In Rural Germany, a Six-Century-Long Performance of a John Cage Organ Composition Is Underway
Since 2001, a specially-made organ at St. Burchardi’s church has been slowly marching along to the piece’s planned conclusion in 2640.
By Jack Meyer
July 20, 2022
4 minute read
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On first glance, the German town of Halberstadt may seem like any other. Winding rows of timbered houses line cobbled streets, broken up by the occasional remnant of gothic architecture. Within the quaint trappings of this berg, though, rests one of the most ambitious and odd musical experiments to see life: a six-century-long performance of legendary composer John Cage’s piece “ORGAN²/ASLSP.”
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