Entry 8: Independent Research, Philip Glass

Philip Glass is a modern minimalist composer who is widely believed to be one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He is a composer in our modern times that cannot be over looked, his impact on music, particularly his innovations in scoring music have changed a lot of what we hear today. What makes his creations so unique is his use of instrumentation. When you think of orchestral music you think of the long violins, the big horns, the thumping timpani's, the drastic changes, etc ,and all though Glass doesn't shy too far these classic ideas, his music touches on classical orchestration in a new way. Using what he describes  as "music with repetitive structures", Glass layers simplistic music in large numbers, instruments often only playing one to three notes in a bar or sequence repeating over and over again for long periods of time.  If you listen to his piece 'Rubric' off of 'Glassworks' you will notice just how simple the parts of the woodwinds and horns are but how amazingly intricate the layering of the part are. Its almost like looking at immaculately weaved rug. All the little threads are just one color each, so simple, but when you step back and see them all together they make this beautiful design. I touched on it early, but another innovation of Philip Glasses music is its long pieces and long repetitions. Throughout his pieces its strange to notice that things will play over and over for extended periods with only very slight changes in notes that completely change the feel of the piece. Compared to a lot of popular orchestral pieces that seem to thrive in their drastic and often changes in the music, Glass's pieces seem to thrive in the opposite. They sit in rhythm for long periods and draw you in almost in a trance. If you listen to 'In the Upper Room: Dance IX', the piece is actually the same basic pattern for the entire eight minute song and he just applies different instrument and rhythm variations on top of the basic pattern for the entire piece. Its these basic seeming music elements used to fashion such beautiful music that really inspires me. It seems like we're trapped in a world of skill these days. You go on youtube and all you find are 6 year old virtuoso's and long haired metal shredders. Everyone is obsessed with playing as many notes as possible as fast as possible and there isn't a focus on the music anymore. Things don't have to be complex to be beautiful, its about the composition, not the instrument skill. You're never going to inspire emotion in someone by playing five hundred notes a second, especially if you don't understand this.