Philip Glass: Part 10 of Music in Twelve Parts. AST = Associative Soundtrack.

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Philip Glass’ music delighted me the most, especially “Part 10” of Music in Twelve Parts, which was written between 1971 and 1974. The aspect which piqued my interest the most is the repetitive, underlying allegro pattern which can be heard throughout the entire piece, with varying instruments entering and leaving rhythmically. The piece itself is upbeat and turns hopeful with each additional instrument but there is something filial about the flute within which gives the piece the charm of a video game score, aside from the obvious cinematographic elements.

The reason why this piece delighted me was not the rhythm itself though, but the familiarity of the style: there are two brilliant composers who remind me of Glass. One of those is Nico Muhly, and the piece which bears the most resemblance to “Part 10” is “Typing” from the original soundtrack of Kill Your Darlings from 2013. When you listen closely, you will hear a similar repetitive pattern which is vibrating in the base of the piece, letting the surface break every now and then, identical with Glass’ conduction of instruments. I was not aware of the fact that Muhly was Glass’ student, who was then employed by Glass for almost 10 years until I searched for an indication, but this explains the close correlations which I noticed when I first listened to Glass and immediately linked him to Muhly.

The second componist whom I have to mention is the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. Although he was neither associated with Glass in any way nor did he cite him as an influence, the semblance of their styles is undeniable, as Jóhannsson’s “Cambridge, 1963” from the original soundtrack of The Theory of Everything from 2014 reveals. The analogy between Jóhannsson and Glass lies in the moments where the familiarly underlying rhythm slowly increases through additional instruments, to suddenly expand and explode in a similar manner, with a downpour of sunlight – for lack of better wording, because their music speaks volumes compared to the boundaries of language.

Tied to the aforementioned point: there is an incredible factor which allows orchestral music to convey sensations which words are unable to describe, regardless of their cinematic constructions. Glass reaches this effect by eliminating steadiness in his artistry, and by using a specific vibration as a base for his piece. Despite the initial impression that Glass’ “Part 10” is monotonous and minimalistic, his music moves which in turn is the only type of steadiness within his musical realm and therefore creates a second, eclectic impression after listening closely.