Words Without Music: A Memoir [Paperback]

Illuminating&Glass, a key figure of musical minimalism, was one of the first composers to reject a distinction between 'ethnic' music and Western classical music, and in this memoir he explains how he came to view a composition not as a linear narrative but as progressive rhythmic sequences.Essential reading for anyone remotely interested in the evolution of the avant-garde during the past half-century&Lively and colorful&. Glass is one of the most articulate composers around. Insight and practical common sense pervade his new book&. With a composers sense of form, Glass returns, in the final pages, to his youth, the subject that elicits his most evocative writing.Well-supplied with droll observations and plainspoken assessments regarding the details of a career that has been as remarkable and noteworthy as any in American musicindeed, in American culture&. Honest and candid.Readers dont have to like Glasss music to find pleasure in this warm, unaffected, and deeply human book, but they may come away with an improved understanding of and a greater appreciation for both the music and its composer&. If a listeners view of a composer is one of the things that shapes his or her perception of the music, an autobiography that alters the composers image should have the potential to change the way the music comes across.Philip Glass has written a fascinating account of his life with recollections of family, teachers, and friends. From his childhood in Baltimore to his studies with Ravi Shankar and Nadia Boulanger and the collaborations with Robert Wilson, Allen Ginsburg, Godfrey Reggio, and Martin Scorsese, among others, Glass offers insights to his music and personal life.I came to Philip Glasss music very simply, without any critical prodding or guidance. I listened and was transfixed. I was excited to work with Philip on