John Cage (1912–1992) was an influential American composer and music theorist, widely recognized for his pioneering contributions to experimental music. Early in his career, Cage gained attention for his innovative percussion works, such as First Construction (in Metal) (1939), which explored new sounds through unconventional instruments and extended techniques. His interest in chance operations and indeterminacy later led to groundbreaking pieces like 4'33", reshaping the landscape of 20th-century music and challenging traditional ideas of composition and performance.