As Slow as Possible

Last updated

St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany Halberstadt St-Burchardi-Kirche.jpg
St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany

Organ2/ASLSP has been playing in Halberstadt for

23 years, 3 months, 1 week and 3 days

ORGAN2/ASLAP (As Slow as Possible) is a musical piece by John Cage and the subject of the second-longest-lasting (after Longplayer ) musical performance yet undertaken. [1] Cage wrote it in 1987 for organ, as an adaptation of his 1985 composition ASLSP for piano. A performance of the piano version usually lasts 20 to 70 minutes. [2]

Contents

An organ in St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt in 2001 began a performance that is due to end in 2640. This makes it the longest running non-computerized piece currently being performed. The most recent note was played on February 5, 2024. The next note will be played on August 5, 2026.

History

The Friends of the Maryland Summer Institute for the Creative and Performing Arts commissioned the piece for contemporary requirement of a piano competition. Cage used an open format to ensure no two performances would be the same, and give judges a break from the consistency of most compositions. The score is eight pages.

Completed performances

Performer(s)Duration in hoursStart timeLocationNotes
AllRequest_Live "Albert Wright"24.0012022, February 4 12:00amStreamed Live on Twitch from an undisclosed locationCan be viewed in its entirety on YouTube. [3] Current record holder for longest live performance of a single musical piece performed by a human. [4] [ unreliable source? ]
Alexander Meszler242023, January 29 5:00pmDecorah, Iowa.Performance commemorated the completion of restorations to the school's organ [5]
Christopher Anderson162022, March 8Dallas, TXPerformed during SMU Bridwell Library's A Festival of Form: John Cage & the Infinite Human event in February 2022. One of the last notable performances before the renovation of the Perkin's Chapel organ in 2023. [6] [7]
Diane Luchese14.932009, February 5 8:45am Towson University was the longest completed performance until 2022. [8]
Daniel Cooper122019 Knox Church Performed to mark the Southern Hemisphere's winter solstice [9]
Alex Ross, Patrick Wedd, Adrian Foster82015Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal Longest completed team performance on record
Frank Felice 3.52016onlinePerformance was delivered online to an iPhone app for ArtsFest 2016 at Butler University. A thirty-five second snippet was posted each day for a year; the whole three and a half hour realization was played as a fixed media piece during the three-day Artsfest. So the performances could be considered to take 35 seconds, 3.5 hours, 3 days, or 1 year (the time used here is for the single performance of the entire piece) [10]

Halberstadt performance

The bellows used for the Halberstadt performance HalberstadtBurchardiChurchBellows.jpg
The bellows used for the Halberstadt performance
The organ used for the Halberstadt performance HalberstadtBurchardiChurchOrganForOrgan2ASLSP.jpg
The organ used for the Halberstadt performance

Background

Musicians and philosophers discussed Cage's instruction to play "as slow as possible" at a conference in 1997, because a properly maintained pipe organ could sound indefinitely. The John Cage Organ Foundation Halberstadt decided to play the piece for 639 years, to mark the time between the first documented permanent organ installation in Halberstadt Cathedral, in 1361, and the originally proposed start date of 2000. Because of a lack of money, the date was postponed by one year. [11] The chord changes of the first part which ends in 2072 were calculated by Christoph Bossert and Rainer O. Neugebauer. Until August 2021 the Foundation sold plaques commemorating the years through 2640 to fund the performance. [12] [13]

The instrument

An organ was built specifically for the performance. [14] It is in the church's right transept, with the bellows in the left transept.

Until 2011, Acrylic glass encased it to reduce the volume, likely due to potential noise complaints. [15]

Performance

The Halberstadt performance started on September 5, 2001, with a rest lasting until February 5, 2003, when the first pipes played. [16] [17] Sandbags depress the organ's pedals to maintain the notes. [2] On July 5, 2008, two more organ pipes were added alongside the four already installed and the tone became more complex at 15:33 local time. The bellows provide a constant supply of air to keep the pipes playing. [18] On July 5, 2012, two more organ pipes were taken out, and two were in the organ. The note last changed on February 5, 2024. The performance is scheduled to end on September 4, 2640.

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"ASLSP, Halberstat, Jan 5 2006 note change"
The note change of January 5, 2006, takes place at 8:35 in this audio clip.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
John Cage ORGAN2/ASLSP (639 years, part 1: 70 years) [19]
ImpulseActionNotesDateChord
length
1BeginnoneSeptember 5, 2001
2SoundG♯4, B4, G♯5February 5, 2003518 d
3SoundE3, E4July 5, 2004516 d
4ReleaseG♯4, B4July 5, 2005365 d
5SoundA4, C5, F♯5January 5, 2006184 d
6ReleaseE3, E4May 5, 2006120 d
7SoundC4, A♭4July 5, 2008792 d
8ReleaseC4November 5, 2008123 d
9SoundD4, E5February 5, 200992 d
10ReleaseE5July 5, 2010515 d
11ReleaseD4, G♯5February 5, 2011215 d
12SoundC4 (16′), D♭4 (16′)August 5, 2011181 d
ReleaseA♭4
13ReleaseA4, C5, F♯5July 5, 2012335 d
14SoundD♯4, A♯4, E5October 5, 2013457 d
15SoundG♯3, E4September 5, 20202,527 d
16ReleaseG♯3February 5, 2022518 d
17SoundD4February 5, 2024730 d
18SoundA4August 5, 2026912 d
19ReleaseE4October 5, 2027426 d
20SoundG3April 5, 2028183 d
21ReleaseD4August 5, 2028122 d
22ReleaseA4March 5, 2030577 d
23ReleaseD♯4, E5September 5, 2030184 d
24ReleaseG3May 5, 2033973 d
25SoundB3December 5, 2033214 d
26SoundF3, D4August 5, 2034243 d
27ReleaseF3, D4September 5, 203431 d
28ReleaseB3October 5, 203430 d
29SoundD♭5June 5, 2035243 d
30SoundA2 (16′)September 5, 2037823 d
ReleaseD♭5
31SoundA♭4, A♭5March 5, 2038181 d
32ReleaseA♭5July 5, 2038122 d
33ReleaseA♭4May 5, 2039304 d
ImpulseActionNotesDateChord
length
34SoundD4, A♭4December 5, 2039214 d
35ReleaseD4, A♭4April 5, 2040122 d
36SoundD♭3, B♭3January 5, 2041275 d
37ReleaseD♭3, B♭3March 5, 2042424 d
38ReleaseA2 (16′)November 5, 2043610 d
39SoundA3, D4July 5, 2044243 d
40SoundE4March 5, 2045243 d
ReleaseA♯4
41SoundB4, C5, A♯5March 5, 2046365 d
42ReleaseC4 (16′), B4, C5, A♯5October 5, 2047579 d
43SoundC3 (16′)February 5, 2049489 d
44SoundD♯4, A4April 5, 2050424 d
45ReleaseA3, D4, E4February 5, 2051306 d
46ReleaseD♯4, A4November 5, 2051273 d
47SoundE♭3, B3May 5, 2053547 d
48ReleaseC3 (16′)November 5, 2054549 d
49ReleaseE♭3, B3July 5, 2056608 d
50SoundB♭4August 5, 2057396 d
51SoundA2 (16′)May 5, 2058273 d
52ReleaseA2 (16′)November 5, 2059549 d
53SoundG♭4, C5, D♭5April 5, 2060152 d
54ReleaseG♭4, C5, D♭5June 5, 206061 d
55SoundE4November 5, 2060153 d
ReleaseB♭4
56SoundB4, C5, E♭5, C6February 5, 206192 d
57ReleaseC5, E♭5, C6April 5, 206159 d
58SoundD4September 5, 2061153 d
ReleaseE4
59SoundA♯3, D♯4, F♯4August 5, 2062334 d
60ReleaseA♯3, F♯4February 5, 2064549 d
61SoundA3, A4January 5, 20671,065 d
ReleaseD♯4
62ReleaseD4June 5, 2067151 d
63ReleaseA3, A4July 5, 2068396 d
64ReleaseD♭4 (16′)March 5, 2071973 d
65ReleaseB4July 5, 2071122 d

See also

Related Research Articles

In musical terminology, tempo, also known as beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece and is usually measured in beats per minute (BPM). In modern classical compositions, a "metronome mark" in beats per minute may supplement or replace the normal tempo marking, while in modern genres like electronic dance music, tempo will typically simply be stated in BPM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambient music</span> Music genre

Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It is often "peaceful" sounding and lacks composition, beat, and/or structured melody. It uses textural layers of sound that can reward both passive and active listening and encourage a sense of calm or contemplation. The genre is said to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual", or "unobtrusive" quality. Nature soundscapes may be included, and the sounds of acoustic instruments such as the piano, strings and flute may be emulated through a synthesizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cage</span> American avant-garde composer (1912–1992)

John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Critics have lauded him as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pipe organ</span> Wind instrument controlled by keyboard

The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre, volume, and construction throughout the keyboard compass. Most organs have many ranks of pipes of differing pitch, timbre, and volume that the player can employ singly or in combination through the use of controls called stops.

<i>4′33″</i> 1952 modernist composition by John Cage

4′33″ is a modernist composition by American experimental composer John Cage. It was composed in 1952 for any instrument or combination of instruments; the score instructs performers not to play their instruments throughout the three movements. It is divided into three movements, lasting 30 seconds, two minutes and 23 seconds, and one minute and 40 seconds, respectively, although Cage later stated that the movements' durations can be determined by the musician. As suggested by the title, the composition lasts four minutes and 33 seconds. It is marked by silence except for ambient sound, which is intended to contribute to the performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halberstadt</span> Town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center, which was largely destroyed by Allied bombings in the late stages of World War II after local Nazi leaders refused to surrender. The town was rebuilt in the following decades.

<i>Vexations</i> Composition by Erik Satie

Vexations is a musical work by Erik Satie. Apparently conceived for keyboard, it consists of a short theme in the bass whose four presentations are heard alternatingly unaccompanied and played with chords above. The theme and its accompanying chords are written using enharmonic notation. The piece is undated, but scholars usually assign a date around 1893–1894 on the basis of musical and biographical evidence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedal keyboard</span> Musical keyboard played with the feet, usually used for low-pitched notes

A pedalboard is a keyboard played with the feet that is usually used to produce the low-pitched bass line of a piece of music. A pedalboard has long, narrow lever-style keys laid out in the same semitone scalar pattern as a manual keyboard, with longer keys for C, D, E, F, G, A, and B, and shorter, raised keys for C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯. Training in pedal technique is part of standard organ pedagogy in church music and art music.

<i>Also sprach Zarathustra</i> 1896 symphonic poem by Richard Strauss

Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 is a tone poem by German composer Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's 1883–1885 philosophical work of the same name. Strauss conducted its first performance on 27 November 1896 in Frankfurt. A typical performance lasts roughly thirty-three minutes.

<i>Longplayer</i> Musical composition of 1000 years duration

Longplayer is a very long piece of music by British composer and musician Jem Finer which is composed to play for 1000 years without looping. It started to play at midnight on 1 January 2000, and if all goes as planned, it will continue without repetition until 31 December 2999.

Indeterminacy is a composing approach in which some aspects of a musical work are left open to chance or to the interpreter's free choice. John Cage, a pioneer of indeterminacy, defined it as "the ability of a piece to be performed in substantially different ways".

Scott Smith is a Canadian television and film director. He has won multiple film festival awards for his 1999 film Rollercoaster. He also directed the 2003 film Falling Angels, based on the Barbara Gowdy novel, which achieved a nomination from the Directors Guild of Canada for Outstanding Achievement in Direction – Feature Film.

Music of Changes is a piece for solo piano by John Cage. Composed in 1951 for pianist and friend David Tudor, it is a ground-breaking piece of indeterminate music. The process of composition involved applying decisions made using the I Ching, a Chinese classic text that is commonly used as a divination system. The I Ching was applied to large charts of sounds, durations, dynamics, tempo and densities.

Freeman Etudes are a set of etudes for solo violin composed by John Cage. Like the earlier Etudes Australes for piano, these works are incredibly complex, nearly impossible to perform, and represented for Cage the "practicality of the impossible" as an answer to the notion that resolving the world's political and social problems is impossible.

In contemporary history, the third millennium is the current millennium in the Anno Domini or Common Era, under the Gregorian calendar. It began on 1 January 2001 (MMI) and will end on 31 December 3000 (MMM), spanning the 21st to 30th centuries.

<i>Corona</i> (Takemitsu) Composition for piano by Toru Takemitsu

Corona is an experimental classical composition for one or multiple pianists by Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. It was finished in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halberstadt Cathedral</span> Church in Germany

The Halberstadt Cathedral or Church of St Stephen and St Sixtus is a Gothic church in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the episcopal see of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, established by Emperor Charlemagne in 804. The present-day church, which replaced an older Romanesque church, was built between 1236 and 1491 in a Gothic style, clearly inspired by the French Gothic cathedrals. In 1591 the Bishop of Halberstadt joined the Protestant Reformation, and the church has been used by the Protestant Church since. The cathedral was severely damaged in the Second World War, but has been restored in the decades after the war.

<i>As Long as Possible</i> 2015 art work by Juha van Ingen

AS Long As Possible (ASLAP) (2015–2017) is a 1,000-year long animated GIF made by Finnish artist Juha van Ingen. It premiered at Kiasma National Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki on 28 March 2017. The animation is created in collaboration with developer and sound artist Janne Särkelä.

<i>Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (March No. 2)</i>

Imaginary Landscape No. 4 is a composition for 24 performers on 12 radios and conductor by American composer John Cage and the fourth in the series of Imaginary Landscapes. It is the first installment not to include any percussion instrument at all and Cage's first composition to be based fully on chance operations. It is also the second march in the set of Imaginary Landscapes, after Imaginary Landscape No. 2 . It was composed in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainer O. Neugebauer</span> German educationalist, historian

Rainer O. Neugebauer is a German educationalist, historian and social scientist.

References

  1. ↑ Oltermann, Philip (2024-02-04). "'There's a certain madness to it' … fans await new chord in John Cage gig with 616 years left to run". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  2. 1 2 Rosenberg, Steve (2008-07-05). "'World's longest concert' resumes" . Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  3. ↑ "AllRequest: As Slow As Possible 24 Hour Performance". YouTube. 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  4. ↑ "A New Era of Performance: Albert Wright's Twitch Live Stream of Cage's Epic Piece". NY Weekly.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ↑ Weis, Roz (2023-03-21). "Meszler completes 24-hour organ performance". driftless multimedia. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  6. ↑ "A Festival of Form: John Cage & the Infinite Human (March 7–9)". SMU Bridwell Library. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  7. ↑ "Office of Development Update: A New Organ for Perkins Chapel". SMU Perkins School of Theology. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  8. ↑ "The Towerlight, Fifteen hours at the organ". Media.www.thetowerlight.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
  9. ↑ "John Cage: Organ2 / ASLSP". Music Canterburyn. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  10. ↑ "John Cage ASLSP".
  11. ↑ "First notes for 639-year composition". 2003-02-05. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  12. ↑ Gonsher, Aaron. "A Visit to John Cage's 639-Year Organ Composition". redbullmusicacademy.com.
  13. ↑ "Alle Stiftertafeln sind vergeben". Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  14. ↑ "Sankt Burchardi Church Organ". atlasobscura.com. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  15. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "5 Min 48 sek von 639 Jahren: JOHN CAGE ORGAN 2 / ASLSP IN HALBERSTADT". YouTube. 2009-07-30.
  16. ↑ "News – John-Cage-Orgelprojekt Halberstadt". www.aslsp.org. Archived from the original on 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  17. ↑ "the Halberstadt event website". John-cage.halberstadt.de. 2004-11-19. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
  18. ↑ "One Thousand Hear Change of Note in World's Longest Concert". Deutsche Welle . Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
  19. ↑ "Klangwechsel – John-Cage-Orgelprojekt Halberstadt". www.aslsp.org. Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.