On Monday, a note will be played on an organ in a church in Germany, advancing a musical piece whose first note was struck in 2001 and whose final tone won’t be heard until 2640.
Musicians at a medieval church in Germany are making sure they honor the wishes of composer John Cage to keep the tempo of the piece “as slow as possible,” according to The Conversation.
The concert began in 2001 at the St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany, about 133 miles southwest of Berlin, and is not scheduled to conclude until 2640, some 639 years later.
Though Cage, who died in 1992, never said his work should take more than six centuries to complete, a group of musicians, theologians and others decided on the 639-year duration for the piece because it fit a nice story connected to the church.
According to the church, the group landed on the 639 years for the piece because in the early 2000s, the church’s organ celebrated its 639th anniversary at the church, according to the ASLSP web site.
When Cage first wrote the piece for piano in 1985, the tempo instruction was, “As slow as possible.” He then reworked it for the organ in 1987, and it became known as “Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow As Possible).”
The organ the piece is being played on is not a standard keyboard-operated instrument, according to The New York Times. Pipes tuned for the notes of the score are added or subtracted as required at each sound change, and the pedals that activate the pipes are held down by sandbags, the Times reported.
The organ emits a low meditative hum at all times. You can hear it on the ASLSP Web site.
On Monday, the current chord (C, D-flat, D-sharp, E, A-sharp and E) becomes (C, D-flat, D, D-sharp, E, A-sharp and E), meaning a D note will be added.
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