Music of Our Time
When I started writing minimal music in the 1960s, people said it was not music. But the world changes, and what seemed strange yesterday becomes normal today.
Philip Glass
American composer, pioneer of minimalism, creator of operas and symphonies, explorer of sound and repetition in music.
All moments: Philip Glass
- Beauty in Repetition — Philip Glass
People think repetition is boring, but it is not. Repetition is a way to look deeply into one thing, to understand it completely. There is beauty in repetition.
- Infinity in Every Note — Philip Glass
Repetition creates a sense of eternity. When you hear one phrase again and again, you begin to see the entire universe in that phrase. It is transcendence through simplicity.
- The Music of Tomorrow — Philip Glass
I composed for the future without knowing what that future would be. Looking back now, I see that my music was an answer to questions not yet asked.
- Sound as Meditation — Philip Glass
When you listen to my music, you enter a meditative state. It is not music to entertain you; it is music to transform you.
- Eight Decades of Creation — Philip Glass
I do not call myself a minimalist. I am simply a composer who listens to life. Life is both minimal and maximal at once. I write about what I see.
- The Path of Minimalism — Philip Glass
Minimalism is not simplification; it is concentration. When you remove what is unnecessary, the essence becomes visible. It is a philosophy of life and music.
Related moments
- Birth of a Legend — Paul McCartney
The Beatles were about growth. We changed every single day.
- Documenting History — Questlove
As a documentarian, I feel a responsibility to preserve the history of Black music and culture
- All Music Is Folk Music — Louis Armstrong
All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.
- Alien Artist — David Bowie
I never tried to fit in. I prefer to be myself, even if it's alien.
- The Soul of Music — Questlove
Soul is what makes music real. It's what people feel
- Always Be a Good Human — Louis Armstrong
I've always tried to be a good human being. That's what matters.