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Philip Glass Half-Full

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Re: Philip Glass Half-Full

#31

Post by danbmil99 »

petercooper wrote: post #3

the fact that Glass’s music contains no fully developed melodies 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 ha…

music for elevators was the follow up to... Nevermind. Wrong quantum universe.

Re: Philip Glass Half-Full

#32

Post by pjungwir »

aerique wrote: post #22
aerique wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I share your love of Gorecki. I heard him on the radio once and it was some of the most beautiful music I ever heard, so I ran out to buy the CD. 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.

Right, since I was on my phone last night I didn't really want to look things up. 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).

Thanks to you and @mandelbrot for the suggestions!

Re: Philip Glass Half-Full

#33

Post by baddox »

petercooper wrote: post #23
baddox wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only Glass music I am familiar with is his Solo Piano album. I consider it very melodic.

Absolutely. Although I'd steer clear of arguing that with a critic, as many of its melodies are based around arpeggios which feeds into the "repetitiveness" stereotype many hold against Glass. 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…

They're certainly based on arpeggios, but there is always (to me) a clear note in each section of arpeggio that form the melody, in the sense that if I were to hum the song, I would hum that sequence of individual notes.

Re: Philip Glass Half-Full

#34

Post by danbmil99 »

andybak wrote: post #24
petercooper wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. Although I'd steer clear of arguing that with a critic, as many of its melodies are based around arpeggios which feeds into the "repetitiveness" stereotype many hold against Glass. 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…

I heard it live and he actually messed up at one point and had to start the piece again. 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...

I often wonder though -- if Glass (or Reich for that matter) happened to start their careers at a time and place where sequencing and sampling were commonplace and accepted, and created their work using that medium, would the music really suffer much? Is the superhuman virtuoso musical dexterity and focus required to properly perform these pieces really germane to their success as musical compositions?

Re: Philip Glass Half-Full

#35

Post by andybak »

danbmil99 wrote: post #34
andybak wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I heard it live and he actually messed up at one point and had to start the piece again. 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...

I often wonder though -- if Glass (or Reich for that matter) happened to start their careers at a time and place where sequencing and sampling were commonplace and accepted, and created their work using that medium, would the music really suffer much? Is the superhuman virtuoso musical dexterity and focus required to properly perform these pieces really germane to their success as musical compositions?

During the period AFTER the advent of sampling/sequencing but BEFORE the rise of YouTube as a channel to consume music you might have been right.

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.

Re: Philip Glass Half-Full

#36

Post by modzu »

modzu wrote: post #19

2200 words to explain how glass' music is empty? hah, stfu

to be clear, part of what makes glass the genius that he is comes from how he is able to do so much with so little.. so to come across a supposed criticism of his work sprawled across thousands of words just made me chuckle a little
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