AN ANALYSIS OF JOHN CAGE AND THE ELEMENT OF “INDETERMINACY” EXPRESSED IN HIS WORKS

Yıl 2023, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 17, 1 - 12, 31.12.2023

Deniz Doğan

Öz

John Cage, one of the most important composers of the twentieth century, characterised indeterminacy
in music as the performance of a work in significantly different ways. According to the composer,
Indeterminacy exists in two states: the uncertainty of the composition and the uncertainty of the
performer.
In the 1950s, Cage abandoned the use of traditional music notation and switched to a graphic notation
system in which he could use the space on the score pages to represent the frequency of sound events.
Since the graphic notation did not show traditional time and traditional sound devices, the performer
could not know exactly what the note wanted to affect. Thus, the element of Indeterminacy in Cage’s
music emerged. Indeterminacy offered the performer the chance to interpret what is not obligatory,
only what is offered, in contrast to what is given in traditional notation in works based on uncertainty.
During his lectures in Darmstadt, the composer’s stance against European music and traditionalism
was noticed and caused him to receive negative reactions. However, what Cage wanted to do was
to make us think about new music, to question it and to convey the innovative ideas he tried to put
forward for the liberation of music.
The aim of this article is to examine Cage’s element of ambiguity, its use in the composer’s works,
and the effects of the freedom of interpretation and discovery given to the performer with graphic
notation on twentieth-century music.

Anahtar Kelimeler

John Cage, Indeterminacy, Uncertainty, Chance, Changes, Graphic Notation

JOHN CAGE VE ESERLERİNDE İFADE ETTİĞİ “BELİRSİZLİK” ÖGESİNİN İNCELENMESİ

Öz

Yirminci Yüzyılın en önemli bestecilerinden biri olan John Cage, müzikte belirsizliği bir eserin önemli
ölçüde farklı şekillerde icra edilmesi olarak nitelemiştir. Besteciye göre Indeterminacy (Belirsizlik),
kompozisyonun belirsizliği ve icracının belirsizliği olmak üzere iki durumda varlık gösterir.
Cage, 1950’lerde geleneksel müzik notasyonu kullanımını bırakmış ve nota sayfalarındaki boşluğu,
ses olaylarının sıklığını temsil edebilecek şekilde kullanabileceği grafik notasyon sistemine geçiş
yapmıştır. Bu besteleme yöntemi ile Cage, geleneksel notasyonda bulunan nota sembolleri ve ses
arasındaki ilişkiyi kesin olmayan bir boyuta dönüştürmüş, böylece eserlerindeki tınlama özellikleri
sayesinde yeni bir performans biçimi temelini ortaya koymuştur.
Grafik notasyon geleneksel zaman ve geleneksel ses araçlarını göstermediği için performansçı notanın
tam olarak neyi etkilemek istediğini bilemiyordu. Böylece Cage’ in müziğindeki Indeterminacy yani
belirsizlik ögesi ortaya çıkmış oldu. Indeterminacy, icracıya belirsizlik üzerine kurulu olan eserlerde
geleneksel notasyonda verilenin tam aksine; zorunlu olmayanı, sadece teklif edileni yorumlama
şansı sunmuştur. Bestecinin Darmstadt’da verdiği konferanslar sırasında Avrupa müziğine ve
gelenekselliğe olan karşı duruşu fark edilmiş ve olumsuz tepkiler almasına sebebiyet vermiştir.
Fakat Cage’in yapmak istediği; yeni müzik üzerine düşünmemizi sağlamak, sorgulamak ve müziğin
özgürleşmesi için ortaya koymaya çalıştığı yenilikçi fikirleri aktarabilmektir.
Bu makalenin amacı, Cage’in belirsizlik unsurunu, bu unsurun bestecinin eserlerindeki kullanılışını
ve grafik notasyon ile birlikte icracıya tanıdığı yorum ve keşif yapabilme özgürlüğünün yirminci
yüzyıl müziğindeki etkilerini incelemektir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

John Cage, Belirsizlik, Şans, Değişimler, Grafik Notasyon.

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