Philip glass songs of the silent age7/25/2023 The score also calls for the string section to be hidden from the audience, creating an eerie, disembodied sound. The piece features three different ensembles: strings, brass, and flutes, all separated from each other and playing in wildly different rhythms and keys. Though the first drafts of the piece appeared in 1908-more than 50 years before the first pangs of minimalism would emerge-the effects of Charles Ives's The Unanswered Question can be felt throughout the movement. Aside from the piece's unorthodox instrumentation-which puts a synthesizer and harpsichord on the same stage-Glass does something else to surprise us by refusing to reveal which movement goes with which season, forcing you to "figure that one out for yourself." 7. 2: The American Four Seasons - Philip GlassĪnother from Glass's minimalist library, this piece was composed as a companion to noted violinist Robert McDuffie's touring performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons concerto. The unexpected moments of synchronicity between the two parts create a strangely paradoxical feeling of serene disorientation. Perhaps the most interesting parts of the work are its "Knee Plays," connecting tissue between the acts that combine a chant-like choral pattern with highly rhythmic human narration for an ethereal effect. There isn't much traditional opera in the work: there is no plot the singers seem to represent specific thematic threads more than characters and seemingly orthodox structural and performance vocabulary like "scene" and "aria" seem to take on a different meaning. We call Einstein on the Beach an opera largely because we have no better name for what it is. In 1975, Philip Glass, perhaps the most famous composer from the school of minimalism-which attempts to uncover the beauty in repetition and slight variation-wrote Einstein on the Beach, an opera in four acts and by far one of his longest works. Let's zip forward 150 years to another "operatic" work. Organ2/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible) - John Cage In the seemingly silent concert hall, a symphony of new noises start to emerge that we took for granted moments ago: coughs, the squeaking of your seat as you slightly move, and even the guy scratching his head 30 feet away become a part of this score. When Cage wrote 4'33", he seems to have intended for us to turn our attention not to the music on stage, but to the music and sound we all make as we watch this performance. With a stopwatch set for exactly four minutes and thirty-three seconds, he sits in complete silence, occasionally opening and closing the keyboard to indicate the various "movements" of the piece. It's easy to see why: to perform the piece, a pianist walks on stage, opens the lid of a grand piano, sits down at it, and then lowers the lid. In the last 50-odd years, John Cage's personal favorite work, 4'33" has become something of a running joke and subject of derision in the music world. But over the centuries, hundreds of composers have tested the boundaries of musical expression in strange and unique ways. Lawrence, Lawrence UniversityĬlassical music seems to have a reputation for being straight-laced, stuffy, and obsessed with rules. If you believe that any review contained on our site infringes upon your copyright, please email us.By Nathan B. All submitted reviews become the licensed property of Sheet Music Plus and are subject to all laws pertaining thereto.If you have any suggestions or comments on the guidelines, please email us. We cannot post your review if it violates these guidelines.Avoid disclosing contact information (email addresses, phone numbers, etc.), or including URLs, time-sensitive material or alternative ordering information.Please do not use inappropriate language, including profanity, vulgarity, or obscenity. Be respectful of artists, readers, and your fellow reviewers.Feel free to recommend similar pieces if you liked this piece, or alternatives if you didn't.Are you a beginner who started playing last month? Do you usually like this style of music? Consider writing about your experience and musical tastes.Do you like the artist? Is the transcription accurate? Is it a good teaching tool? Explain exactly why you liked or disliked the product.
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