Scholarly discussion of the music of John Cage.

["hans w. koch" <>]

dear all,

i might overlook something glaringly obvious, but anyway, i have a question:

in hs text “experimental music: doctrine”, cage writes:
Relevant action is theatrical (music [imaginary separation of hearing from 
the other senses] does not exist), inclusive and intentionally purposeless. 
Theatre is continually becoming that it is becoming; each human being is at 
the best point for reception. Relevant response (getting up in the morning 
and discovering oneself musician) (action, art) can be made with any number 
(including none (none and number, like silence and music, are unreal]) of 
sounds. The automatic minimum (see above) is two.

now: what does that "The automatic minimum (see above) is two.” refer to?
in the paragraphs above the one quoted, cages seems to dismiss all 
dichotomies, notably the one between sound and silence.
and yet here he seems getting back to that?
or does “automatic” here reference a kind of reflex?

thanks for your help and insights

hans


"Now I a fourfold vision see And a fourfold vision is given to me Tis 
fourfold in my supreme delight And three fold in soft Beulahs night And 
twofold Always. May God us keep From Single vision & Newtons sleep."

— Blake, Letter to Thomas Butt, 22 November 1802. Quoted in Geoffrey Keynes 
(ed.), The Letters of William Blake(1956)