Philip Glass Half-Full
commentarymagazine.com
commentarymagazine.com
I had to look up the date on this piece because taking into account Glass's post 1995 (at the very latest) works, I couldn't disagree more with the conclusion and perhaps misunderstand the author's concept of melody.
Glass's distant history with melody is not particularly strong (although Façades is a good example of early melodic work), but his work has become more (and to choose a rather tricky term) "human" over the years. Reviews of Naqoyqatsi (both the movie soundtrack and the concerto it turned into) frequently cite its "melodic" nature and "lyrical melodic lines" (BBC Music) and it is far from the only modern Glass piece to adopt a melodic approach (his epic first Violin Concerto comes to mind). Heck, I'm sure I even saw Glass and Yo Yo Ma being interviewed about Naqoyqatsi and how it was designed for the cello to drive a powerful melody to counteract the technological nature of the movie (note that Koyaanisqatsi was the other way around - more 'mechnical' electronic music set to scenes of the natural world).
One problem some new to Glass can encounter is Glass's melodies frequently occur in lower registers on instruments that don't generally play melodies, particularly in his operas, leaving the traditionally melodic instruments to instead provide the rhythm. Appomattox provides modern examples of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J14flyMOQo
The first subject is exposed at 1:55, the second at 4:10, and both are in counterpoint around 5:10.
The bass, as you point out, also becomes quite melodic in the last minute, while providing harmony to the first subject.
The author of this article claims that he failed "to structure time in a profoundly meaningful way" and perhaps I don't understand what they are claiming but that clip alone did the opposite in a profound way for me. It actually unlocked in my young brain what music is made of.
I see a strong analogy between Glass's early works and Brian Eno's period starting with "Music For Elevators". They are both asking a fundamental question -- what is music "supposed to do?" -- and attempting to break down centuries of expectation, to build up a new way of communicating from the ground up.
Interestingly, both artists evolved from their early radical roots, re-introducing more approachable narrative tropes, to create a new hybrid style that melds hard-core minimalism with the desire for a storytelling arc. Often, they did so in collaboration.
Examples: Passages (Glass / Shankar), Achtung Baby (U2 / Eno)
You can hear the notes coming into and out of phase (over very long time periods) sometimes playing almost over the top of one another, and sometimes with silent spaces. Because of this, it has a sub rosa mathematical side.
Eno was influenced by Glass, but Glass is about a decade older.
I'm sure I've listened to that one record 200 times. I've found all of his music to be very rewarding over many years.
Incidentally, the article mentions John Adams in passing. I've found Adams' music to be more engaging and adventurous than Glass'. Adams is more of a West coast character, he's the composer in residence at the LA Phil and, earlier, at the SF Symphony. Highly recommended.
Solo Piano is an interesting example, though, because melodic or not, even if one were to write it off as a rather mechnical work (which as, on the page, it looks) when Glass plays it himself it becomes quite organic due to his imperfect and almost swaggering rhythm.
I can't fathom the concentration it takes to play some of the longer pieces off of Einstein etc. Let alone something like Reich's Piano Phase. Superhuman focus...
But I think people view music performance now much more than they ever viewed music performance prior and witnesses the actual act of performing is intrinsic to enjoying many pieces.
It's one thing simply knowing a piece was played by humans but seeing it played adds an extra dimension and I think the popularity of some performances now depends on this.
When he's not, his music sounds like the output of a really simple music generation algorithm and boring. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNiOqa1nWgI)
However, I'll always be in debt to Glass for getting me into modern music and musical Minimalism, which led me to Steve Reich. Who strangely also become more melodic as his musical ideas progressed. For me my favorite piece is Music for 18 Musicians, good recordings of which send you to the most sublime and transformative musical place for an hour -- that I've ever heard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLckHHc25ww
His music is also difficult, some pieces can take up to a year for a group to prepare, but for reasons that are entirely different than what most musicians think of as "difficult".
Another favorite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edKE10Yz_zs
Reich is also one of those composers who you can see a clear musical progression in his career: from almost avante garde experiments with recordings and typical minimalist focuses on single musical ideas (usually phasing), in his later career turned to fantastic rhythms and harmonies and the idea of slowly evolving musical themes. The music sounds almost the same as you listen to it, but before you know it you are somewhere entirely different from where you started. I find myself often skipping back a minute or so mid song to relive the journey and figure out what happened.
"The problem is that Glass’s music fails to do what I believe all great music does, which is to structure time in a profoundly meaningful way"
Not really. When I'm composing something, and I find myself forced to backtrack and rewrite my work, lest it sound "too glassy", which I know everyone would complain about, then that's a rather clear sign that Glass is now settled as a great composer. It's not an understatement to say that he changed the history of music, and that his style is likely to influence most, if not all future composers.
I 'm not sure if the criterion you 're suggesting is good though. For example i may have found some slight influence from stravinsky in your track, and i thought well of it. The fact that you try to exclude the Glass influence is kind of telling about how influential he is going to be in the future. Having a distinct style doesn't make one a great composer.
I don't care much about musical critiques of his work, he is one of the few artists whose music is consistently great to program with.
I can't recommend it enough.
I like some of Glass's music. Also his more monotonous pieces, but like almost every composer with a large body of produced works there's quite a number of pieces that I do not like at all. So yeah, check him out!
As for the suggestions: I'll add them tomorrow morning.
Two albums to are on opposite ends of the Glass spectrum for me are: "Glassworks" (which I like a lot) and "Songs from Liquid Days" (which I am not so enthusiastic about).
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Naqoyqatsi/212925 http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Symphony+No+3/3708522
Koyaanisqatsi was the first Glass' piece I remember hearing and to this day still remains my favourite. But perhaps it is best experienced while watching the movie, the score is meant to work along with the pictures.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Koyaanisqatsi/296839
Now for a truly hardcore experience try Music in Twelve Parts or the massive opera Einstein on the Beach.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Music+In+Twelve+Parts/467796...
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Philip+Glass+Einstein+On+The... http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Philip+Glass+Einstein+On+The... http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Philip+Glass+Einstein+On+The...
If you still haven't got enough, why not listen to some hip-hop remixes :)
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Glassbreaks/465696
Hope this helps.
I've heard very complimentary things about Akhnaten by people I respect, but have never been to see it myself.
Interestingly I saw Einstein on the Beach the year before. Beforehand I was worried whether the near-4 hours would be tortuous (I love the work but tend to have it on while doing other stuff - I've never say and listened to it like one would a shorter or more narrative piece)
In the event it was actually a really lovely experience and if anything it went much quicker than expected. You do have to listen differently but it's still music and does all the things that 'normal' music does. Create anticipation, build up tension then release it, evoke emotion.
Just on a different scale and over a different timespan. It's no different to learning to appreciate classical when you're used to pop, Early Music when you're used to the Romantics or Be-bop when you're used to Swing ;-)