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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Cage presented "Lecture on Nothing" at a club on what street?

2. Who wrote "Psychology--never again"?

3. What country did Cage's dad falsely say the family would visit?

4. In the "Definitions" section of "Forerunners of Modern Music," what term is "sound and silence"?

5. "Edgard Varese" was first published in what year?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is each column in "Composition as Process--1: Changes" interrupted by space without words?

2. What does Cage say about finding facts on the life and work of Edgard Varese?

3. Describe the anecdote used at the conclusion of "Composition as Process--2: Indeterminacy" about Dr. Suzuki.

4. Why does Cage format "Erik Satie" in a way where he and Satie never hear what the other is saying?

5. What does Cage say about Varese in relation to the present nature of music?

6. Describe what Cage said about the French and the Italians in a conversation he recalls having at a Venetian restaurant.

7. Why does Cage say that compositions indeterminate with respect to their performance are by definition experimental?

8. How much concern do Cage and his colleagues seem to have about how their work is perceived and received by its hearers?

9. What does Cage comment on in the article "Forerunners of Modern Music"?

10. How has Cage's process of composition evolved?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How did Cage once feel about being labeled "experimental"? Why did he feel that way? What has he come to realize about the term? How does he feel about the label at the time "Experimental Music" is written?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the significance of the essay on Rauschenberg. Why do you think Cage includes a chapter about a painter in his book which mostly deals with music? What idea does Rauschenberg seem to share with Cage about art and creating it? What does it say about the author that he, as a composer, has similar ideas to a painter? What might this say about his artistic movement as a whole?

Essay Topic 3

Explore Cage's desire for change and his view that most people do not want change. What type of change is he referring to? Why does he think most people are reluctant? Does he seem to understand the perspective of those who are reluctant? What would he like to see happen to regard to accepting change? Is he limiting his desire for change to art, or do you think the change he seeks is part of a bigger picture? Use examples from the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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