Chapters 55 & 57 MINIMALISM

CHAPTER 55 & 57
Returning with Interest:
Bowie, Glass, and
Postmodern Elaboration
Copyright © 2020 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.
Reality Shows: Adams and
Contemporary Opera

Copyright © 2020, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
• Barest essentials
• Features
– repetition
– very little variation
• Turns away from serialists
• Non-Western ideas
• Primary Composers:
– Terry Riley
– Steve Reich
– Philip Glass
Minimalism

Minimalism
Minimalism-music intentionally limited to complexity of rhythm, melody,
harmony, and media of performance
Consists of cyclic & repetitive patterns of hypnotic rhythms, constant
harmonies, repeated phrases, ostinatos
Influenced by Javanese & Balinese music, “canned” rhythms, melodic
patterns of synthesizers & rock music

Steve Reich
– "Octet"
“Floe” – from Glassworks
Minimalism

Returning with Interest
I. Returning with Interest
A. Musicians pay homage to earlier composers
1. elaborate on their ideas; new creative perspective
2. art and commercial music cross boundaries

David Bowie, Creative Chameleon, Part 1
II. David Bowie, Creative Chameleon
A. Inventive singer-composer
1. variety of artistic personas and musical styles
a. folk-rocker, late 1960s
b. jazz–rock–hip-hop fusion
2. groundbreaking albums with Brian Eno

3. Heroes, produced with Eno, 1977
a. electronic “ambient” music influence of Eno
b. influence of minimalism, Steve Reich and John Adams
c. critical and financial success
d. title song, taken up by other artists (e.g., Prince, 2016)

Heroes: from Album to “Symphonic Ballet”, Part 1
III. Heroes: from Album to “Symphonic Ballet”
A. Philip Glass (b. 1937)
1. prominent contemporary composer
2. leader of the “Downtown NYC” creative group
3. leading exponent of minimalism
a. developed consonant, repetition-based style
b. appealed to wide audience, 1980s and 90s

Philip Glass (b. 1937)
Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.
Studied flute at the Peabody Conservatory.
Studied composition at the Juilliard School of Music and worked in Paris
with Nadia Boulanger--a composer/teacher.
Traveled in Asia studying music with the sitar player, Ravi Shankar.
Established the Philip Glass Ensemble--to assist modern music in reaching
out to bigger audiences.

Philip Glass Composing at the Piano

4. education: Juilliard School of Music, Nadia Boulanger in
Paris
5. 1971, founded the Philip Glass Ensemble
6. diverse influences: Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Indian
musics
7. extensive collaborations with artists in many media
8. works: operas, song cycle, film scores, chamber music,
several concertos, 12 symphonies

B. Symphony No. 4 (Heroes)
1. small borrowings from Bowie/Eno Heroes album
2. symphonic ballet in six movements
a. each movement based on a theme from Bowie’s
album
b. dramatic structure suitable for dance
3. modern dance choreographed by Twyla Tharpe

4. performed also as a concert piece
5. first movement: based on the title track
a. recognizable musical elements:
i. alternation of two chords
ii. motive with two adjacent repeating notes
iii. distinct rhythmic pattern from song’s refrain

C. Listening Guide 44: Glass: Symphony No. 4 (Heroes), I
(1996)
1. form: motive varied through layering and repetition,
contrasting opening and close
2. orchestra with expanded percussion section
3. ideas develop slowly through extended repetition
4. increasingly layered polyphony, contrasting homophony
at opening and close

Symphony No. 4 (Heroes), I
Symphony No. 4, Heroes, I

• American composer
• Harvard-trained, writes serial music
• Interest in rock
• Based in San Francisco
• Advocate for contemporary music
• Late Romanticism and minimalism
• Short Ride in a Fast Machine
• On the Transmigration of Souls
• Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic
& Lincoln Center’s Great Performers
• Commemorating 9/11
John Adams (b. 1947) and Post-Minimalism

History Presented in Opera
I. History Presented in Opera
A. Historical topics, semi-fictional accounts
1. evoke intensity and complexity of the time
2. convey emotional truths

John Adams and Post-Minimalism, Part 1
II. John Adams and Post-Minimalism
A. John Adams (b. 1947)
1. American composer, versatile post-minimalist
2. education: Harvard University, studied serialism
3. professor at San Francisco Conservatory of Music;
advocate for contemporary music
4. operas and stage works: contemporary, controversial
political subjects
5. Pulitzer Prize: On the Transmigration of Souls (2002)

6. style: elements of neo-Romanticism, minimalism,
accessible melodies, expressive harmonies, wide appeal
7. output: stage works, orchestral works, chamber music,
vocal works, tape and electronic works
B. The opera Doctor Atomic
1. subject: creation of atomic bomb headed by physicist J.
Robert Oppenheimer
a. raises complex moral, political questions
2. setting: Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico

• Act II, Scene 3: At the sight of this
• Chorus and orchestra
• Sharply dissonant harmony
• Verse/refrain structure with
repeated text
• Syncopated rhythm
• Short choppy phrases in the melody
• Text: Bhagavad Gita
• Masterful work
Adams: Doctor Atomic, excerpts (2005)
(Listening Guide)

3. libretto by Peter Sellars, playwright/director
a. sources: memoirs of scientists, declassified
government documents, poetry of John Donne and
Charles Baudelaire, sacred Hindu scripture Bhagavad
Gita (Song of God)
4. focus on last days and hours before first atomic test
(1945)
a. hopes and fears about the invention
b. morality concerns
c. psychological stresses
d. apprehension and terror

5. rich and dark score
a. complex texturally; multilayered, eclectic
b. human, well-developed characters
6. “At the sight of this”
a. test will go on despite bad weather
b. text: Bhagavad Gita; Krishna reveals himself as the
Supreme God

C. Listening Guide 46: Adams: Doctor Atomic, “At the sight of
this” (2005)
1. Act II, scene 3: chorus and orchestra
2. verse/refrain structure, repetition of ideas
3. fiery mood; mysterious electronic sounds
4. spine-chilling chorus
a. fearsome text, repeated notes in short phrases
b. syncopated, offbeat brass and percussion accents

5. unsettling refrain: “O Master” dissonant tones
6. “When I see you, Vishnu…” sustained chords
7. closing: build up of tension, distorted electronic sounds,
vocables

Doctor Atomic
At the Sight of This

Perceptive listening is achieved gradually, with practice and effort.
Enjoy music!
“Just listen with the vastness of the world in mind.
You can’t fail to get the message.” —Pierre Boulez
Coda

Credits
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for “The Enjoyment of Music, 4th Edition, Chapter 55: Returning with
Interest: Bowie, Glass, and Postmodern Elaboration”
For more resources, please visit https://digital.wwnorton.com/enjmusic4ess

Chapters 55 & 57 MINIMALISM

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