SOURCE: Sabatini, Arthur J. “Silent Performances: On Reading John Cage.” In John Cage at Seventy-Five, edited by Richard Fleming and William Duckworth, pp. 74-96. Lewisburg, Penn.: Bucknell University Press, 1989.

In the following essay, Sabatini describes the various media and genres of Cage's works, analyzes his experimental forms and styles, and attempts to explain his use of space and visuals to enhance poetic and artistic impact.

At any rate, my musical words, strictly speaking, have managed to arouse either indignation or sympathy—nothing compared to my books. You can't imagine how many people were touched by Silence! I received many letters, sometimes extremely lucid, always interesting. Next to that, the reactions to my music are predictable.

Cage to Daniel Charles

The writings of John Cage are destined to provoke more varied, and ultimately more enduring, responses than his music. This is no doubt a chancy proposition, but since Cage's...