This program, first broadcast on November 17, 2024, examines the impact of ancient Chinese wisdom in music from the second half of the 20th century. The survey begins with John Cage’s reliance on the Yi Jing, or I Ching, as a compositional tool. The teachings of Confucius are the textual basis of music for multiple voices by Cornelius Cardew. Daoist thought is celebrated in works by The Beatles, Steve Lacy, Tan Dun, Horatiu Radulescu, and Judith Weir.
JOHN CAGE
Music of Changes, Book IV (1951)
THE BEATLES
“The Inner Light” (1968)
CORNELIUS CARDEW
The Great Learning, Paragraph 7 (1968–1971)
STEVE LACY
Tao, “The Breath” (1979)
TAN DUN
On Taoism (1985)
HORATIU RADULESCU
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 82 (1991)
JUDITH WEIR
Natural History (1998)
Link to:
Music: KALW Radio Shows, 2024–2025
For more on Daoism, see:
The Classic of Dao and De by Laozi
Film Dreams: Frank Capra
Music: SFCR Radio Show #8, Daoism in Western Music, part 1
Music: SFCR Radio Show #9, Daoism in Western Music, part 2
For more on these composers, see:
Music Book: Historical Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Classical Music, Second Edition
More Cool Sites To Visit! – Music
For more on The Beatles, John Cage, and Steve Lacy, see:
Music: SFCR Radio Show #8, Daoism in Western Music, part 1
For more on John Cage, see:
Film Review: Prism’s Colors, The Mechanics of Time
Music Book: Sonic Transports – Glenn Branca essay, part 1
Music Book: Soundpieces: Interviews with American Composers
Music Essay: The Beaten Path: A History of American Percussion Music
Music Lecture: King of the Omniverse: Sun Ra and His Arkestra
Music: SFCR Radio Show #4, Postmodernism, part 1: Three Founders
Music: SFCR Radio Show #8, Daoism in Western Music, part 1
Music: SFCR Radio Show #19, The Percussion Ensemble
Music: SFCR Radio Show #22, Neo-Classicism, part 3
Music: SFCR Radio Show #25, Schoenberg in America
Music: SFCR Radio Show #29, Electro-Acoustic Music, part 1: New Instruments
For more on Horatiu Radulescu and Tan Dun, see:
Music: SFCR Radio Show #9, Daoism in Western Music, part 2
NICOLE V. GAGNÉ 