Philip Glass facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Philip Glass
Glass in 1993
Background information
Born	(1937-01-31) January 31, 1937 (age 88) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres	Minimalism contemporary classical film score
Occupation(s)	Composer
Years active	1964–present

Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is known as one of the most important composers of the late 20th century. Glass's music is often linked to a style called minimalism. This means his pieces are built from repeated musical ideas and layers that slowly change. Glass himself calls his music "music with repetitive structures." He helped this style grow and change over time.

He started the Philip Glass Ensemble, which still performs today. Glass has written many different types of music. These include 15 operas, many smaller operas and musical theatre works, 14 symphonies, 12 concertos, and nine string quartets. He has also composed music for many movies.

Glass has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and three Academy Awards for his movie music. Some of his famous film scores are for Kundun (1997), The Hours (2002), and Notes on a Scandal (2006). He also wrote music for The Truman Show (1998) and Candyman (1992).

He is famous for operas like Einstein on the Beach (1976), Satyagraha (1980), and Akhnaten (1983). Glass also composed music for Broadway plays. These include The Elephant Man (2002) and The Crucible (2016). He won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play for King Lear (2019).

Over his career, Glass has won many awards. These include a BAFTA Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He has also received special honors like the National Medal of Arts in 2010 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018. In 2020, he received the Grammy Trustees Award.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Glass was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 31, 1937. His parents, Ida and Benjamin Charles Glass, were Jewish immigrants from Latvia and Russia. His father owned a record store, and his mother was a librarian.

Glass learned to love music from his father. He later found out that many people on his father's side of the family were musicians. His father's record store received new music all the time. Glass spent many hours listening to these records. This helped him learn about and enjoy different kinds of music. He listened to modern classical music and older classical pieces. He said that Franz Schubert was a "big influence" on him.

Glass started playing the flute when he was a child. He studied at the Peabody Preparatory of the Peabody Institute of Music. At 15, he joined an early college program at the University of Chicago. There, he studied math and philosophy. In Chicago, he became interested in the music of Anton Webern.

In 1954, Glass went to Paris, France. He was very impressed by the films of Jean Cocteau. He also visited artists' studios and saw their work. Glass said he was drawn to the "bohemian life" he saw in Cocteau's films.

Glass later studied at the Juilliard School of Music. He focused on the keyboard. His teachers included Vincent Persichetti and William Bergsma. Other students there were Steve Reich and Peter Schickele. In 1959, he won an award for young composers. After Juilliard, Glass worked as a composer in public schools in Pittsburgh. He wrote music for choirs, small groups, and orchestras.

Developing His Unique Style

Studying in Paris (1964–1966)

Glass studied in Paris with music instructor Nadia Boulanger

In 1964, Glass received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Scholarship. He used it to study in Paris with a famous music teacher named Nadia Boulanger. This time in Paris, from 1964 to 1966, greatly shaped his music. Glass said he still thinks about the composers he studied with Boulanger, like Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

While in Paris, Glass was very interested in new films and theater. He was not as excited by some of the new classical music being performed. He started to move away from the styles of composers like Pierre Boulez. Glass felt there was no point in trying to do their music better than them. So, he decided to try something new.

He became friends with American artists, actors, and directors. He even married one of them, JoAnne Akalaitis, in 1965. Together, they watched many theater performances. Glass started working with director Lee Breuer. He wrote music for a play called Play in 1965. This music was repetitive and almost like a puzzle. It was one of his first pieces in his new, minimalist style.

Glass also worked on a film score with Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha. This experience was very important for his music. He learned about rhythm in Indian classical music, which is based on adding small parts together. After this, Glass stopped writing music in his older style. He began to write pieces based on repeated patterns, similar to Indian music. He also was influenced by the way Samuel Beckett used time in his plays.

In 1966, Glass traveled to northern India. He met Tibetan refugees and became interested in Buddhism. He later met the Dalai Lama in 1972. Since then, Glass has strongly supported the Tibetan independence movement.

Minimalism in New York (1967–1974)

Chuck Close's portrait of Glass in a New York City Subway's 86th Street station

When Glass arrived in New York City in 1967, he saw a performance by Steve Reich. Reich's minimalist music, like Piano Phase, deeply impressed Glass. He then made his own music even simpler. He formed an ensemble with other musicians, including Jon Gibson. They performed in art galleries and studios in SoHo. Artist Richard Serra helped Glass find places to perform. Glass also worked as Serra's studio assistant for several years.

Between 1967 and 1968, Glass wrote nine new pieces. These works, like Strung Out and Music in the Shape of a Square, explored his new minimalist ideas. His first concert of this new music was in September 1968. The audience, mostly artists, loved his simple approach.

Besides his music, Glass worked other jobs to make a living. He had a moving company with his cousin and also worked as a plumber and cab driver. During this time, he became friends with other New York artists like Sol LeWitt and Chuck Close. Glass even wrote a musical piece called A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close in 2005.

Glass's music became more complex over time. Pieces like Music in Fifths (1969) and Music with Changing Parts (1970) showed this change. The Philip Glass Ensemble performed these works. Sometimes critics didn't like them, but younger artists like Brian Eno and David Bowie were very excited by Glass's music. Eno called it "the most detailed music I'd ever heard."

In 1971, Glass formed the Philip Glass Ensemble. This group used amplified instruments like keyboards, saxophones, flutes, and voices. His music for the ensemble reached its peak with the four-hour-long Music in Twelve Parts (1971–1974). This piece brought together all of Glass's musical ideas since 1967. Glass said that the last part of this work was "the end of minimalism" for him. He now prefers to describe himself as a composer of "music with repetitive structures."

Major Works and Collaborations

The Portrait Trilogy (1975–1986)

A scene from a 2017 rehearsal of Einstein on the Beach, a 1975 opera by Glass in Dortmund, Germany

Glass continued to explore new musical ideas with his series Another Look at Harmony (1975–1977). He wanted to combine his rhythmic style with new harmonic ideas.

Parts of Another Look at Harmony became part of his first opera, Einstein on the Beach. He created this opera in 1975 with director Robert Wilson. It premiered in 1976. This opera doesn't have a traditional story. Instead, it uses images and ideas related to Albert Einstein. It was praised as "one of the seminal artworks of the century."

Glass also wrote music for other projects, including children's TV shows like Sesame Street (1979). In 1978, Glass received a commission for an opera from the Netherlands Opera. This meant he no longer needed other jobs to support himself.

His next opera was Satyagraha (1978–1979), which premiered in 1980. It tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi's early life in South Africa. This was Glass's first work since 1963 to be written for a full symphony orchestra. He worked with conductor Dennis Russell Davies, who would become a frequent collaborator.

A scene from a 2017 performance in Berlin of Satyagraha, an opera by Glass

The "Portrait Trilogy" of operas was completed with Akhnaten (1982–1983), which premiered in 1984. This opera is about the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaten. It is sung in ancient languages like Akkadian and Biblical Hebrew. Glass decided to remove the violins from the orchestra for this opera. This gave the music a unique, deep, and dark sound.

Glass also wrote music for films like Koyaanisqatsi (1981–1982). Some of the music from this film was released on the album Glassworks (1982). This album helped introduce Glass's music to more people.

In the mid-1980s, Glass created many works very quickly. He wrote music for dance, like Glass Pieces (1983) for the New York City Ballet. He also composed for theater, including Company (1983), which became his String Quartet No. 2. This piece was initially just background music, but it became very popular.

His film score for Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1984–85) was a "musical turning point" for him. It helped him develop his film scoring techniques. Glass also wrote songs, including Songs from Liquid Days (1985), with lyrics by famous songwriters like Paul Simon. He continued to write operas based on books, like The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 (1985–86) with author Doris Lessing.

Symphonies and Concertos (1987–2007)

Glass began to write more music for traditional orchestras and string quartets. His style became more lyrical and traditional. He often used old musical forms like the chaconne and passacaglia.

His first major orchestral work was the Violin Concerto No. 1 (1987). He wrote this for his father, who loved violin concertos. This led to more orchestral pieces, including a trilogy of "portraits of nature" symphonies: The Light (1987), The Canyon (1988), and Itaipu (1989).

Glass also wrote piano music, like Metamorphosis (1988). He met poet Allen Ginsberg in a bookstore and they decided to work together. This led to the piece Wichita Vortex Sutra (1988) and the music theater work Hydrogen Jukebox (1990).

He continued to write string quartets and chamber music. Glass also collaborated with Ravi Shankar again on the album Passages (1990). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he composed two large operas about explorers: The Voyage (1992) for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's journey, and White Raven (1991) about Vasco da Gama.

Cocteau Trilogy and Later Works (1991–2007)

Glass performing in Florence, Italy in 1993

Glass started a series of symphonies. His Symphony No. 1 (1992) used themes from the David Bowie/Brian Eno album Low. His Symphony No. 3 (1995) treated a string orchestra like a large chamber group. Symphony No. 4 (1996), subtitled Heroes, also used themes from a Bowie/Eno album.

He also wrote a series of Etudes for Piano. These pieces explore different sounds and moods. Some of them were used in theater productions.

Glass created an opera triptych (a set of three works) inspired by the French writer and film director Jean Cocteau. These operas were Orphée (1991), La Belle et la Bête (1994), and Les Enfants terribles (1996). For La Belle et la Bête, Glass replaced the original film music with his own opera score, syncing it perfectly with the movie.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Glass continued to compose many works. These included film scores for Kundun (1997), Naqoyqatsi (2002), and The Hours (2002). He also wrote more symphonies, like Symphony No. 5 "Choral" (1999) and Symphony No. 7 "Toltec" (2004), which had meditative themes. Symphony No. 6 Plutonian Ode (2002) was based on a poem by Allen Ginsberg.

Glass also wrote more operas based on books, such as In the Penal Colony (2000) by Franz Kafka. He created an opera about the astronomer Galileo Galilei (2001).

He started a series of five concertos. These included the Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (2000) and the Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra (2000). His Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (2001) premiered in Beijing. The Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra (2002) showed his classical training. Piano Concerto No. 2: After Lewis and Clark (2004) celebrated the famous explorers.

Glass in December 2007

In 2005, his opera Waiting for the Barbarians premiered. It was based on a novel and explored themes of war and politics. Glass saw it as a comment on the Iraq War.

His Symphony No. 8 premiered in 2005. This was a return to purely orchestral music. Critics praised its changing themes and unique sounds. The Passion of Ramakrishna (2006) was a choral work based on the writings of an Indian spiritual leader.

Glass also wrote a cello suite, Songs and Poems for Solo Cello (2005–2007). It was praised for being "deeply Romantic" and "deeply Baroque" in style. In 2007, Glass worked with Leonard Cohen on a piece based on Cohen's poetry.

His opera Appomattox (2007) was about the end of the American Civil War. Glass continued to write music for plays by Samuel Beckett, creating a "hypnotic" score for a collection of Beckett's short plays in 2007.

Recent Works (2008–Present)

Glass performing Book of Longing in Milan in September 2008

From 2008 to 2010, Glass continued to write chamber music. This included Four Movements for Two Pianos (2008) and a Sonata for Violin and Piano (2008). He also wrote more cello pieces for Wendy Sutter and a Partita for solo violin.

He composed music for Euripides' play The Bacchae (2009). His opera Kepler (2009) was another biography of a scientist, Johannes Kepler. This was Glass's first opera in German.

Glass returned to concertos in 2009 and 2010. His Violin Concerto No. 2, subtitled "The American Four Seasons," was a tribute to Antonio Vivaldi's famous work. He also wrote a Double Concerto for Violin and Cello and Orchestra (2010).

Philip Glass by Luis Alvarez Roure, a 2016 oil on board portrait at the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Glass continued to compose symphonies, including Symphony No. 9 (2010–2011) and Symphony No. 10 (2012). His Ninth Symphony premiered on his 75th birthday in 2012.

The opera The Perfect American (2011) was about the final months of Walt Disney's life. It premiered in Madrid in 2013. Another opera, The Lost [fr] (2013), was based on a play by Peter Handke.

In 2015, Glass's Double Concerto for Two Pianos premiered. He also published his memoir, Words Without Music, in 2015.

Glass at the world premiere of Passacaglia for Piano at Musikhuset Aarhus in Denmark

His 11th symphony premiered on his 80th birthday in 2017. His Piano Concerto No. 3 and String Quartet No. 8 also premiered around this time.

Glass's 12th symphony premiered in 2019. This work was based on David Bowie's album Lodger. It completed Glass's trilogy of symphonies based on Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" albums.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Glass continued to compose. His opera Circus Days and Nights premiered in 2021. Symphony No. 14 premiered in 2021, and Symphony No. 13 premiered in 2022 as a tribute to journalist Peter Jennings.

In 2023, Glass and Artisan Books released a special boxed set of his piano etudes and essays.

Musical Influences and Collaborations

Glass sees himself as a "classicist." He trained in harmony and counterpoint and studied composers like Franz Schubert, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His music also connects with rock, ambient music, electronic music, and world music.

Early fans of his minimalist style included musicians Brian Eno and David Bowie. In the 1990s, Glass composed symphonies based on Bowie and Eno's albums Low and "Heroes".

Glass has worked with many recording artists. These include Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, Leonard Cohen, and David Byrne. He even remixed a song for the band S'Express. Other musicians like Mike Oldfield and bands like Tangerine Dream have been influenced by Glass's music.

Glass and his sound designer Kurt Munkacsi produced music for the band Polyrock. They also recorded an opera by John Moran that featured punk legend Iggy Pop.

Glass has many friends and collaborators in the arts. These include visual artists like Richard Serra and Chuck Close. He has worked with writers like Doris Lessing and Allen Ginsberg. He has also collaborated with film and theater directors like Martin Scorsese and Robert Wilson. His musical collaborators include Ravi Shankar, Laurie Anderson, and David Bowie.

Glass often used a portable organ called a Farfisa in his early concerts and recordings.

Music for Film and TV

Glass has composed many film scores. His first orchestral film score was for Koyaanisqatsi (1982). He also wrote music for two movies about famous people: Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) and Kundun (1997), about the Dalai Lama. He received his first Academy Award nomination for Kundun.

In 1968, he composed music for a short comedy film called Railroaded. This was one of his earliest film projects.

After Hamburger Hill (1987), Glass began working with filmmaker Errol Morris. He wrote music for Morris's documentaries, including The Thin Blue Line (1988). He also continued to score the Qatsi trilogy films: Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002).

In 1998, Glass made a brief appearance in the film The Truman Show. This movie used some of his existing music and three new tracks. In the 1990s, he also scored horror films like Candyman (1992).

In 1999, he created a new soundtrack for the classic 1931 film Dracula. His music for The Hours (2002) earned him a second Academy Award nomination. The director of The Hours said Glass's music was like "another character" in the film.

Glass continued to score films like Secret Window (2004) and The Illusionist. He received his third Academy Award nomination for Notes on a Scandal (2006). More recent film scores include No Reservations (2007) and Fantastic Four (2015). In 2017, Glass scored the documentary Jane, about Jane Goodall.

His music has also been used in other films and TV shows. "Pruit Igoe" from Koyaanisqatsi was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV and the film Watchmen. His music was also used in the TV series Battlestar Galactica and Person of Interest. In 2013, Glass wrote a piano piece called "Duet" for the film Stoker.

For television, Glass composed the theme for Night Stalker (2005) and the soundtrack for Tales from the Loop (2020). His music has also appeared in Stranger Things.

Other Projects

Record Labels

The Orange Mountain Music logo

In 1970, Glass helped start a record label called Chatham Square Productions. In 1993, he formed another label, Point Music. In 2002, Glass and his team founded Orange Mountain Music. This company focuses on releasing recordings of Philip Glass's music. They have released over sixty albums of his works.

Looking Glass Studios

In 1992, Glass built his own recording studio in New York City. He named it Looking Glass Studios. Many famous artists recorded there, including Beck, Bjork, and Lou Reed. The studio closed in 2009.

Personal Life

Glass lives in New York City and in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He has described his spiritual beliefs as a mix of different traditions, including Jewish, Taoist, Hindu, Toltec, and Buddhist. He is a strong supporter of the Tibetan independence movement. In 1987, he helped create Tibet House US at the request of the 14th Dalai Lama. Glass is also a vegetarian.

Glass has been married four times and has four children and one granddaughter.

• His first marriage was to theater director JoAnne Akalaitis (1965–1980). They have two children, Juliet and Zachary.
• His second marriage was to Luba Burtyk (1980), a doctor.
• His third wife, artist Candy Jernigan, passed away in 1991 at age 39.
• Glass's fourth marriage was to Holly Critchlow (2001), a restaurant manager. They had two sons, Cameron and Marlowe.

He was also in a relationship with cellist Wendy Sutter for about five years. As of December 2018, his partner was dancer Saori Tsukada.

Philip Glass is the cousin once removed of Ira Glass, who hosts the radio show This American Life. Ira has interviewed Philip several times. They even recorded a version of Glass's composition for Allen Ginsberg's poem "Wichita Vortex Sutra". In 2014, This American Life broadcast a live performance that included a short opera Philip Glass wrote for the event.

Compositions

Awards and Nominations

Honorary Awards

Works About Philip Glass

• Music with Roots in the Aether: Opera for Television (1976). Tape 2: Philip Glass. Produced and directed by Robert Ashley.
• Philip Glass, from Four American Composers (1983); directed by Peter Greenaway.
• A Composer's Notes: Philip Glass and the Making of an Opera (1985); directed by Michael Blackwood.
• Einstein on the Beach: The Changing Image of Opera (1986); directed by Mark Obenhaus.
• Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread (1994); written by David Ives.
• Looking Glass (2005); directed by Éric Darmon.
• Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2007); directed by Scott Hicks.

See also

In Spanish: Philip Glass para niños

• List of ambient music artists