John Cage
Composer
John Milton Cage, Jr. (1912–1992) was an American composer, music theorist, writer, and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde.
Cage is largely credited with the establishment of experimentalism as a style in the 1950s, he was a great inspiration for conceptualist artists in the 1960s, and his music and pedagogical methods were central to the emergence of minimalism in the 1960s and after. Cage’s importance extends beyond the field of music, and artists today working in film, literature, dance, theater, and the visual and performance art fields point to Cage as a formative figure. His impact is partially due his collaboration with influential figures in these various fields and partially due to his renown as an author, poet, and visual artist, in addition to his significance as a composer.