A History of Experimental Music

To begin, this genre of music has to be defined and given context. Experimental music
first began gaining recognition and becoming a distinguished art form in the mid-20th century.
Works that are considered experimental are often grouped with the avant-garde movement
avant-garde music on a basis is separated from experimental music solely by the judgments of an
individual; it can be thought of as music which is on the forefront of innovation in its use of
technique or sound, which shows no clear independence between it and the experimental genre.
However, avant-garde is generally regarded as more technically composed, with its direction
conceived at the start. Experimental musics seeks to define a genre that is the antithesis of the
classical work and compositions that came before it. As often seen in this genre, music is created
in new and methodic ways. One of these processes can best be summarized by John Cage, who is
considered one of the most, if not the most notable influencer and leader of the genre:
Objections are sometimes made by composers to the use of the term experimental as descriptive of
their works, for it is claimed that any experiments that are made precede the steps that are finally
taken with determination, and that this determination is knowing, having, in fact, a particular, if
unconventional, ordering of the elements used in view. These objections are clearly justifiable, but
only where, as among contemporary evidences in serial music, it remains a question of making a
thing upon the boundaries, structure, and expression of which attention is focused. Where, on the
other hand, attention moves towards the observation and audition of many things at once,
including those that are environmentalbecomes, that is, inclusive rather than exclusiveno
question of making, in the sense of forming understandable structures, can arise (one is tourist),
and here the word experimental is apt, providing it is understood not as descriptive of an act to
be later judged in terms of success and failure, but simply as of an act the outcome of which is
unknown. What has been determined? (Cage, Experimental Music: Doctrine)

The uncertainty of the result that the artist is creating is the purpose behind one form of
experimental music; the most important aspect of experimental music is not the product, but the
process that led the artist to create that music, often redefining musics conventional definition
altogether. Chance events are what Cage considers to be one essential part of creating music that
is experimentalthe uncertainty of what the results will be, and the certainty that the same piece
preformed more than once will not sound the same. Its these processes and ideas involving
uncertainty that other pioneers in the field have used to produce their own experimental music,
such as Steve Reich and Phillip Glass. Besides chance, there are other techniques that are used
often in experimental music, distinguishing it from other genres. These techniques include
extended technique, which describes using instruments and vocals in an untraditional way to
obtain abstract or distorted sounds; prepared instruments, which involves modifying the actual
instrument in a way that affects its sound when it is played; using found sounds, which involves
incorporating sounds not recorded from a traditional musical instrument, such as the sound of
rain or city traffic. All of these individual pieces and more make up this genre of music, yet each
passing day there are new compositions that manipulate sound in inventive ways, leading to a
changing path for the genre. Since its inception, its been developing with culture and
technology, adapting; the changing future for experimental music promises new possibilities and
additions to the genre, while reflecting where its once been, starting with the 1950s.
Although the 1950s were the golden era for the mainstream discovery of experimental
music, some of the techniques employed were conceived earlier in history. An important aspect
of experimental music that was introduced during the early 1900s is called extended technique.
The extension consists of playing or using instruments in a way that they were not necessarily
intended to be used. Some of the first implementations of these techniques were seen with the

piano; musician Henry Cowell was one of the first notable composers to be seen experimenting
with new ways of using the piano. In his piece The Banshee, he strummed, scratched, and
plucked the strings inside of the piano, using it in a way that it was not intended for (Burtner).
Along with Henry Cowell, there were others who were seen as precedents to the
experimental music genre as well as influencers of John Cage, such as Charles Ives and Carl
Ruggles. Their work pushed boundaries, which is why its important to note their achievements
and the effect it had on the artists that came after them. John Cage was one of those artists; his
work marked a clear beginning for the genre of experimental music. During the early parts of his
life he struggled with finding a calling, exploring Europe while studying architecture and taking
up painting before coming back to America to study music. During the 1930s he was mentored
by Arnold Schoenberg, an influential teacher of music composition. After his separation with
Schoenberg, he went through a time where he explored new and atypical ways of composing
music and spent some time at the Cornish School in Seattle. One of those methods was what he
called micro-macrocosmic rhythmic structure (Cage, An Autobiographical Statement). He
described it as when the large parts of a composition had the same proportion as the phrases of a
single unit. It was also during his time at the Cornish School where he thought of the prepared
piano.
The prepared piano was first invented by John Cage during the 1930s. He had long said
that he was inspired by the work of Henry Cowell and his work with extended techniques. The
prepared piano is a piano that has had its sound altered by placing objects between or on the
strings (Prepared piano). Cage put nuts, bolts, and rubber on his strings, to create dulled sounds,
vibrations, and changes in timber when he played. Other musicians who use the prepared piano
have used other objects such as clothespins and necklaces; every time a musician uses the

prepared piano or another prepared instrument, they have the capability to create different sounds
even when plying the same song which is what makes it such a unique instrument for
experimenting with compositions.
Cage continued to find ways to create music in abstract ways, and in the mid 20th century,
he went to Europe where he dove into the studies of Zen Buddhism. He came back to American
with newfound spirituality, and an interest in the I Ching, one of the oldest Chinese writings in
history. While some regard it as a book of divination, the I Ching was used by Cage to give him
seemingly random responses which would dictate what choices he made while composing a
piece. He called the work he composed with the I Ching composed by means of chance
operations. In an interview with Richard Kostelanetz, Cage described one of his compositions
and how it was influenced by chance, saying every few measures, at every structural point,
things were speeding up or slowing down or remaining constant. How much these things varied
was chance-determined (Kostelanetz). This development, of using chance and randomness in
compositions, diverged from the ideas of that time period that music had to be meticulously
composed and pristine, such as the classical music before it was. Unpredictability continued to
play a very large role in all of Cages work from that moment on, and chance would be used by
many other artists during the musical movements of that time.
It was through cages newfound spirituality and open thinking that led him to compose
the piece that would define the entire experimental movement.

In 1952, John Cage composed a piece titled 433. It was written for any instrument or
combination of instruments. It consisted of three tacets, each without notes, only silence. When it
was first performed, the reception was anything but desired. John cage himself said:
They missed the point. Theres no such thing as silence. What they thought was silence, because
they didnt know how to listen, was full of accidental sounds. You could hear the wind stirring
outside during the first movement. During the second, raindrops began pattering the roof, and
during the third the people themselves made all kinds of interesting sounds as they talked or
walked out (Kostelanetz).

The point of the piece was to challenge the viewers perception of what music was. And while
there was no hiding what the piece wasfour and a half minutes of nothingCage implored the
listener to focus on the ambient sounds that occurred naturally. This piece continues to bring
controversy while still remaining the most important composition of the genre.
Following these early achievements in the genre, more artists began to take interest and
explore boundaries, which led to the next movement in the genre, the Fluxus movement.

Beginning in the 1960s, Fluxus was an anti-commercial movement primarily based in New York
that synthesized many different forms of art, often into performance pieces, and attempted to
change what the definition of art was, just like experimental music did. Taking after the ideas of
Cage, those in the Fluxus movement were inspired to use everyday household objects in their art.
Performance pieces were a result of incorporating such things as experimental music, dance, and
art, and were used to combat the idea of high art. Musician Yoko Ono was a part of the
movement as well, appearing and preforming at some Fluxus events (Fluxus movement). Though
that was the height of the Fluxus movement, the philosophy is still carried on today, and it
remains a time in history when experimental music was evolving to be used in new mediums and
for new purposes.
Another movement that succeeded the development of experimental music was the
minimalist movement. Tom Johnson, a minimalist composer, describes minimalism as including:
any music that works with limited or minimal materials: pieces that use only a few notes, pieces
that use only a few words of text, or pieces written for very limited instruments, such as antique
cymbals, bicycle wheels, or whiskey glasses. It includes pieces that sustain one basic electronic
rumble for a long time. It includes pieces made exclusively from recordings of rivers and streams.
It includes pieces that move in endless circles. It includes pieces that set up an unmoving wall of
saxophone sound (Johnson).

He reinforces the idea that minimalist music can be that which is relatively sparse in what it
contains, or that is based off of a concept, similarly to how Cage focusses on process rather than
finished product. Just like the music that came before it, the minimalist movement faced
criticism. Some compared it to fascism, and attacked the use of repetition in the genre. However,
it was also met with praise; Paul Hiller wrote that the discovery of non-Western art and music is
not an exotic piece of tourism, but shows the more civilized members of society trying to rejoin

the remainder of mankind (Hiller). Even with these polarizing views, the genre continued to
thrive, with other art mediums taking part in the philosophy behind the music to produce work in
the movement.
With the introduction of new technology, the world experimental music was forever
changed. During the 1960s, music began to specify electronic systems to be used in its
performance. Tape manipulation and looping were largely implemented during this time period;
more and more musicians were modifying tape recordings and breaking away from the
traditional tape composition (Nyman). During the later parts of the 20th century and, new
technology was introduced that allowed for the composition of music to be done electronically,
and for new sounds and methods to be used in those compositions. In 1984, MIDI, or Musical
Instrument Digital Interface, was readily available, which incentivized hardware developers to
create processors that were tailored to be able to process sound better. This allowed for the
everyday consumer to have a lot more freedom and capability when it came to creating their own
sounds and music with their own equipment. Soon after, a large amount of computer music
software became readily available as well, including virtual instruments and synthesizers
(Holmes). Around this time, an artist called Aphex Twin began experimenting with circuit
bending, which is the process of physically altering the hardware of a circuit in a synthesizer,
allowing it to produce new sounds. Aphex Twins first album was critically acclaimed, and was
influenced by the minimalist movement. It contained ambient works, pieces with vocal samples,
and music that could be described as jarring; the unusual and inventive music he creates is nearly
all done electronically which some claim is what is wrong with the future of music. Ballantine
writes, advances in modern technology have precipitated a crisis for art as for society, of such
dimensions that our old notions of what constitutes art, how it should be made, and so on, are

rapidly becoming, or have already become, obsolete (Ballantine). Some music critics believe
that the answer to creativity does not lie within advancing technology and new innovations, but
in the foundation of musics roots. With technologys increasing role in the production of music,
it seems as though there is no alternative, and ignoring its implications would be ignorant.
The experimental genre is to music what the Dada movement is to art: puzzling to
outsiders, confrontational during its time, yet forever impactful, leaving its mark on history.
Based in the philosophy that music can be composed in a number of unconventional ways, John
Cage helped pioneer a genre of music few understood or were interested in. He created music
where he didnt know what the final result would be. Music of the genre is about trying
something new, and creating sounds that havent been heard before. As the genre developed, the
world was exposed to some of the more notable works in the genre, expanding the experimental
scene and paving the way for new developments to be made. The implementation of new
technology in the genre opened the door for many more peoples ideas to be realized, and for the
music of the genre to grow and change, in a way Cage may not have even foreseen. As
technology grows and the concept of what is considered music begins to further change,
experimental music may continue to evolve and shape the sphere of music and push boundaries
further.

Works Cited

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