Yesterday I caught this pieceon Concert Fm (New Zealand). it caught my attention and so I had to stay seated in the car having parked and I was fascinated. A man called Ryan Knighton was being interviewed.(listen here)
He speaks of John Cage, whom I recollected having read about in Jeremy Begbie's book Theology, Music and Time (Cambridge University press, 2000). Cage shows an unease with control and sought to allow sounds to be themselves. One comment upon Cage notes how he only sees sound as a fragment in the time continuum.
Anyway, it gets quite technical, but Knighton explains it reasonably well. You can visit the John Cage Project and read more and explore.
"The slowest and longest piece of music in the world
John-Cage-Organ-Project in Halberstadt, Germany
Since September 5, 2000, which is the 88th birthday of the avantgarde composer and artist John Cage, the slowest and longest concert that the world has ever heard has been playing: ORGAN2/ASLSP As Slow aS Possible that means this piece of music, for the organ, will be performed for 639 years in the church of St. Burchardi in Halberstadt."
Part of it theologically is the way ijn which this note sounds and hanges over the years according to the score. In particular it is Who changes the note? Who will come along, get involved? Assumptions of song they never strated . Message of hope, but first note is a rest. Story beyond the scale of our own span, a bigger idea of the future. As radio raises these questions, I thought of the way Sabbath rest as the initial movement out of Creation and then I consider the ways in which we are part of a bigger, hopeful story that God has for us in the now and eschatologically.
Further it is always sounding, even if are not present in that monastery in Halberstadt. You can listen! Fascinating that it plays on even if no-one is actually present sounding out. Anyway, maybe this is dull for you and I apologise, but it intrigued me and stopped me enough to pause and listen and ponder about what it may teach uis about faith.
