Philip Glass - Music in 12 parts - part 1 - part 1

[thebandchuff]

Saw this live in San Francisco Feb 2009 ...Oh my oh my....This is all live folks! The show I saw was 2 hours with a dinner break and then 2 more hours.... It was AMAZING! Thanks for this post;it's a good version

[ednolbed]

@mattachu26 stop swearing, you're wrong and prejudiced.

[qiqiqo4]

bizarre jvien de reagarder un video de violin phase de steve reich et il y avait des commentaires en français, de même que sur ce video. j'aurai pas cru en retrouver cette musique étant américaine

[mattachu26]

I swear people just listen to this crap cos they want to seem artistic and clever.

[Valdentia]

@mattachu26 I kind of agree in a way. But we can't truly say how different things effect different people. I gave this a chance, laid on my bed and listened to it. It's just very very repetitive and didn't put me into any type of relaxed state.

[MissEsmeraldaLoves]

Goregous music ! I love classical music!

[Jabjabs]

Playing this video in line with my copy of it off by about 20 seconds... AMAZING!!!

[nccujz]

simply masterpiece!

[NovaZengear]

I'm glad I had the chance to hear this.

[seventeenboi]

otherworldly

[C33Four]

When I show this to my friends they say, "This sucks. Its boring." But it wasn't until I heard it 5 or 10 times that I realized how complex every part is. Multiple keys signature, time signatures, melody progressions, etc. I can't even imagine the stuff I'm missing.

[ConanGabe]

@C33Four Actually, only twelve parts are going on. From Wikipedia: "Only one piece was originally written, called 'Music in Twelve Parts' because it was originally intended to have twelve lines of counterpoint harmony, but when he played it to a friend, she asked him what the other eleven parts would be like. He found the misunderstanding interesting, and wrote another eleven parts over a period of three years."

[accidentalfilms]

I have listened to a fair share of Glass and these pieces are really growing on me. I beginning to believe that this might be the best of Glass. It has everything really: lovely, long lines, and that mystical quality his music presents. It seems to say, "Now."

[bozellandbuckley]

Agreed with comments. The vocals sort of sound like Philip Glass, but the rest breaks entirely with the rest of the Glass cannon. I like it.

[minimalisminmusic]

excuse me, I've got a question: it seems that in the background there's a sort of tremolo of a synth (in the harpsichord tune), but in the score there's nothing of that. What is it really?

[urnungal]

@minimalisminmusic - According to what I've read, the original features a pair of farfisa organs - is that what you are hearing?

[minimalisminmusic]

@urnungal I can't understand. Maybe one of the organs has the harpsichord tune, but it could be that there's no tremolo and it's just quavers, as it's written. This piece is full of psycho-acustic sounds, at 48'' it seems that the melody of the flute is sung by the female voice...which is not true :D

[AyumuVanguard]

@MColivejuice and inlandempires on the research project thing - Did either of you use headphones? And which recording did you use? I have a theory about why, but I need to know first...

[inlandempires]

@AyumuVanguard I didn't make any research :-) But I'd love to hear your theory

[playingmusiconmars]

Music in twelve parts is one of my favorite Glass pieces because it so perfectly captures the spirit of minimalism. I would compare this piece to one of Webern, but from a philosophical and not from a technical viewpoint. What Weberns mature pieces and mi12p have in common is absolute abstraction, the complete elimination of association and therefore the complete autonomy of the work. This is music in its purest form, solely defined by the boundaries of the piece itself.

[AyumuVanguard]

Also @inlandempires where are the other parts of this? I searched but they didn't come up.

[AyumuVanguard]

@inlandempires I'm a pretty big Glass fan, but I pretty much have to find his music on the Internet, so do you have the original version of Music in 12 Parts uploaded anywhere, and if not, may you please upload it? Thanks for putting some of your time into reading this comment!

[inlandempires]

@AyumuVanguard I will probably upload more parts in the near future, probably from the original recording.

[DonWea5]

sublime! reflexivo en toda su definición!

me encanta!

gracias por subirlo! ahora a descargarlo!

[timpage54]

I remember when I first heard this music, about 1976. It seemed so very strange, difficult, almost unlistenable. And now it seems so sweet and sexy and gentle and songful. Amazing how our brains have grown -- this is minimalism without the dread "holy" aspect.

[MiAmMiJah]

Essential.

[abrightcoldday]

This piece has drastically changed my opinion of Glass.

[Fisherdec]

This is what I imagine the quantum world would sound like in musical form. Listen to this and watch a video on Garret Lisi's e8 proposed unified theory and you will understand the universe.

[DevoutPatriot]

I was walking to class this morning while listening to this piece. I looked up and saw the moon floating in the bright sea that is the sky. As I continued to look at it and listen to this piece, I passed a building turned orange from the morning sun. I saw the sun's orange reflection in a widow at about a 45 degree angle downwards from the moon, when eight black crows flew from the top of the building and cut upwards across the moon.

Tears came to my eyes.

[kiddshellac]

@DevoutPatriot cool.. that's what i call an 'ebg' moment.. when something, or a combination of things, touches you and you open your heart to the universe.. you're 'embraced by god'.

check out Eno & Cale's 'Spinning Away' - it's a wonderful tribute to this experience

[ipastanaga88]

@DevoutPatriot Wow, quite a trip!

[kearyjones]

This is the real P. Glass! P. Glass sucks now... all he does is boring symphony junk now.

[Nevawake]

This fucken music almost sent me insane berserk!!!! FUCK!! anyway im adhd!!!!

FUCK!!!

ITs like fuken ADHD turned Scitzophrenia!!! SOMEONE KILL ME!!!!!

[TheStealth86]

@Nevawake ADHD and Schizophrenia have nothing to do with this...also, I'll kill you if you want.

[Nevawake]

@TheStealth86 who gives a fuck in 100 years time.

[TheStealth86]

@Nevawake yea...average people will be forgotten, but Glass wont lol.

[SilentTomStrikeback]

"C'est la vie"?

[inlandempires]

@SilentTomStrikeback

La vie est répétitive

[SrNutritivo]

@inlandempires ... with changing parts...

[johnnyfx82]

Like it very much. Reminds me of some pictures of the forest of Lothlorien and the Procession of Elves of "Lord of the rings".

Another question: Have you had the chance to listen to the quite interesting first version (the one on LP?)

[inlandempires]

@johnnyfx82 What a coincedense: just last night I read The Lord of the Rings after about 20 years, and read through the journey in Lothlorien. But maybe you refere to the movie through which I slept peacefully.

The original version is (was?) available on a CD, and is better, IMHO (like all the original recording of the PGE). But the addition of the voice in this version is remarkable.

[C33Four]

Truly a treat for the mind.

[maksusername]

Anybody else think Philip Glass sounds like space?

[deathweaselx86]

i wish he still made music like this.

[shinyalbert]

adore this piece

it has a mystical sort of perfection

[martinschoenmakers]

Guys, I cannot seem to find any of the other 11 parts here. Anyone?

[BouncePounce]

Lo there do I see my central nervous system.

[Rinhos]

I usually dislike Glass' music, I definitely prefer Reich. But this piece is wonderful indeed.

[Einification]

Hypnotic, and addictive !! Slowly, it becomes a part of yourself that you don't even notice past a couple of minute... until it stops !! And then, it misses you, and naturally, you play it again !! I've played it the whole day !!

[zonalGman92]

Beautiful soothing sounds. Thanx for uploading inlandempires. Guessing from yr name yr a David Lynch fan too.

[RonansRecordingShow]

Love this piece, but part 3 is the high point of the work for me. I prefer the original recordings, which has been my opinion of all the Glass re-recordings.

[negativethoughts]

@RonansRecordingShow yea i gotta say, Pruit Igoe original sounds alot better somehow.

[phuckthefcc]

Is this part of part 7?

[VioletFlameScotland]

It's like a song of the Divine Mother... wondrous and nurturing.

[DevoutPatriot]

Love it.

Do you think you could put up the other parts?

[lanzfriszt]

Classic minimalism. Just brilliant

[SuperHoggar]

I love early Philip Glass. And I'm almost old enough to remember how fresh and new this once was. All twelve parts are brilliant.

[theemceemurdah]

Beautiful...I love minimalism.

[tomqelectronica]

This is a cracking funeral song

[thomasrealdance]

wouw..... there ya go how different reactions of different people can be :

for me it's a love nuptial music, all white and loving and trusting - have this choreography of two people in mind who move towards / away from each other in relation all the time.

beautiful musical interpretation by the way...

[Heaven3003]

what version is it?

[inlandempires]

The 1996 version, from nonesuch records.

[japanesesweet]

Thanks for uploading this piece by Glass. You say this it's uncharacteristic but I find it entirely characteristic!

[inlandempires]

It's repetitive, like all of Glass' works at the time, but is much more slow and spacy than all of them (except for "music with changing parts"). Compare it to the other 11 parts, for example: fast, harsh, dense.

[orbilin]

@japanesesweet

It is very characteristic of his early work. The only work that surpasses its beauty is maybe Music With Changing Parts (1970).

[thomasrealdance]

sounds much more accessible due to the more clearly audible human voice - very nice, thank you :-)

[MuzikJunkyAES]

It sounds like the 2007 recording from Orange Mountain Music. Peace.

[MuzikJunkyAES]

Part 1 is PG's ultimate masterpiece. Peace.

[OffWhiteCow]

Wow. Mesmerising. I feel astonishingly good when I listen to this. It puts me in a state of trance that I don't ever want to leave.

[jettyke]

me too, i have listened to this track everywhere, anytime, never ceases to amaze me.

[MuzikJunkyAES]

Funny, I love this piece to death, but it makes me cry till my eyes are too dry for tears. Peace.

[jettyke]

Why does it make you cry, do you feel this piece is just TOO good:D?

[FinalGamerJames]

Well it seems I love Minimalist music now. Brilliant :D

[NewTet]

I love this music.

[vogelmandrie]

Why do you call this work uncharacteristic ??This was his sound mid 70ties, listen to

Another Look at Harmony (his best work)

Thanks for posting

[inlandempires]

Well, Part 1 of music in 12 parts rhythm is much more relaxed and its texture is less dense than most of Glass' output before and after that work (apart from Music With Changing Parts and the 1st string quartet). Another Look at Harmoney is faster and the choir and organ show intensity and tension that is not to be found in Music in 12 parts-part 1.

[stevestevejam]

This is one of the more characteristic of Glass, As it is mentioned in the slip provided, this texture is derived in counterpoint from his works prior to the full conception of this composition and it components.

Thank you for posting.

[BlueCougar]

This is a lot faster than the old (1996) recording. Wonder why they sped it up that much for the new recording.

[inlandempires]

It's a live performance, so I guess they play everything a little bit faster. BTW, my favorite recording is the one from 1975 - w/o vocals.

[MuzikJunkyAES]

Word. The 1974, 1975, and 1988 recording on Virgin Records is the best one. Peace.

[MColivejuice]

yes this is one of my favorite glass pieces. It induces a meditative state almost instantly. I used this piece for a research project and found it slowed down the heart rate of nearly everyone I tested within 1.5 minutes of listening.

[inlandempires]

An interesting research. In my "test group" the heart rate increased, as well as the volume of the "shut that thing OFF!".

[danni13371]

The heart rate probably increased because they got angry. lol

[zonalGman92]

@MColivejuice. That is so interesting because as i sat listening to it today ijust felt all the tension leave my body and my mind naturally quietened down.

[Nevawake]

@MColivejuice Well its fucking me up this music!!! ADHD yeah baby. What does your class read books or something?? Damn right. Why not. La la la dorie dorie fuk,

its if my mind of shit now has a voise....It has sped me up too the point i wanna throw this computer speakers in the oven. Save the whales DUMBSHITS. BP OIL i just want my seafood back!!!