Philip Glass

Philip Glass
Name	Philip Glass
Caption	Glass in 2012
Birth date	31 January 1937
Birth place	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genre	Minimalism, contemporary classical music
Occupation	Composer, pianist
Years active	1964–present
Label	CBS, Virgin Records, Nonesuch Records, Orange Mountain Music
Associated acts	Steve Reich, John Cage, Ravi Shankar
Website	philipglass.com

Philip Glass is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century, particularly as a pioneer of minimalist music. His work, characterized by repetitive structures and a distinctive harmonic language, has extended into opera, film scores, and symphonies, achieving significant popular and critical acclaim.

Early life and education

Born in Baltimore to Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, his father owned a record store, exposing him to unsold classical music albums and contemporary works by composers like Beethoven and Schubert. He began studying the violin at six and the flute shortly after, entering the University of Chicago at age 15, where he studied mathematics and philosophy while immersing himself in the works of Bach and Mozart. He subsequently attended the Juilliard School, studying composition with Vincent Persichetti, and after graduating, moved to Paris to work with the renowned pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. A pivotal moment occurred in Paris when he was hired to transcribe the music of Ravi Shankar, an experience that profoundly shaped his rhythmic thinking.

Musical style and influences

His compositional style, often termed minimalism, employs repetitive rhythmic and melodic patterns, shifting in gradual processes over time, a technique sometimes called "additive process." This approach was influenced by his work with Ravi Shankar, the structures of Indian classical music, and the aesthetic ideas of contemporaries like Steve Reich. While early works like Music in Twelve Parts are archetypal of this style, his music later evolved to incorporate more traditional harmonic progressions and larger forms, as heard in his operas and symphonies. Key influences also include the experimentalism of John Cage and the expansive narratives of Jean Cocteau.

Career and major works

His breakthrough came with the landmark opera Einstein on the Beach (1976), created in collaboration with Robert Wilson, which bypassed traditional opera houses to premiere at the Metropolitan Opera. This success led to two further "portrait" operas: Satyagraha (1980), focusing on Mahatma Gandhi, and Akhnaten (1984), about the Egyptian pharaoh. He has composed numerous film scores, including those for Koyaanisqatsi (1982), The Hours (2002), and Notes on a Scandal (2006), earning Academy Award nominations. His extensive catalog also includes ten symphonies, concertos, and string quartets.

Collaborations and other projects

He has frequently collaborated across artistic disciplines, working extensively with choreographers like Twyla Tharp on In the Upper Room and Jerome Robbins. His long partnership with director Godfrey Reggio produced the Qatsi trilogy. He has also created music for theatre productions by David Henry Hwang and JoAnne Akalaitis, and collaborated with popular musicians such as David Bowie and Brian Eno on the album Low Symphony. In 1992, he co-founded the record label Point Music to distribute his and others' work.

Legacy and influence

He is central to the integration of minimalist music into the mainstream of contemporary classical music. His operas are regularly performed by major companies like the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera. His film scores have introduced his music to a global audience, influencing subsequent generations of composers in film and television scoring. Institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music have awarded him honorary degrees, and his impact extends into the work of artists in rock, ambient music, and electronic music.

Personal life

He has been married four times, including to artist Candy Jernigan and physician Holly Critchlow. He is a dedicated advocate for Tibetan independence and has collaborated with the Dalai Lama. A long-time resident of New York City and Nova Scotia, he maintains an active touring schedule with the Philip Glass Ensemble, which he founded in 1971. He is also a published author, having released a memoir, Words Without Music, in 2015.

Category:American composers Category:Minimalist composers Category:1937 births Category:Living people