John Cage born 5 September 1912 (d. 1992)John Milton Cage was an American experimental music composer, writer and visual artist. He is most widely known for his 1952 composition 4'33", whose three movements are performed without playing a single note.
Cage was an early composer of what he called 'chance music' — music where some elements are left to be decided by chance; he is also well known for his non-standard use of musical instruments and his pioneering exploration of electronic music. His works were sometimes controversial, but he is generally regarded as one of the most important composers of his era, especially in his raising questions about the definition of music.
Along with painters Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, John Cage and his life partner choreographer, Merce Cunningham became a part of a circle of young gay artists whose ideas challenged the macho, self-expressive Abstract Expressionists, who were to dominate the 1950s New York art scene. They developed an alternative creative process that has become the hallmark of post-modern art.
John Cage and Merce Cunningham's musical and romantic partnership was to last 54 years until Cage's death in 1992.