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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. One of the questions Cage asked in "Composition as Process--3" was if anyone had seen this man lately?

2. "The Future of Music: Credo" was first printed to accompany a recording from whom?

3. "Music of Changes" was originally written for what instrument?

4. According to Cage's essay on him, Erik Satie said who was not clumsy in his publicity?

5. In the "Strategy" section of "Forerunners of Modern Music," what term does Cage say "may be controlled or not, as one chooses"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cage answer his own question about whether music can be composed without writing it in pencil or ink?

2. How does Cage describe the process by which he created a piece of music scored for twelve radios?

3. How does Cage describe the way Christian Wolff wrote music?

4. What does Cage say about being associated with Dadaism and Zen in his Foreword?

5. How did painter Willem de Kooning respond when asked what painters of the past had influenced him?

6. What does Cage say about Erik Satie's relevance?

7. What is the purpose of the section in "Composition as Process--III: Communication" where the author answers questions with more questions?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the series of anecdotes relating the perspective of various innovators in philosophy and art that only the present is important found in "History of Experimental Music in the United States"? Looking at each of the three anecdotes, what do they have in common, aside from their overall theme? In the article, does Cage ever say whether he agrees or disagrees with these sentiments? How does he seem to feel about the past and the future?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the contradictory nature between Cage's desire to be random but his use of form. How does he show throughout the book that he is dedicated to randomness? What random things does he do? How might his random actions, especially in his presentation on the page, be seen as not random? Is anything really random if it is planned out in advance?

Essay Topic 3

Explore Cage's writings about Satie and Varese and compare and contrast his opinions of each one. What opinions does he have about what each man contributed to the evolution of music?: What does Cage say about the relevance of each composer? What does he seem to attribute to them? Whom does he seem to admire more?

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