Re: Kundun

[Marzzz <Marzzz@aol.com>]

In a message dated 1/25/98 6:56:18 PM, you wrote:

>Anyway!  I needed to point out something about Philip Glass' music with
>respect to looping.  The only looping is from the compositional 
>standpoint,
>and not because of any technology.  To see an orchestra play his work is
>something else, I imagine - the Ensemble alone looked like they shed 
>quite a
>lot of sweat at the Kitchen, Mr.. Glass playing keyboards also, and
>conducting using accentuated nods of his head, which sported a bushy cloud
>of hair (then).  They were playing it all, man.  However, it Wasn't IMHO
>'looping' as most of us on this list know it.  More like a compositional
>'repeat', but then I know not much of music composition in the
>parochial-classical sense. :)  Anyone?  Is 'repeat' the correct musical
>term?  I *know* it's not 'loop'. :)

Yes, repeat is definitely a correct term here, though I have never actually
seen a Glass score, he may have everything written out just to keep 
musicians
from getting lost.

I once saw a collection of small plays in the Body Politic Theatre in 
Chicago,
one of which was called "Phillip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread," in which the
actors conversed in a looping, minimalist way (in a minimalist bakery with 
ONE
loaf of bread) that interacted in an ever-shifting pattern....it is kind of
hard to describe, but it BRILLIANTLY portrayed Glass' music in the form of
"dialogue" and greatly shed light on how his music worked....and was 
amusing
as hell!!!