As Slow as Possible

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This article is about the music. For the GIF of a similar name, see AS Long As Possible (ASLAP).
Sankt-Burchardi-Church in Halberstadt, Germany.

Organ2/ASLSP has been playing in Halberstadt for

19 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 6 days

Organ2/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible) is a musical piece by John Cage and the subject of one of the longest-lasting musical performances yet undertaken. Cage wrote it in 1987 for organ, as an adaptation of his 1985 composition ASLSP for piano. A performance of the piano version usually lasts 20 to 70 minutes.[1]

An organ in St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt in 2001 began a performance that is due to end in 2640. The next note will be played on 5th February 2022.

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.

Performances[]

Diane Luchese played Organ2/ASLSP from 8:45 am to 11:41 pm on February 5, 2009, at Towson University. This 14-hour-56-minute performance, in strict adherence to the score's temporal proportions, is the longest documented individual performance of the piece.[2] Stephen Whittington performed an 8-hour version of ASLSP on the Elder Hall organ for John Cage Day 2012 at the University of Adelaide.[3][4][5][6] Organists Patrick Wedd, Adrian Foster, and Alex Ross gave a 12-hour team performance at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal, in 2015. Daniel Cooper gave a 12-hour performance in Knox Church to mark the Southern Hemisphere's Winter solstice in 2019.[7]

Halberstadt performance[]

The bellows used for the Halberstadt performance.
The organ used for the 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, in 1361, and the proposed start date of 2000.[8] The Foundation sells plaques commemorating the years through 2640 to fund the performance.[9][10]

The instrument[]

An organ was built specifically for the performance.[11] It is in the church's right transept, with the bellows in the left transept.

Acrylic glass encases it to reduce the volume.[12]

Performance[]

The Halberstadt performance started on September 5, 2001, with a rest lasting until February 5, 2003, when the first chord played.[13][14] Sandbags depress the organ's pedals to keep the maintain the notes.[1] 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.[15] On July 5, 2012 two more organ pipes were taken out, and two were in the organ. The note changed on September 5, 2020.[16] The performance is scheduled to end on September 5, 2640.

John Cage Organ2/ASLSP (639 years, part 1)[17]
Impulse Action Notes Date Chord
length
1 Begin none September 5, 2001
2 Sound G♯4, B4, G♯5 February 5, 2003 518 d
3 Sound E3, E4 July 5, 2004 516 d
4 Release G♯4, B4 July 5, 2005 365 d
5 Sound A4, C5, F♯5 January 5, 2006 184 d
6 Release E3, E4 May 5, 2006 120 d
7 Sound C4, A♭4 July 5, 2008 792 d
8 Release C4 November 5, 2008 123 d
9 Sound D4, E5 February 5, 2009 92 d
10 Release E5 July 5, 2010 515 d
11 Release D4, G♯5 February 5, 2011 215 d
12 Sound C4 (16′), D♭4 (16′) August 5, 2011 181 d
Release A♭4
13 Release A4, C5, F♯5 July 5, 2012 335 d
14 Sound D♯4, A♯4, E5 October 5, 2013 457 d
15 Sound G♯3, E4 September 5, 2020 2,527 d
16 Release G♯3 February 5, 2022 518 d
17 Sound D4 February 5, 2024 730 d
18 Sound A4 August 5, 2026 912 d
19 Release E4 October 5, 2027 426 d
20 Sound G3 April 5, 2028 183 d
21 Release D4 August 5, 2028 122 d
22 Release A4 March 5, 2030 577 d
23 Release D♯4, E5 September 5, 2030 184 d
24 Release G3 May 5, 2033 973 d
25 Sound B3 December 5, 2033 214 d
26 Sound F3, D4 August 5, 2034 243 d
27 Release F3, D4 September 5, 2034 31 d
28 Release B3 October 5, 2034 30 d
29 Sound D♭5 June 5, 2035 243 d
30 Sound A2 (16′) September 5, 2037 823 d
Release D♭5
31 Sound A♭4, A♭5 March 5, 2038 181 d
32 Release A♭5 July 5, 2038 122 d
33 Release A♭4 May 5, 2039 304 d
Impulse Action Notes Date Chord
length
34 Sound D4, A♭4 December 5, 2039 214 d
35 Release D4, A♭4 April 5, 2040 122 d
36 Sound D♭3, B♭3 January 5, 2041 275 d
37 Release D♭3, B♭3 March 5, 2042 424 d
38 Release A2 (16′) November 5, 2043 610 d
39 Sound A3, D4 July 5, 2044 243 d
40 Sound E4 March 5, 2045 243 d
Release A♯4
41 Sound B4, C5, A♯5 March 5, 2046 365 d
42 Release C4 (16′), B4, C5, A♯5 October 5, 2047 579 d
43 Sound C3 (16′) February 5, 2049 489 d
44 Sound D♯4, A4 April 5, 2050 424 d
45 Release A3, D4, E4 February 5, 2051 306 d
46 Release D♯4, A4 November 5, 2051 273 d
47 Sound E♭3, B3 May 5, 2053 547 d
48 Release C3 (16′) November 5, 2054 549 d
49 Release E♭3, B3 July 5, 2056 608 d
50 Sound B♭4 August 5, 2057 396 d
51 Sound A2 (16′) May 5, 2058 273 d
52 Release A2 (16′) November 5, 2059 549 d
53 Sound G♭4, C5, D♭5 April 5, 2060 152 d
54 Release G♭4, C5, D♭5 June 5, 2060 61 d
55 Sound E4 November 5, 2060 153 d
Release B♭4
56 Sound B4, C5, E♭5, C6 February 5, 2061 92 d
57 Release C5, E♭5, C6 April 5, 2061 59 d
58 Sound D4 September 5, 2061 153 d
Release E4
59 Sound A♯3, D♯4, F♯4 August 5, 2062 334 d
60 Release A♯3, F♯4 February 5, 2064 549 d
61 Sound A3, A4 January 5, 2067 1,065 d
Release D♯4
62 Release D4 June 5, 2067 151 d
63 Release A2, A4 July 5, 2068 396 d
64 Release D♭4 (16′) March 5, 2071 973 d
65 Release B4 July 5, 2071 122 d

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b 'World's longest concert' resumes, Steve Rosenberg, BBC News (2008-07-05). Accessed 2008-07-05.
  2. ^ "The Towerlight, Fifteen hours at the organ". Media.www.thetowerlight.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
  3. ^ "Stephen Whittington: Musical Renewal". RealTime. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  4. ^ "News and Events". J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  5. ^ "John Cage Day, Wednesday 5th September 2012". Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  6. ^ "John Cage Day Celebrated in Adelaide with Free Concert in Elder Hall". Herald Sun Newspaper. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  7. ^ "John Cage: Organ2 / ASLSP". Music Canterbury. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  8. ^ First notes for 639-year composition, BBC News (2003-02-05). Accessed 2008-07-05.
  9. ^ Gonsher, Aaron. "A Visit to John Cage's 639-Year Organ Composition". redbullmusicacademy.com.
  10. ^ Bekker, Henk. "Hear John Cage's Slowest Piece of Music in the World in Halberstadt". european-traveler.com.
  11. ^ "Sankt Burchardi Church Organ". atlasobscura.com. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  12. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaABvYVfiuA
  13. ^ "News - John-Cage-Orgelprojekt Halberstadt". www.aslsp.org. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  14. ^ "the Halberstadt event website". John-cage.halberstadt.de. 2004-11-19. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
  15. ^ "One Thousand Hear Change of Note in World's Longest Concert". Deutsche Welle. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
  16. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW3FP_atp1w&t=12660
  17. ^ "Klangwechsel - John-Cage-Orgelprojekt Halberstadt". www.aslsp.org. Retrieved 2019-12-08.

External links[]

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