No no. See, as he was growing as a composer, Cage went into an anechoic chamber, during which according to him, the only things he could hear were his breathing, his pulse, and
his nervous system (a high hum sound).
Eventually over his lifespan, until he died, he created many new philosophies on what sound and music are. In an interview he stated that "Music is like someone trying to tell you their feelings in a conversation" but that "Just noise itself are actors playing their own parts". What good is it to listen to what someone else has to say when there's an entire world of sound expressing itself right before you?
4'33" is mostly a philosophical piece, not only due to his intentions of getting you to listen to the world of sound around you, but also to get you to realize that music is more than the organization of sound; it's the organization of silence too. Additionally, he composed a second piece in the same vein called 0'00", which was written for Toshi Ichiyanagi and Yoko Ono. Essentially the score says to perform a deliberate action in a small but amplified space. Cage himself performed this piece in a museum once, typing out pages on a type writer, and drinking a glass of water; all which were amplified to show what sounds even his body made.
I would say as an avant-garde composer, he truly pushed the boundries of what music really is, both at an academic level and a philosophical level.
Also just to dedicate an awesome piece to the ever-growing repitoire here, listen to
Le tombeau de Couperin by Ravel (The piano version (came first), not the orchestral version! In the orchestral version Ravel omitted two movements). I would say my favorite movement of them all is probably
mvmt. VI Tocatta (not a great recording sound-quality-wise, but you can at least follow along with the music if you know how). It just shows off some of the incredible idiomatic writing Ravel was capable of.
If anyone wants some hardcore knowledge on music or music history, particular composers, events that shaped time periods, why is the 20th century so different, the evolution of American music, etc., feel free to PM me. I did my undergrad and am doing my masters in music, and to even graduate and get into those programs, i'm required to have an extensive knowledge of music history and tons of information on what's contained therein.
Also for you Debussy lovers, probably his most popular prelude (by performance) is
La Cathedral Engloutie.
If you guys want some of the top-tier 20th century music to listen to, I highly recommend Piere Lunaire (Schoenberg) and Quartet for the End of Time (Messiaen).
Also, in the conservatory/classically trained world, we call the music we study "Art Music" and everything else that doesn't fit into that category is "Popular Music" or "Pop Music", which allows a much easier definition. Then after that distinction is made, then we go by era, genre, country, and sub-genre, until you can categorize it almost no further (to a very extreme extent).
