Son[i]a #166
James Pritchett
James Pritchett is a musicologist, writer, pianist and software designer. In 1992, he completed ‘The Music of John Cage’, the only critical survey of John Cage’s entire body of work that has been published. With its thorough research and insightful description of Cage’s thought, methodologies and compositions, it has become a key reference work for anybody interested in the work of this unique musician. Feeling out of place in the field of academic musicology, Pritchett decided to explore more creative ways of writing about music in articles, lectures and CD liner notes, always, as he says, trying “to tell a good story about the music.” He has also studied and written about the music of David Tudor and, more recently, Morton Feldman.
His curiosity about the processes of electronic music led Pritchett to teach himself programming, and he has designed the software for musical compositions and sound installations by his wife, the composer Frances White, as well as other musicians and artists.
Since 1999, he has worked as the Manager of Technology Developement at the National Headquarters of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic.
SON[I]A talks to James Pritchett about the work of John Cage, David Tudor and Morton Feldman, and the direct link between his way of studying, playing and writing about their music.
The Globe
The second episode of this series presents an overview of the sixties, starting with the world music collages of Richard Maxfield, Teiji Ito and Karlheinz Stockhausen, and following through to the impact of John Cage and Marshall McLuhan on the Beatles.
Tom Johnson
The minimalist composer Tom Johnson talks about his compositional methods, and the influence that John Cage and Morton Feldman had upon it.
Bartomeu Marí and Julia Robinson talk about the exhibition "The Anarchy of Silence. John Cage and Experimental Art"
Carmen Pardo