Hey Playtonics,
Seeing as the intent of this blog is to deliver a blend of philosophical and musical musings, I want to introduce a new weekly segment called “Is This Music?” According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Philosophy of music is the study of fundamental questions about the nature of music and our experience of it. In keeping with these questions, every week I will post a video or link to a piece of “music” that begs the question, “Is this music?” Playtonic Dialogues is all about sparking discourse so please make a case for why X piece is or is not music.
This week I bring to you John Cage’s “4’33.” Keep in mind that when you play the video and no sounds comes out of your headphones or speakers during the piece, there is nothing wrong with your computer. Rather, “4’33” is an entirely silent “orchestral arrangement.” To read more on the composition, check out this wikipedia page on 4’33. Is this music?