Life in Philip Glass’ HouseSeptember 27th, 2009
For my music research class, I have chosen to write a paper on Philip Glass and how his Minimalist music has impacted 20th-century composition.
This is partially in honor of his compositional contribution to the Qatsi Trilogy, a series of films by Godfrey Reggio, and the inspiration for my thesis project this semester.
My thesis project is also influenced by Ron Fricke, who was the cinematographer for the aforementioned films, and also directed several similarly themed films including Baraka and Chronos.
I have always been drawn to the music of Philip Glass and Minimalist music in general, but not necessarily known why. Some find Glass’ extreme use of repetition in some cases to be incredibly mind-numbing. These people may argue that this compositional technique is void of musical depth or emotional weight.
I am fascinated to discover the reasons behind Glass’ compositional technique and whether my enjoyment of his music is simply aesthetic or morally justifiable. Until I discover these answers, here are some clips in his honor:
You can actually watch the entire koyaanasqatsi film here.
