John Cage is a modern American composer who is probably the most controversial musician of all time. Born in 1912 in Los Angeles, California, no one, not even Cage himself, thought he would become a composer. But he wanted to create from a very young age. He used these desires to later create some of the most revolutionary music of the century. But how did Cage start writing music? What is so revolutionary about his music? Cage was born into an Episcopalian family, and when he was young he considered becoming a minister. His father was an eccentric inventor of objects that seemed ridiculous and, frankly, useless. But Cage always admired him, and his father once told him, "If someone says you can't, that shows you what to do." » (1) Cage describes his mother as a woman with "a sense of society" (1) but also adds that she was "never happy". She was a very critical and picky woman, but her father said she was always right. Cage took piano lessons as a child and when he was old enough he went to Pomona College. An incident during his sophomore year completely changed his life. One day he walked into the library and saw all the students reading the same textbook. Cage decided to rebel and chose the first book written by an author whose name began with Z. He then received the highest grade in the entire class and, convinced that the school was not run properly, he left university and went to Europe. . This is where his work as a musician truly began. For the rest of his life, Cage created music. He took piano lessons from several different composers for a few years, but gave up after a while because he had no sense of harmony. It was at this point in his career that he was drawn to percussion instruments ... middle of paper ... and his nervous system was working and the worst part was his blood flowing. Awareness of the impossibility of silence led Cage to compose his most famous piece, 4' 33", in which the musician sits at the piano in silence, lifting and closing the lid from time to time while watching a timer. Cage said after his experience in the anechoic chamber: "Until I die, there will be sounds. And they will continue after I die. There is no need to worry about the future of the. music. (1) Works cited: 1. Cage, John. “John Cage: An Autobiographical Statement.” . “The World Book Encyclopedia”. World Book, Inc., 1991. Print. “John Cage Biography”. biographybase.com/biography/Cage_John.html