''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 Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, as an adaptation of his 1985 composition ''ASLSP'' for piano. A performance of the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

version usually lasts 20 to 70 minutes.'World's longest concert' resumes
Steve Rosenberg,

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

(2008-07-05). Accessed 2008-07-05. An organ in St. Burchardi church in

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bom ...

in 2001 began a performance that is due to end in 2640. The next note will be played on February 5, 2024.

History

The Friends of the

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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 Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

is eight pages.

Performances

Diane Luchese played ''Organ²/ASLSP'' from 8:45 am to 11:41 pm on February 5, 2009, at

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university ...

. This 14-hour-56-minute performance was the longest recorded individual performance until 2022.

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

and

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

channel 'AllRequest/ AllRequest_Live' performed an adapted version of ''ASLSP'' to a live audience for 24 hours, from 12:00am on February 4, 2022 to 12:00am on February 5, 2022.

Stephen Whittington Stephen Whittington (born 13 August 1953) is an Australian composer, pianist, teacher and writer of music. Biography Whittington was born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1953. He studied music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, where his ...

performed an 8-hour version of ''ASLSP'' on the Elder Hall organ for John Cage Day in 2012 at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on ...

. Organists Patrick Wedd, Adrian Foster, and Alex Ross gave a 12-hour team performance at Christ Church Cathedral,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, in 2015. Daniel Cooper gave a 12-hour performance in Knox Church to mark the Southern Hemisphere's

winter solstice The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winte ...

in 2019. Christopher Anderson gave a 16-hour performance, currently the second slowest performance and longest complete performance on record, on March 8, 2022 at Perkins Chapel on the campus of

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = " The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , pr ...

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 The Halberstadt Cathedral or Church of St Stephen and St Sixtus (german: Dom zu Halberstadt) is a Gothic church in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the episcopal see of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, established by Emperor Charlema ...

, in 1361, and the proposed start date of 2000.First notes for 639-year composition

(2003-02-05). Accessed 2008-07-05. The Foundation sells 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 A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...

in the left transept.

Acrylic glass Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylit ...

encases it to reduce the volume.

Performance

The Halberstadt performance started on September 5, 2001, with a rest lasting until February 5, 2003, when the first chord played.

Sandbag A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunkers, shielding gl ...

s depress the organ's pedals to maintain the notes. 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 changed on September 5, 2020. The performance is scheduled to end on September 5, 2640.

References

External links

Website of the Halberstadt event

Performance Today feature (

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from othe ...

), September 2003 * Recordings of a nine-hour performance of ''ASLSP'' a
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Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History Th ...

'', January 8, 2006
Website of the documentary film ''ASAP'' by Scott Smith

''The Washington Post''. November 21, 2011. {{Authority control 1987 compositions 27th century Compositions by John Cage Compositions for organ