As Slow as Possible

History

The Friends of the Maryland Summer Institute for the Creative and Performing Arts commissioned the piece for contemporary requirement of a piano competition. Cage used an open format to ensure no two performances would be the same, and give judges a break from the consistency of most compositions. The score is eight pages.

Record performances

*On March 8, 2022, Dr. Christopher Anderson performed what was believed to be a record-breaking 16-hour in-person public performance of ASLSP/2 at Perkins Chapel, Southern Methodist University, from 6am to 10pm. (Unbeknownst to other parties, a livestream of the work was happening around the same time on a podcast). The work was lived streamed and also had a large public attendance in person. The effort was undertaken in coordination with Bridwell Library at SMU, which hosted an accompanying John Cage-honored festival called the "Festival of Form", that featured other concerts of Cage and Cage-affiliated composers, a special collections exhibit with Cage manuscripts, and even a "Dinner in the Dark" at Bridwell Library, composed of all-mushroom dishes and recordings of Cage reciting haiku poetry.

**After several organists recognized the growing interest in ASLSP/2, and the desire to “stretch” the piece to its human limits, Dr. Anderson joined Goldman Professor of Organ, Kimberly Marshall at Arizona State University with Diane Luchese (Towson University) and ASU alumnus Alexander Meszler (DMA ’20) who now teaches at Luther College, to perform ASLSP/2 for 8 full days, 24 hours a day in 6-hour shifts. The 8 days, coming in at 192 hours total, now stands as the record for human group effort public performance. It lasted from January 7 (noon time, Tempe, AZ) to January 15 (noon time, Tempe, AZ) at the ASU Organ Hall.

Halberstadt performance

Background

Musicians and philosophers discussed Cage's instruction to play "as slow as possible" at a conference in 1997, because a properly maintained pipe organ could sound indefinitely. The John Cage Organ Foundation Halberstadt decided to play the piece for 639 years, to mark the time between the first documented permanent organ installation in Halberstadt Cathedral, circa 1361, and the originally proposed start date of 2000. Because of a lack of money, the date was postponed by one year. The chord changes of the first part which ends in 2072 were calculated by Christoph Bossert and Rainer O. Neugebauer. Until August 2021 the Foundation sold plaques commemorating the years through 2640 to fund the performance.

The instrument

An organ was built specifically for the performance. It is in the church's right transept, with the bellows in the left transept.

In 2011, the organ was encased in acrylic glass to reduce the volume, likely due to potential noise complaints.

Performance

The Halberstadt performance started on September 5, 2001, with a rest lasting until February 5, 2003, when the first pipes played. Sandbags depress the organ's pedals to maintain the notes. On July 5, 2008, two more organ pipes were added alongside the four already installed and the tone became more complex at 15:33 local time. The bellows provide a constant supply of air to keep the pipes playing. On July 5, 2012, two more organ pipes were taken out, and two were in the organ. The note last changed on February 5, 2024. The performance is scheduled to end on September 4, 2640.

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References

References

1. (February 4, 2024). "'There's a certain madness to it' … fans await new chord in John Cage gig with 616 years left to run". The Observer.
2. Rosenberg, Steve. (July 5, 2008). "'World's longest concert' resumes".
3. (March 7, 2025). "francesco pio: As Slow As Possible Part 1 - 25-hour". YouTube.
4. (February 13, 2022). "AllRequest: As Slow As Possible 24 Hour Performance". YouTube.
5. "Carson Chan on John Cage's 639-Year Performance". Frieze.
6. "Meszler completes 24-hour organ performance". Driftless Journal.
7. "The Towerlight, Fifteen hours at the organ". Media.www.thetowerlight.com.
8. "John Cage ASLSP".
9. "Bridwell Library & Perkins School of Theology Announces A Festival of Form".
10. "Organ Series: John Cage’s “Organ2/ASLSP” {{!}} ASU Events".
11. (February 5, 2003). "First notes for 639-year composition".
12. Gonsher, Aaron. "A Visit to John Cage's 639-Year Organ Composition".
13. "Alle Stiftertafeln sind vergeben".
14. "Sankt Burchardi Church Organ". atlasobscura.com.
15. (July 30, 2009). "5 Min 48 sek von 639 Jahren: JOHN CAGE ORGAN 2 / ASLSP IN HALBERSTADT".
16. "News – John-Cage-Orgelprojekt Halberstadt".
17. (November 19, 2004). "the Halberstadt event website". John-cage.halberstadt.de.
18. (July 5, 2008). "One Thousand Hear Change of Note in World's Longest Concert". [[Deutsche Welle]].
19. "Klangwechsel – John-Cage-Orgelprojekt Halberstadt".