4 ms·

Agree 100%. However I even find earlier pieces such as "Music in 12 Parts" hauntingly beautiful and melodic in the way that trance/ambient can be. True it does

Agree 100%. However I even find earlier pieces such as "Music in 12 Parts" hauntingly beautiful and melodic in the way that trance/ambient can be. True it doesn't have the same purpose, or effect, of a narrative song, but it isn't intended to. 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)

mturmon 12y ago
Eno's recording of Music for Airports (not "elevators", that is something of a howler) had an interesting compositional method which was based on overlapping tape loops, with the loops having different periods. 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.
- KC8ZKF 12y ago
  This may be obvious to most, but the loops in question were literal tape loops, it being 1978. ("...running around a series of tubular aluminum chairs in Conny Plank's studio.")
KC8ZKF 12y ago
Another example may be Glass's "Symphony No. 1", which was based on David Bowie's album "Low", which can be seen as Eno re-introducing more approachable narrative tropes.

mturmon 12y ago

Eno's recording of Music for Airports (not "elevators", that is something of a howler) had an interesting compositional method which was based on overlapping tape loops, with the loops having different periods. 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.

KC8ZKF 12y ago
This may be obvious to most, but the loops in question were literal tape loops, it being 1978. ("...running around a series of tubular aluminum chairs in Conny Plank's studio.")

KC8ZKF 12y ago

Another example may be Glass's "Symphony No. 1", which was based on David Bowie's album "Low", which can be seen as Eno re-introducing more approachable narrative tropes.