“Something like a hidden glimmering”: John Cage and recorded sound

Abstract

This essay considers a number of vvorks by John Cage (1912–1992) that have in common the use of recorded sounds: Score (40 drawings by Thoreau) and 23 parts: 22 haiku, Inlets, Williams mix, Fontana mix, Etcetera, Etcetera 2/4 Orchestras, Song books, and Roaratorio. The view point taken is a spiritual one: that recording technology is used in these works as a means of effecting an identification of our souls with the spirits inherent in nature and the world around us. Critical discussion of the works in question take this as a starting point and develop the theme of spirituality in Cage's use of recorded sound.

Keywords:

• John Cage
• tape recording
• tape music
• spirituality