Wes Crone:

>Well, not to sound sarcastic but, I have hear 4'33" every 4 minutes and 33
>seconds that I'm walking to class or walking out to my car in the parking
>lot or what have you.  I even can hear 4'33" while I'm heading to the lobby
>for some Reese's.

Exactly.

>Why should I have to sit and watch some "perfformers" when I can hear the
>piece on my way to the snack-bar or anywhere else for that matter.

So you can hear it again.  Remember, it will be different each time you
hear it.

>Remember, 4'33" streeses the music which is all around us, all the time.
>Why not have a Butterfinger and enjoy the music even more?

Why not indeed? But to answer Wes's real question: Why is this a concert
piece? It's a concert piece, because a concert provides a "frame" for the
experience.  The frame influences the perception of that experience.  In
this sense, 4'33" is akin to the Dadaists hanging a urinal in a gallery.
The gallery frame gives new meaning to a familiar object.

I hasten to add, however, that if I never encounter 4'33" again, I will not
have died unfulfilled.

Steve Schwartz