John Cage: Organ playing 639-year-long piece changes chord
www.bbc.com
Composed by avant-garde artist John Cage, the piece is expected to play in Germany until the year 2640.
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/sur3man on 2024-06-17 22:46:48+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that the longest musical performance in history is being held in a church in Germany, and it’s set to last 639 years. The piece, “As Slow As Possible” by John Cage, began in 2001 and will end in 2640.

  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    1•5 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    The longest - and slowest - music composition in existence had a big day on Monday - it changed chord for the first time in two years.

    Crowds gathered at a church in Germany to witness the rare moment, which is part of an artistic feat by avant-garde composer John Cage.

    Volunteers added another pipe into the mechanical organ to create the new sound, at the Burchardi Church in the German town of Halberstadt.

    Some people reportedly booked tickets years in advance to experience Monday’s chord change.

    But subsequent performances, including a 2009 rendition by organist Diane Luchese, lasted 14 hours and 56 minutes.

    For practical reasons, the mechanical organ was designed, using an electronic wind machine to push air into the pipes, while sand bags press down the keys to create the drone-like sound.

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