1. Philip Glass is laughing all the way to the bank, right now, as you're reading this. ($$$)
2. Minimalism isn't dead or passe....if you don't want it to be. Minimalism seems to be (have been?) an "-ism" that was cliche about five minutes after it began. Tonal, intensely repetitious, rhythmic, often laid-back in character. It's usually easy to spot in TV commercials, concert programs, and movies. But these adjectives also characterize Mozart pretty well too! Not to mention many other Classical Era composers. And their music is also in TV commercials, concert programs, and movies. Except they don't get flak for their style (except maybe in mutters).
The point is, minimalism was a valid response to total serialism and Cage's love of chance and since culture here in the U.S. changes daily, it became left behind, an orphan of the 80s. Unjustly, I think.
3. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Yes, Glass is easy to caricature. Again, so is Mozart. Peter Schickele has made an entire career out of doing this! (Writing really skillful, funny music in the process) In the visual art world, art students would create copies from the works of the "Great Masters" in order to learn from them. No judgement was implied.
4. His music is beautiful. Personally, I love Philip Glass' music. There is a disc of solo piano music where Glass plays Metamorphoses based very loosely on the Kafka story of the same name. They are each very repetitious, with three chords in arpeggios, and they are gorgeous. Sometimes trances can be a good thing. Plus, when the 14th Dalai Lama made his first appearance in New York City in 1981, Glass was there, playing his "Mad Rush" for organ...not a bad career move.
One of things that has always stuck with me about Minimalism is how easy the concept is. It's things like Minimalism and the Pet Rock that drive me insane... but in a good way. It makes me believe that there are things out there yet to be invented or described. The most famous example of this to me is GRAVITY! I mean, come on, it's so obvious, things fall (and don't even get me started on the wheel).
ReplyDeleteThese innovations make me try to think about larger picture ideas. I try and think about what other instruments do that makes what they do successful, what other professions do that make them successful, etc. Hopefully, I can find myself an idea like the Pet Rock someday in regards to music. I'm thinking about something called a "Jump to Composition" floor mat, but it's still in the rough stages.
Either way, many people think that all the musical ideas are run dry, but all it takes is one piece/composition to ignite a new genre. So, even though I'm not a good composer by my personal standards, I think that whatever I write will hopefully be innovative somehow. And if it's not, then I probably won't do anything with it.