{"product_id":"nothing-john-cage-and-433-9780823454099","title":"Nothing: John Cage and 4'33","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat does nothing sound like? An offbeat history of John Cage's 4'33\", a musical composition of blank bars, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOne night in 1952, master pianist David Tudor took the stage in a barnlike concert hall called the Maverick. A packed audience waited with bated breath for him to start playing. Little did they know that the performance had already begun. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA rain patters.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA tree rustles.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn audience stirs. \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDavid was performing John Cage's 4'33\", whose purpose is to amplify the ambient sounds of whatever venue it inhabits. That shocking first performance earned 4'33\" plenty of haters; and yet the piece endures, \"performed\" by the smallest garage bands and the grandest symphonies alike, year after year. Its fans hear what John Cage hoped we would hear: \"Nothing\" is never silent, and you don't need a creative genius, a concert hall, or even a piano to hear something worthwhile. All you have to do is stop and listen. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNicholas Day's text is reverent with a healthy drop of humor, warm and refined; two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka's childlike pencil-on-watercolor artwork is uninhibited and electrifying, with all the visionary spirit of the work it chronicles. Guaranteed to spark generative thought and lively debate among readers of all ages, \u003ci\u003eNothing\u003c\/i\u003e is not to be missed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNicholas Day\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Mona Lisa Vanishes\u003c\/i\u003e, a middle-grade\u003cbr\u003ebook of narrative nonfiction about the theft of the Mona Lisa. For adults, he's the author of \u003ci\u003eBaby Meets World\u003c\/i\u003e, a work about the science and history of infancy, which Mary Roach called \"a perfect book.\" He lives in Western Massachusetts with his family. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eChris Raschka \u003c\/b\u003eis the Caldecott-Medal-winning and Hans Christian Andersen Award-nominated author and illustrator of dozens of books for young readers, including \u003ci\u003eThe Hello, Goodbye Window\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Ball for Daisy\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eYo! Yes?\u003c\/i\u003e He is also a violinist. He lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Neal Porter Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50583128506642,"sku":"9780823454099","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_db5e9036-5e9d-44fd-8e04-f9bf21e08883.jpg?v=1732026161","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/nothing-john-cage-and-433-9780823454099","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}