John Cage and the Boundaries of Music Quiz

What did John Cage use as instruments in his performance of 'Water Walk'?

• C. Cars and trucks

• A. Traditional instruments

• B. Household clutter

• D. Animals and birds

What influenced our categorization of music?

• D. The weather

• A. The volume of the sound

• C. Our expectations

• B. The time of day

What did John Cage want to discover beyond the constraints of existing musical traditions?

• C. Both A and B

• D. None of the above

• B. New instruments that blurred the lines between art and everyday life

• A. New ways for music to mingle with other art forms

What did John Cage use to produce random musical parameters for some of his compositions?

• C. Both A and B

• B. Early computers

• D. None of the above

• A. Ancient Chinese divination text

What did John Cage prioritize in his work?

• D. None of the above

• C. Both A and B

• B. Spontaneous, ephemeral experiences

• A. Precise, predictable performances

What did John Cage adapt into a series of tables that generated different musical durations, tempos, and dynamics?

• C. Both A and B

• B. Early computers

• D. None of the above

• A. Ancient Chinese divination text

What did John Cage and his partner, Merce Cunningham, hold recitals for?

• D. None of the above

• C. Both A and B

• A. Cage's music and Cunningham's choreography to be created independently before being performed together

• B. Cage's music and Cunningham's choreography to be created together before being performed independently

What did John Cage use to help musicians compose on the fly with the help of his guidelines?

• D. None of the above

• C. Both A and B

• B. Ancient Chinese divination text

• A. Incomplete compositions notated with broad instructions