Is it sad that I’ve actually got a copy of this on my iPod?

Back in the days of year 11, I studied 3/4 Music Performance, and a small part of it was to learn how to do music analysis. So, I’m going to attempt to analyze this piece. Here we go:

In this piece, there is a possibility of a variety of instruments, ranging from one piano to a whole orchestra. However, the true instrument that will always be used is ambience. The use of ambience can vary between many different ways in this song. It all depends on the context that you listen in. Different contexts can evoke different emotions, depending on the energy it resonates. If a one listens to it whilst walking through a busy city, the energy, similar to an upbeat jazzy double bass riff, makes them feel a rush of excitement as they continue on with their day. However, if one listens to it in the safety of their own room, the silence can give them a relaxed feeling as warm energies flow through the area, as if they were listening to a slow and gentle ballet. In the context that it was first performed in, the audience experienced a slight discomfort as they were unsure of the what Cage’s intentions were, and what he were to do next.

This was a little difficult to analyze, since there was no specific way it should be interpreted. In music analysis, we’re supposed to focus on the range on instruments, the way they’re played and how they pace the music, and the emotional response they evoke. But with millions of different possible interpretations, it’s not really that easy to just generalize.