Experimental Music Cage And Beyond

Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond by Michael Nyman, first published in 1974, explores the post-war experimental music tradition associated with John Cage. It presents experimental music as an alternative to the mainstream avant-garde represented by composers such as Boulez, Berio, and Stockhausen. The book highlights how once-marginalized ideas in experimental music went on to influence contemporary composers and musical practices. Steve Reich praised Nyman’s work for combining extensive information with a sensitive understanding of the ideas and concerns of the composers he discussed.