Music with Changing Parts

Philip Glass (Composer), Dickie Landry (Performer), Jon Gibson (Performer), Philip Glass (Performer), Robert Prado (Performer), Steve Chambers (Performer), Arthur Murphy (Performer), Barbara Benary (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Dickie Landry, Jon Gibson, Philip Glass, Robert Prado, Steve Chambers, et al.
• Composer: Philip Glass
• Audio CD (February 1, 1994)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005J2A
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,640 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Philip Glass's early works have purely functional titles, and this one is no exception. His masterpiece in this repetitious and rigorously structural composition style-- Music in Twelve Parts--may be just too much for some people to take. If so, then this disc may be just the ticket. Of course, Glass's many fans will snap it up as a matter of course, but as the title implies, there's somewhat more happening here than in his very first minimalist works--just enough so that newcomers to the style ought to find something to enjoy. An important disc, then, both as a milestone in the history of a major musical movement and a reminder of style that the composer has long since abandoned. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highway, June 22, 2000

By	Mr. A. Pomeroy (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Almost a 'single' of 'Music in 12 Parts', this is easier to listen to in one sitting. It's still not headphone listening though - think of it as an audio backdrop and it works, almost, as if one was staring at an abstract painting. As Glass' career progressed he reduced the purely cyclic / generative elements of his works to humanistic levels - 'Einstein on the Beach' and 'Dance 1-5' were the last things he did that could be recognisable as descendents of this new music. The fact that it comes from 1971 is striking - it still sounds modern, and it's fascinating to compare it with the contemporary works of his semi-rival, Steve Reich - whilst Reich used percussive, almost jazzy rhythms, Glass' music is a steadily-flowing concrete road changing in texture but never, ever losing its cool.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome but slightly problematic reissue, December 19, 1998

By	David H. Downing (West Chester/Exton, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those unfamiliar with Philip Glass, his music relies on repetition and gradual transformation, and thus falls loosely into the category of New Age. His arrangements in his earlier works feature electric organ with various winds and voices to add color. Although his recent recordings feature shorter pieces, his earlier works ran from twenty minutes to, in this case, over an hour. This is probably one of Glass's most significant works from the time before he "went commercial." This reissue of the 1971 recording is most welcome, since the original LP is almost impossible to find and is marred by the intrusion of side breaks. Furthermore, since this is the original performance, its significance is historical as well as musical. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that there seem to be several glitches in the recording, which are unfortunately magnified by the perfect reproduction of the CD. This makes me wonder whether a completely new performance and recording might have been preferable. But you can definitely make a case both ways.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different mix from the original, but great to have available, May 23, 2001

By	Robert Kainer (houston, tx) - See all my reviews

Those familiar with the original vinyl recording of this in a very limited release from Chatham Records will definitely notice some differences in the CD remix. To my mind, the backing wind and voice parts are now overbalanced and stick out too much in front, contrary to the idea of the piece, which was that these parts were to be like overtones arising out of the churning electric organ riffs. Also the digital remastering tends to make more apparent the occasional raggedness in the performance, something that is understandable given the feat of endurance this piece probably was (most likely this was an hours-long performance whittled down to fit on 4 sides of vinyl). Still, it is great to have this in an unbroken span and not have to get up & flip the record over every 15 mins. This is Glass when he was at his best, before he became a hack; a pure driving cosmic sound that he later would disavow as 'too spacey' for his tastes.