John Adams & Philip Glass: Defining Modern Essay

John Adams & Philip Glass: Defining modern music

The 20th century has certainly seen two of the most genius composers of modern classical music: John Adams and Philip Glass. Both composers are innovators and have gone where other composers never would've gone first. Their music is unique, sometime simple but sometime overwhelming, providing the listener with new sounds and new rhythms that only a highly intelligent musical mind could have brought together on a piece. The following will shed the light on the life and work of American composers John Adams and Philip Glass, all the while providing insight on certain pieces of music that have marked their careers.

John Adams

Originally from Massachusetts, John Adams is born on February 15th, 1947. His first instrument was the clarinet -- he was taught to play by his father and later on studied the instrument with Felix Viscuglia, from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His love of music led him to superior studies, where he earned his BA and MA from Harvard University. Since his early teens, Adams was interested in composing and by the time he had graduated, several of his pieces had already been performed.

Adams his known for his minimalist approach to composition as well the integration of electronic elements to his orchestral compositions. He can be considered as a part of the minimalist movement, but more often is he referred to as post-minimalist, being that he was a generation after Steve Reich and Philip Glass, who originated the genre.The two works from John Adams that I have chosen to listen to are Hallelujah Jonction and Tromba Lontana.

Hallelujah Jonction: This piece is a furious and overwhelming two piano piece. The sounds refer to the ones of a train -- the two piano parts are interlocking with each other, using short and repeated rhythms and syncopations as motif. To me, this piece represents Adams in all aspects, as it uses uncommon and dizzying rhythms to present two parts that despite being entirely different manage to join each other in one, coherent piece.

Tromba Lontana: The landmark of this piece is the sound of 'distant trumpets', with both parts usually played from the balcony of the concert hall in order to get the perfect sounding 'distance'. Using the space as a part of the composition is certainly an aspect that differentiates Adams from other composers: Tromba Lontana barely goes over mezzo-piano in dynamics and offers a sound that makes it a unique and special work.

Philip Glass

Philip Glass was born on January 31st, 1937 in Maryland. Considered to be one of the most influential composers of the century, he is known to have shaped a certain path for post-minimalists….....