Metamorphosis by Philip Glass (Solo Piano Album)

July 9, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

monarch butterfly perching on red flower

In 1989, contemporary minimalist composer Philip Glass (b. 1937) released his album Solo Piano. The album has seven tracks: Metamorphosis I Metamorphosis II Metamorphosis III Metamorphosis IV Metamorphosis V Mad Rush Wichita Vortex Sutra Notice how the first five tracks all have the same name: Metamorphosis. Glass composed these particular pieces for a staging of […]

Important Minimalist Composers: Classical Music of the 21st Century Part 2

May 8, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

Minimalism is an important musical genre. Click to read about some famous composers who helped shape the minimalist musical movement!

Last week we discussed how minimalism became a musical movement in the mid-1900s. After decades of experimental music and a shift away from traditional melodic and harmonic ideas, a group of American composers aimed to return to the simple and – as a result – created minimalism. Today, let’s take a look at some* of […]

The History of Minimalism: Classical Music of the 21st Century Part 1

May 1, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

Minimalism: “a form of art music that employs limited or minimal musical materials” (thanks Wikipedia). But what does that mean exactly? And why does it matter? I’ll tell you why it matters. Minimalism as a musical style emerged in the middle of the 20th century, and its influence has since permeated contemporary music. Many famous […]