My Own Performance of John Cage’s 4’33”

I decided to undertake my performance of 4’33” whilst on a car journey with the window slightly ajar, and I was the only performer and audience member. The piece began with the press of the ignition start button, where a loud click could be heard as the steering lock was disengaged, and the engine rumbled into life. There were no other people on the street at the time or moving traffic. I heard a slight crumbling noise as the tyres moved over some small pieces of gravel.

On progressing along the road, several cars passed me in quick succession, the ‘whoosh’ sound as they passed creating a fairly even rhythmic beat. The low rumble from the car engine provided an ostinato effect, with the constant rush of wind through the open window creating a harmony and the gear changes providing an almost melody-like interest.

Other external influences of different pitches and rhythms could occasionally be heard; car doors slamming, horns beeping, people’s voices and other vehicles own engine sounds.

In a way I did feel like I was creating music, as I had specified the venue and the time frame. A lot of the ‘instrumentation’ however I had no control over, so I only had an approximate vision of the final outcome. It was interesting to look at 'noise' in this context, and its role in a musical performance.