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The Thread to 2640
An Eyewitness Account of the 17th Sound Change in the John Cage Organ Project in Halberstadt
What happened on August 5, 2026, at 3 p.m.?
A new note was added. An a′ joined the sound. The previous seven-note chord became an eight-note chord. [GERMAN VERSION: HERE]
At first, this does not sound like an event that people will still be reading about more than 600 years from now. Yet that is precisely what might happen — once the performance has come to an end.
I am not speaking of Cologne Cathedral, whose construction took more than 600 years. I am speaking of another construction, one that may ultimately surpass the cathedral in significance: the rediscovery of minimalism — indeed, of Dadaism — in music. This music that has nothing to do with works generated by Suno. Music whose continued existence GEMA does not need to fight for.
By those 600 years, I mean John Cage’s work ORGAN²/ASLSP — As SLow aS Possible — whose performance continued at St Burchardi Church in Halberstadt on August 5, 2026. The performance began in 2001 and is scheduled to end on September 4, 2640. The change “From 7 to 8” was the project’s 17th sound change. The newly added a′ is expected to continue sounding until 2030.
