'The Sound of Silence' may have prompted engaging harmonies from
Simon and Garfunkel - but a more literal appreciation of the absence
of noise has prompted one of the more curious copyright disputes of
modern times.
Mike Batt, the man behind the Wombles and Vanessa Mae, has put a
silent 60-second track on the album of his latest classical
chart-topping protégés, the Planets. This has enraged
representatives of the avant-garde, experimentalist composer John
Cage, who died in 1992. The silence on his group's album clearly
sounds uncannily like 4'33", the silence composed by Cage in his
prime.
Batt said last night: "I've received a letter on behalf of John
Cage's music publishers. I was in hysterics when I read their
letter."
"As my mother said when I told her, 'which part of the silence are
they claiming you nicked?'. They say they are claiming copyright on
a piece of mine called 'One Minute's Silence' on the Planets' album,
which I credit Batt/Cage just for a laugh. But my silence, not a
quotation from his silence."
By David Lister, Media and Culture Editor - The Guardian (UK)
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