John Cage: Crowds flock to hear song change chord for first time in seven years

Fans have flocked to a church in Germany to hear a chord change in a song which lasts for 639 years.

It is the first key change to ‘As Slow As Possible’ in seven years.

The song by avant-garde composer, John Cage, is the world’s longest and slowest piece of music.

The piece began 19 years ago with a pause lasting nearly 18 months. The change of chord took place on the specially-built organ on which the composition is being performed.

The Saint Burchardi Church in the city of Halberstadt started playing the song in 2001 and the last note change took place in 2013.

The score is made up of eight pages of music, to be played at the piano or organ – very slowly.

But the wait for the next scheduled chord change will be quick in comparison – with 5 February 2022 slated as the date.

The song will end in 2640.

Cage, who passed away in 1992 at the age of 79, wrote the piece in the 1980s.

The composer is arguably most famous for 4’33”, which is simply made up of four minutes and 33 seconds of silence.