Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage

K-Gr 3–Beautiful end papers jump-start this introduction to composer John Cage. Wildly divergent sounds are illustrated with dots, scribbles, splashes, and stamps of color. Each page that follows is an invitation to be like Cage, a leading pioneer in 20th century avant-garde music and dance; readers are asked to think, feel, and listen as he did. Some examples of his creativity are given, e.g., his use of squiggles and dots instead of musical notes, or his 4.33-minute piano piece that was completely silent. He would turn mics on and off at concerts to affect the musical experience. He wrote music using appliances and lights. His deep belief that all sounds are beautiful comes through over and over. Cage wanted sounds conventionally considered noise to be heard as music. The illustrator was captivated by the idea of making sounds visual; the art throughout the book flows, grows, and startles just as Cage’s music did. His mix of neon colors with muted tones invites readers to change how they hear music and to listen to all sounds with new appreciation.