You're listening to 20,000 Hertz.

John Cage was one of the most significant figures in 20th century music.

He was a student of Arnold Schernberg, but went on to be an influential composer in his own right.

His work drew on Chinese and Japanese influences at a time

when American society was just starting to open up to these cultures. He influenced avant-garde

composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich, as well as songwriters and artists, like Yoko Ono,

Lou Reed, and even Apex Twin. He was also hugely influential in modern dance. What you hear

playing right now is his 1948 piece called In a Landscape. This version was recorded in 1994

by Stephen Drury. This piece is actually not very typical of John Cage's writing.

He's more known for his innovations in music and his avant-garde techniques.

As far as John Cage pieces go, this is pretty much as mainstream classical as it gets.

But despite his reputation for avant-garde writing, no one was prepared for what he did in 1952.

This was the year he created the most daring piece of his career.

Something really out there, even for him.

It was called Four Minutes and 33 Seconds.

It was a piece that even some critics refused to call music.

Awesome. It was a piece that even some critics refused to call music. Oddly enough, my first experience with 433 was playing it on my high school piano recital.

I played it when I was 17 before I had heard anybody else play it.

That's Kyle Gann, a professor at Bard College.

He's also a composer and a former critic at the Village Voice.

I bought the sheet music in Dallas for 50 cents.

It's almost ironic that you can buy sheet music for 433,

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