ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on the disparate strands of the Cornelius Cardew story and offers a more holistic explanation of what might be considered to be a Cardew aesthetic. It examines the terms Cardewism and Cardewist as catch-all terms to represent all forms of music making, and those committed to such music making. The chapter demonstrates the essence of a Cardew aesthetic that is, the consistent qualities and characteristics that bind all of Cardew's work. It argues that Cardew belongs to what Bohlman categorises as others, but his legacy has begun to be assessed and analysed according to the not necessarily meaningful Western way. Bergeron and Bohlman bring together a collection of essays that discuss and challenge notions of canonisation resulting in an informed assessment of the phenomenon: the concept of canon as commonly understood in musicology suggests both an object and the act of determining what that object is.
