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Phillip Glass Glassworks (1st movement - Opening)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Stu7h7Qup8

Philip Glass is known as one of the leading composers associated with musical
minimalism, the other major figures being Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and John Adams.
His style is easily recognizable because of its use of repetition, particularly the
repetition of small distinctive rhythmic and melodic cells, and its reliance on
traditional diatonic harmonies. Although some listeners may describe his music as
numbingly repetitive and lacking of variety because of its simplicity, others feel it as
a mesmerizing experience in minimalist area of music. His later styles, since the
1980s, embrace more than just minimalism and include a broad neo-Romanticism,
with greater emphasis on melody and more complex harmonies. Glass is one of the
most popular and successful classical composers of the late 20 th and early 21st
centuries, with a broad fan base that includes both classical and rock enthusiasts.
Glassworks is a chamber music of six movements. It is regarded as a
characteristically Glass-like work. Following his larger-scale concert and stage
works, Glassworks was Philip Glass's successful attempt to create a more poporiented "Walkman-suitable" work, with considerably shorter and more accessible
pieces written for the recording studio. The studio album was released in 1982.
Like the most of 20th century American composers and other artists, Philip
Glasss work was highly influenced by John Cages personality. Cage was best
known for his musical piece 433 that included nothing but silence for 4 minutes
and 33 seconds. This piece was one of the important signs about dramatic change in
American musical and, in general, artistic thinking. John Cage also gave birth to
some concepts that later became origins of Fluxus movement. These ideas reflect in
many of Philip Glasss works, and with no exception, in Glassworks.

One of the important ideas of Fluxus movement can easily be seen in this piece
by Philip Glass. Fluxus talks about figure ground when you take background and
make it a foreground, removing the figure. And thats what Glass did in his works.
Theres no particular melody line that would be easily recognizable. In classical
musical thinking, you just hear the background. And it may seem that nothing is
going on, as its expected in traditional music perception. Cage talked about lingering
duration of sound and in a way, that lingering goes really well with Glassworks. Its
like youre expecting something to happen but all you hear is the same repeated
notes, over and over again.
According to Leibnizs aesthetics, in Glassworks 1st movement you can easily
find connection between music and mathematics, even if in a primitive way. The
main mode of repetition is using triplet eighth notes, over duple eighth notes, set in a
bar of four quarter notes. Formally it consists of three groups of four measure
phrases of three to four chords repeated four times each, ABC:||ABC, which then
merges with the next movement, "Floe" with the entrance of the horns. And even if
music itself doesnt feel like mathematically expressed, all of its composition is built
on numbers. Also, as for musician, combining triplet and duplet notes at the same
time is challenging in some way. Because of its origin, to take triplets and duplets,
used simultaneously its kind of incompasible something that seemingly have no
ability to work together but in a way it works and even creates a special feeling about
it. In general this piece builds the feeling of non-changing change that can be seen as
a distant parallel to non-thinking thought.
If we continue on trying to analyze and understand this combination of triplets
and duplets, we could relate to Labans work. Laban declares opposites to be static,
so at this point, combination that Glass uses, instead of embodying motion, turns into
terms of stability. Even though, Laban with his movement notation was oriented
more to the movement itself, we can also use his approach defining music as a
movement expression. On macro level, using categories in terms of Phrasing and

themes of opposites, we could apply Mobility/Stability for this case. And the bodys
movement in this case creates a flow, as a motion factor, which is progressive,
ongoinging but at the same time bound and can be stopped at any moment.
As for using Gebsers approach on consciousness, theres definitely some
thinking to do, when you take a musical piece. Glassworks specifically stands out for
its simplicity in using repetition but in no case for its poorness. So in this case there
is definitely something to look through Gebsers categories.
To take magical domain, Glassworks firstly strikes with its name. Its amazing
and funny how simple and yet creative construction of composers name and word
that implies something done by a composer can be used in its most authentic
meaning. But as for the name of the 1st movement, Opening, there may be seen a
link to a kind of a ritual. To make this statement even stronger, Glass name the last
part Closing in that way ending all this musical ritual.
When you look at a musical side of the piece, theres definitely a strong feeling
of motion, as we discussed earlier in connection to Laban. In the magical structure,
movement implies to an evoliution. Moreover, if expression needs to evolve, it
becomes transformative magical. So in that way we can approach Glass piece in a
magical/transformative structure. This evolution of the motion certainly affects the
perceivers feelings that have not been discussed yet. And the one of the strongest
aspects that music gives to listeners definitely the emotional side that is changing
within the presence of a musical act.
Music itself always has to have a pulse. Without it, it starts to lack
suggestibility and the feeling of closeness for a perceiver. Glassworks has a very
strong pulse that hits from the very first bar. And that gives this piece a special feeling
of breathing, which is significant in mythological domain. That constant continuation
definitely creates a feeling of waves, going round and round.

To speak about this piece in a mental/rational domain, we have to come back to


a numbers and letters that are expressing this entire piece. Its sometimes forgotten,
that in music, all notes can also be written in a letters, which itself doesnt create any
music. So by letters we can mark sounds. And the numbers can be an expression of
the duration of sounds, quarter notes, eighth notes, duplets, triplets and etc. So in that
way we can arrange entire piece using simply pure symbols. And the understanding
of symbols directly stands for the rational category of consciousness.
And finally, the integral structure of consciousness, or the synesthetic. In this
domain, everything is connected, all of the categories and structures, being present,
past and in the future. Even though synesthetic example is easiest shown in Fluxus art
that includes different aspects in a very particular way, Glassworks also makes a lot
of sense in integral thinking. Although notes of the piece itself doesnt concern timespace transcendent form of consciousness but as a material for performer or perceiver
it actually can be used to connect with the whole integration in four dimensions and
ego-centered perception and thought.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty introduced an interesting term, replacing the aesthetic
distance of the artist with a deflagration at the heart of the relationship of artistic
perception and world. And that deflagration as a metaphor for depth is felt in most
examples of modern music. Glassworks also creates the feeling of energy emerging
from within the depths of the world that composer intended to infiltrate in his music.
Discovering the depths in music and art in general is common because of the
cosmological approach to it. Cultured art speaks of cosmos and rituals connecting all
time, space and movement in cosmology theory. This naturally leads me to T. S.
Elliot, who used a beautiful dance metaphor for the depth : At a still point of the
turning world () theres only a dance. So at the end of a day, we have to appreciate
the depths that art, music gives to us. Cause if you surrender to art, eventually it
surrenders to you.

Music as a form of art is not visual but still feels illustrative. And its very
interesting how it can interact with visual arts in very different ways. Glass, American
minimalist composer, for me somehow relates with another 20 th century American
artist a painter Mark Rothko. Simplicity but not poorness, intense but also light
breath, both in paintings as well as in musical pieces combines with a deep and
expressive thought about the omnipotence of the art.

Glass himself about this piece said: Glassworks was intended to introduce my
music to a more general audience than had been familiar with it up to then. And in
my opinion, its amazing how modern composer can communicate with the audience
that usually is not at all interested in classical music. But because of its simplicity
combined with deep and meaningful thought, Glassworks makes it perfect to react
with rock lover as much as with modern classical music devotee.

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