Gabe Bullard, a reporter based in Basel, Switzerland, shares his experience witnessing the 639-year-long performance of John Cage's 'Organ2/ASLSP' in Halberstadt, Germany. He uncovers the astonishingly slow pace of music that invites deep reflection, as this chord change only occurs every few years. The conversation dives into the historical significance of the Halberstadt pipe organ, unique keyboard innovations, and the philosophical implications of such a meditative project. It’s a fascinating exploration of time, sound, and art that challenges our perception of music.
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23 Years Late
In February, attendees of a concert in Halberstadt, Germany, arrived 23 years late to hear a chord change.
The performance, "ORGAN2/ASLSP (As Slow As Possible)", is a 639-year-long piece by John Cage.
insights INSIGHT
Music as Sound
John Cage, the composer, challenged traditional music notions with pieces like 4'33", which consists of silence.
He explored the concept of music as simply sound, not requiring inherent meaning.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Piano's Limits
Early attempts to play ASLSP on piano were limited by the instrument's mechanics.
A piano note's duration is limited by the string's vibration, preventing extreme slowness.
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Finnegans Wake is James Joyce's final and most complex work, written over a period of seventeen years. The novel is set in a dream world where the protagonist, Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker (HCE), and his family—wife Anna Livia Plurabelle (ALP) and their children Shem, Shaun, and Issy—undergo various transformations and identities. The book is known for its innovative use of language, combining elements from multiple languages and creating new words through portmanteaus and puns. It explores themes of identity, history, and the cyclical nature of life, drawing on Irish mythology, biblical narratives, and personal experiences. The novel's structure is circular, ending with the sentence that begins the book, creating a continuous loop[3][4][5].
When you go to a concert, you might try to get there right when the doors open. Or perhaps you take your time and skip the opening act. But generally, you want to be there when the show starts. In February, everyone who went to a concert in Halberstadt, Germany, showed up 23 years late. The performance is of a piece called ORGAN2/ASLSP. ASLSP stands for “as slow as possible,” which is how the composer meant for it to be played, and this particular day would involve a chord change. The last time ORGAN2/ASLSP had a chord change was in 2022, and this new chord will play until the next change, in August, 2026. There is a change the year after that, and the following year, and so on, until the year 2640. The full performance is meant to last 639 years. Reporter Gabe Bullard travels to Germany to witness the chord change and to discover why such a concert is even happening in the first place.
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