American John Cage’s significance to Avant-garde art in primarily the 1940s, 50s and 60s was enormous and he remains a source of inspiration for many composers and artists. One of his best-known compositions is 4’33’’ which consists entirely of silence. It is usually performed at a piano, but was composed for any instrument.

There are many interpretations of 4’33” and many people consider it to be a work of performance art. It is uncertain what he wanted to achieve, but what often happens at performances of 4’33” is that the audience begins to shift and cough; some people may start to whisper.

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This excerpt of music is from episode 1 of the series Mankind and Music. The five episodes are available to watch here on Konserthuset Play. Why does music exist? What happens to us when we make or listen to music? In this series, we explore answers to these questions together with musicians, listeners and researchers.