My composer is known as an influential minimalist and has wrote a variety of works such as opera, musical theatre, symphonies, chamber music, film scores and much more over the years. This composer’s identity is none other than Philip Glass. The major focuses in this paper are to give a moderately brief background on Philip Glass, examining his style of music along with how others view it and describe one of Philip Glass’s musical pieces. The background or bio about Philip Glass has information primary associated with events surrounding his career. When we reach examining Philip Glass’s style of music, people’s opinions on his music and who he sounds similar too is discussed. The final part of paper basically talks about one of Philip Glass’s works and how it serves as an example to his other music.
Philip Glass’s musical career has been lengthy and essentially truly successful. For most of Glass’s early life he worked in his father’s store where he stumbled about unorthodox Western classical music (Sadur “Biography”). After uncovering this music, Glass began to study music. Once graduated from college, he went on to study composition in New York. However, finding modern music of his time distasteful, he moved to Europe, at the age of 23, where he studied under Nadia Boulanger and worked with composer Ravi Shankar (“Philip Glass: Biography”). While in Europe, Glass also discovered a variety of non-Western music. The style in this newly discovered music began to appear within Glass’s own compositions. After being away from the States for an extended time, Glass made his return to New York in 1967. Once settled in New York, Glass began forming a collection of “new music” (Sadur). During this point in time of Glass’s career, he con...
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...performed, but a repetitive tune would be played the majority of the time. Of course each part or movement in the composition had its own constant melody until near the end. At the end of the composition the movements in the beginning were played again but in reversed order. I think that Glassworks is a wonderful musical piece that exemplifies Philip Glass’s music as a whole.
In conclusion to this paper, Philip Glass is an extraordinary composer and first of his time. Glass took the art of minimalism and brought it to the mainstream which revolutionized the music world. His repetitive sounds throughout movements in his compositions are seen as something of genius today and will continue to be in the future. Philip Glass, a minimalist who has written a large variety of music from chamber music to opera, is without a doubt a very influential contemporary music icon.
This concert is held by the Stony Brook University music department and is to perform seven pieces of music written by seven student composers. The concert is performed in Recital Hall of Staller Center in Stony Brook University. Since it is a small hall, audiences are very close to the performers. In fact, it is the first time I am this close to the performers and the sound for me is so clear and powerful that seems like floating in front of my eyes. Among the seven pieces, “Ephemeral Reveries” and “Gekko no mori” are piano solo, “Two Songs for Joey” is in piano and marimba, “Suite” and “Fold Duet No. 1” are in woodwinds, “Elsewhere” is played by string groups, and “e, ee, ree, and I was free” is in vocal. Personally, I like the sound of piano and guitar the best. Therefore, in the latter part I will analysis two pieces in piano, “Gekko no mori” and “Two Songs for Joey”.
Stephen Sondheim is a well-known musical theatre composer who has been quite successful with his work. This world-renowned composer has had many prosperous musicals such as West Side Story, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods. These are only a few out of over twenty of the other musicals he has written. This man’s music is very different from music written by other composers. This certain kind of music has a unique sound that has clashing notes, yet is sounds satisfying and appeals to large audiences.
Rex Walls While growing up in life, children need their parents to teach them and lead them on the path to a successful future. In the Glass Castle Rex Walls, Jeannette’s father, neglects to take care of his duties as a father figure in Jeannette’s life. In the same way, he teaches her to be strong and independent at a very young age. As we read through the story, we see the special relationship that Jeannette shares with her father. Even though he, in many instances, failed to protect his children, refused to take responsibility for them, and even stole from them, Jeannette still loved him until his death for two reasons: one, for his ability to make her feel special, and two, because he is a never-ending source of inspiration.
This is the second volume of Richard Taruskin's historical work, and it highlights composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He examines the progression of different styles and eras of music.
Later in their careers, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams gained fame from their unique creativity and modern expression, but the young composers began their careers drawing on influences from family and music exposures. The pre-World War I compositions of Holst and Vaughan Williams evolve as the composers collect life experiences and these influences can be heard in this early music. Yet, the music of both young Holst and young Vaughan Williams also present very original aspects that presage the genius of their later works. Although both musicians were heavily influenced by their upbringings, popular composers, and even each other, it was those very same influences that ultimately led to their distinctive individualities.
Write two pages on the life and type of music of Philip Glass. Why do you think his music became popular?
Music and literature are constantly evolving with each new release, but how ground breaking are these pieces compared to its contemporaries? Miles Davis and Jorge Luis Borges have contemplated and answered this question frequently. Rather than add on to a previous style, these two took the future of their genres into their own hands. In Davis’s “Kind of Blue” as well as Borges’s “The Garden of Forking Paths,” old ideas are completely abandoned and new, inventive styles flourish. Not only do these two play with the content of their work, but they also explore different styles and means of composition. Both Davis and Borges experiment with new innovative ideas and concepts in their works successfully creating a unique style of their own.
This paper will explore the life of the great composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was considered one of the greatest composers of all time. He created amazing, famous compositions that made a big impact in today’s world. He went through rough times like many people do, the loss of his parents and finding a way back to the old routine was not an easy task. Bach came from generations of musicians and was given a religious education which is something that played a big role in his life when becoming a musician. We will analyze and learn the significance of some of his great compositions, the stories and what inspired him to compose music.
Dysfunctional. Codependent. Enmeshed. Low self-esteem. Emotional problems of the modern twenty-first century or problems of the past? In his play, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams portrays a southern family in the 1940's trying to deal with life's pressures, and their own fears after they are deserted by their husband and father. Although today, we have access to hundreds of psychoanalysis books and therapists, the family problems of the distant past continue to be the family problems of the present.
Generally when some one writes a play they try to elude some deeper meaning or insight in it. Meaning about one's self or about life as a whole. Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" is no exception the insight Williams portrays is about himself. Being that this play establishes itself as a memory play Williams is giving the audience a look at his own life, but being that the play is memory some things are exaggerated and these exaggerations describe the extremity of how Williams felt during these moments (Kirszner and Mandell 1807). The play centers itself on three characters. These three characters are: Amanda Wingfield, the mother and a women of a great confusing nature; Laura Wingfield, one who is slightly crippled and lets that make her extremely self conscious; and Tom Wingfield, one who feels trapped and is looking for a way out (Kirszner and Mandell 1805-06). Williams' characters are all lost in a dreamy state of illusion or escape wishing for something that they don't have. As the play goes from start to finish, as the events take place and the play progresses each of the characters undergoes a process, a change, or better yet a transition. At the beginning of each characters role they are all in a state of mind which causes them to slightly confuse what is real with what is not, by failing to realize or refusing to see what is illusioned truth and what is whole truth. By the end of the play each character moves out of this state of dreamy not quite factual reality, and is better able to see and face facts as to the way things are, however not all the characters have completely emerged from illusion, but all have moved from the world of dreams to truth by a whole or lesser degree.
Felix Mendelssohn was one of the most famous composers during the 19th century. Although in his music he did show some features of romanticism, he was strongly influenced by traditional genres such as counterpoint etc. In this essay, the biography of the composer, background of the genre and analysis of the piece will be investigated
Although Beethoven had a rough life as a child and as he got older, he still was able to produce phenomenal compositions. He refused to conform to traditional musical standards and strived for perfection. Beethoven took composing music to a whole new level. “Beethoven opened up new realms of musical expression that profoundly influence composers throughout the nineteenth century.”
The second period of time for music is the Renaissance period. During this time frame music was reborn and it went through a lot of changes and the way music was written and understood. In this period of time, the composers were expe...
In this essay, I have attempted to look for sustaining minimalist influence on contemporary design - an obvious but interesting connection and in contemporary music - a not-so apparent influence.
The years between the middle of the 1700’s to the early 1800’s was a time of immense value according to many music enthusiasts today. In this era the music was considered controlled and reserved. Many Sonatas, Symphonies, and Quartets could be heard in the homes of Vienna during the Classical Era. This era, like every other, had a unique style that has fascinated throngs of people through the ages. John Cage once said, “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” The Classical Period at its beginnings was looked upon as unique from the Baroque Period.