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Philip Glass’s “Part 10 of Music in Twelve Parts” (1990)

 

Listening to this piece again, this time not in class but on YouTube, I notice a comment someone wrote underneath this record: “To me this has always sounded like a complex mathematical equation gradually working itself out audibly.” Strangely, this really describes a suiting imagery for this piece. However, my imagination draws a connection to nature. For me, this piece sounds more so like the later stage of a dandelion. A gust of wind blows all those little pieces into the universe. Each of their own flies in another direction and later settles down where it can create a new flower. The additional background music starting at ca. 03:00 minutes draws, at least for me, the picture of a green flower meadow in the middle of a forest alley. Glass’ piece is not at all to fast in rhythm for the imagery of a forest ecosystem. I picture all those single tones as symbols for living beings, which all together are signs of life. Additionally, as a listener I am able to concentrate on one single note or even on a group of tones, which for me really illustrates how I would be able to tune out other sounds in order to listen to the singing of a bird in the forest. The sounds are overall light and similar in a way that helps to endure the fast rhythmic pattern. Also, particularly this piece of art by Glass plays with those patters: to be exact with one large main pattern and several smaller sub patterns. An almost mathematical pattern and repetition is also something we can find in nature, to be more precise in for instance flowers. Thus, the commentary of this other listener can be connected to my association. 

Glass’ “Part 10 of Music in Twelve Parts” is from those listened to in class from this composer, the one that captivates me he most. Therefore, I will definitely be looking into those other parts of this series as I can honestly image that I would listen to this one in my free time.

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