of not thinking and not feeling. All I write is sounds. But now I am not writing music. I am writing what I told Joan I would write, asking your readers to join the American Music Center for no reason at al. If you need a reason, call up the Center in New York at (212) 366-5260. They'll give you one. John Cage, Honorary Board Member, American Music Center 30 West 26th St., Suite 1001 New York, N.Y. 10010-2011 Editor's Note: Regrettably, Mr. Cage passed away on August 12, just one month short of his 80th birthday. Grand Opening Dear Editor: Your great magazine's August article on varying abilities to judge fidelity compelled me to write about something very exciting in the acoustical world. In Palm Beach, Florida this November, the all-new Kravis Center for the Performing Arts will be opening with a 2,200-seat auditorium. What makes this hall special is that Russell Johnson did the acoustical work. His major works have become renowned worldwide for their high quality, and this new hall goes even further. The Kravis Center promises to be a major breakthrough in the live listening experience, one that will lead the way into the 21st century. The reason I send this idea to you is that this is not an ordinary opening. This is a truly revolutionary hall in many ways and promises to make waves throughout the music world! -Michael Kirkbride; New York, N.Y. (adapted from Audio magazine, 11/1992) = = = = |
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