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probably tinnitus, the hissing-like noise sometimes

referred to as a “ringing in the ears.” It is a fairly common

condition that can be brought on by exposure to exces-

sively loud noise. Cage’s tinnitus may have always been

in the background of his awareness, but the relative

silence of the chamber brought it to the fore.)

Both episodes led Cage to understand that even if one

tried to remove all sources of sensory stimulation—in

his case sound—an unextinguishable amount of

perceptible sensory content would exist nonetheless.

The human mind, it seems, tends to seek differentia-

tion even in ostensible sameness. Thus reassured,

Cage set to work on an art piece that employed (and

was about) the absence of intentional sound. He titled

it “4' 33".”

The first performance of “4' 33"” occurred on a warm,