JOHN CAGE’S ENTANGLEMENT WITH THE IDEAS OF COOMARASWAMY Edward James Crooks PhD University of York Music July 2011 John Cage’s Entanglement with the Ideas of Coomaraswamy by Edward Crooks Abstract The American composer John Cage was famous for the expansiveness of his thought. In particular, his borrowings from ‘Oriental philosophy’ have directed the critical and popular reception of his works. But what is the reality of such claims? In the twenty years since his death, Cage scholars have started to discover the significant gap between Cage’s presentation of theories he claimed he borrowed from India, China, and Japan, and the presentation of the same theories in the sources he referenced. The present study delves into the circumstances and contexts of Cage’s Asian influences, specifically as related to Cage’s borrowings from the British-Ceylonese art historian and metaphysician Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. In addition, Cage’s friendship with the Jungian mythologist Joseph Campbell is detailed, as are Cage’s borrowings from the theories of Jung. Particular attention is paid to the conservative ideology integral to the theories of all three thinkers. After a new analysis of the life and work of Coomaraswamy, the investigation focuses on the metaphysics of Coomaraswamy’s philosophy of art. The phrase ‘art is the imitation of nature in her manner of operation’ opens the doors to a wide- ranging exploration of the mimesis of intelligible and sensible forms. Comparing Coomaraswamy’s ‘Traditional’ idealism to Cage’s radical epistemological realism demonstrates the extent of the lack of congruity between the two thinkers. In a second chapter on Coomaraswamy, the extent of the differences between Cage and Coomaraswamy are revealed through investigating their differing approaches to rasa , the Renaissance, tradition, ‘art and life’, and museums. So why have such discrepancies – and related Orientalisms – frequently been ignored and furthered in writings on Cage? Utilizing the theories of Edward Said, the final chapter analyses Cage’s writings and writings on Cage to reveal the operation of Orientalism in Cage studies. 2 Abstract 2 Contents 3 Dedication 6 Acknowledgements 7 Introduction 9 Chapter 1. John Cage 14 1.1. Youth 14 1.2. 1930s and 1940s 18 1.3 1950s 28 1.4 Cage in Europe in the 1950s 34 1.5 1960s 38 1.6 The Seventies to the Nineties 42 1.7 Of Hummingbirds and Sacred Cows 46 1.8 Is There ‘Trouble In the John Cage Studies Paradise’? 49 Chapter 2. Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy 54 2.1 Early Life and Young Adulthood 54 2.2 The Perfect Morris Home 58 2.3 A War on Suet Puddings 62 2.4 Endings and Beginnings 66 2.5 Beginnings and Endings 68 2.6 Rage Against the Dying of the Light 71 2.7 Traditional Ideology 82 Chapter 3. Joseph Campbell and John Cage 86 3.1 Joseph Campbell 87 3.1.1 Campbell’s Development 87 3.1.2 Jung, Campbell and ‘Eastern Philosophy’ 91 3.1.3 Campbell and Bollingen 95 3.1.4 Problematizing Campbell 96 3.2 Cage and Campbell 100 3 3.2.1 A Friendship 100 3.2.2 History of Cage’s Readings 102 3.3 Cage and Jung 104 3.3.1 Nancy Wilson Ross, Jung, and Cage 104 3.3.2 Jung’s The Integration of the Personality 107 3.4 Traces of Campbell and Jung in Cage’s Compositions and Texts 109 3.4.1 Rasa in Amores (1943) and Arthurian Myth in The 109 Perilous Night (1943-4). 3.4.2 Individuation in ‘A Composers Confessions’ (1948) 111 3.4.3 The Story of the Prince and the Shaggy Nag 112 3.4.4 Heroes in the ‘Lecture on Something’ (1951 or later) 114 3.4.5 The Deep Sleep of ‘Indeterminacy’ (1958) 116 Chapter 4. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and John Cage 1: The Imitation 120 of Nature 4.1 Ars imitatur naturam in sua operatione 122 4.1.1 Origins of the Quotation: Plato 123 4.1.2 Origins of the Quotation: Aristotle 127 4.1.3 Between Aristotle and Aquinas 131 4.1.4 Origins of the Quotation: St. Thomas Aquinas 133 4.1.5 Coomaraswamy’s Interpretation of the Phrase 139 4.1.6 Cage’s Interpretation and Use of the Phrase 147 4.2 The Nature of Nature and the Nature of the Self 152 4.2.1 The Imitation of Nature after Aquinas 152 4.2.2 Ruskin and the Nature of Nature 157 4.2.3 Emerson and the Nature of the Self 166 Chapter 5. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and John Cage 2: Beyond Imitation 176 5.1 Rasa 176 5.1.1 Coomaraswamy’s Depiction of Rasa 176 5.1.2 Traditional Sources 179 5.1.3 Rasa 183 5.1.4 Cage’s Depiction of Rasa 187 4 5.1.5 Cage’s Later Additions and Solo for Voice 58 from 193 the Song Books (1970) 5.1.6 Postscript 196 5.2 The Renaissance, Tradition, Art and Life, and Museums 199 5.2.1 ‘a Renaissance question’ 200 5.2.2 ‘the traditional reason…’ 216 5.2.3 ‘art when it is… life’ 221 5.2.4 ‘Museums… are ways of preserving’ 235 5.3 A Close-reading of ‘Defense of Satie’ (1948) 237 Conclusion 241 Chapter 6. John Cage and Orientalism 245 6.1 Edward Said, Orientalism , and Postcolonialism 245 6.2 Cage and Orientalism 250 6.3 Expertise 253 6.4 Dialectics 257 6.5 Power/Knowledge and Representation 267 Conclusion 282 Abbreviations 286 References 287 Pinyin → Wade-Giles conversion table 330 5 Dedicated to my mother, Sue Crooks, for reasons she will understand! And to my grandfather, Thomas Slator (1921-2004), for the theological example. 6 Acknowledgements My research has benefited from the generosity of numerous individuals to whom I would like to extend my thanks. Firstly, to my supervisor, William Brooks, for his guidance and encouragement. David Nicholls and Neil Sorrell, who examined my thesis, were similarly encouraging and provided valuable comments. I must also thank Neil for discussions, hilarious stories, and putting up with my attempts to learn to play Gamelan Sekar Pethak. Nye Parry, Fil Ieropoulos, and James Lythgoe all kindly read and commented on the text; my thinking on the subjects discussed has also benefited from past conversations with both Nye and Fil. I have also benefited from conversations with Jenny Doctor, Jonathan Driskell, and Deniz Ertan. At the University of York Department of Music, grateful thanks are particularly due to Gilly Howe for ably rescuing me from a number of potential administrative disasters. Finally, for graciously answering queries, thanks to Steven Heine, Kyle Gann, George E. Lewis, David Patterson, John Potter, V. Ramanathan, and Daniel Wolf. Needless to say, I alone am responsible for any factual or interpretative errors that may remain in this thesis. A work of interdisciplinary investigation, such as this, relies on the work of numerous other scholars. I am in the debt of all those writers whose work is referenced or quoted from. For some of the scholars whose work I have critiqued, the thesis that follows might seem a peculiar way of repaying that debt. I hope they will forgive the approach that I have taken. On the subject of research and knowledge, thanks are due to the interlibrary lending team at the Library of the University of York and the numerous libraries that have supplied material through that service. Likewise, I wish to thank the helpful and welcoming archivists and librarians who have assisted me while researching in the holdings of the Archive Centre, King’s College, Cambridge; the British Library; the Harry Ransom Center, the University of Texas at Austin; and New York Public Library. The research and writing of this thesis was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. It was also supported by funding from Sue and Terry Crooks and the University of York Department of Music. I am grateful to all four for their support, without which this thesis could not have been written. Just as importantly, thanks are due to family and friends who supported me in personal ways: my parents, Sue and Terry Crooks, for everything they have done; and Joanna Biggs, Finlay Chalmers, Mike DiMuzio, Tom Gatti, Ben Humphrys, David Mace, 7 Philippa Moore, Philip Oltermann, Claire Pollard, and Tom Schoon for their friendship and support. For making my house a home and facilitating the writing of this thesis in all sorts of ways, thanks to Michael Elworthy: “braaow”. Finally, for being there through my various researches on Cage, all the companion animals who daily bring joy to my life: the goats, Ramsey, Charlie (†), Mutti, Delle, Rossetti (†), Janey, Topsy, Billy (†), Bertie, Bassey, and Raïsa; sheep, Comfort and Grace; cats, Millie and Malachi; and ferrets, Calogen and Nicogen. This thesis is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Each year the AHRC provides funding from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities. Only applications of the highest quality are funded and the range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. For further information on the AHRC, please go to: www.ahrc.ac.uk. 8 Introduction The present thesis has two key protagonists. The first is the American composer, writer, and artist John Cage (1912-92). The second is the British-Ceylonese art historian and metaphysician Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877-1947). What their connection is to each other will be discussed in due course. At first glance, the title of this thesis might appear straightforward – even perhaps bland.