Words without Music, Philip Glass
Words without Music, Philip Glass
3 Rating(s)
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Words without Music
A Memoir

Author: Philip Glass

Narrator: Lloyd James

Unabridged: 15 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/06/2015

Synopsis

World-renowned composer of symphonies, operas, and film scores, Philip Glass has almost single-handedly crafted the dominant sound of late twentieth-century classical music. In Words without Music, he creates an entirely new and unexpected voice: that of a born storyteller and insightful chronicler, whose behind-the-scenes recollections allow one to experience the moments of creative fusion when life magically merges with art.The transformation of a young man from budding musical prodigy to world-renowned composer is the story of this commanding memoir. From his childhood in post–World War II Baltimore to his student days in Chicago, at Juilliard, and his first journey to Paris, where he studied under the formidable Nadia Boulanger, Glass recalls his early mentors, while reconstructing the places that shaped his artistic consciousness. From a life-changing trip to India, where he met with gurus, to the gritty streets of New York in the 1970s, where he worked day jobs as a furniture mover, cabbie, and unlicensed plumber, Glass leads the life of a Parisian bohemian artist transported to twentieth-century America.Even after Glass' talent was first widely recognized with the sensational premiere of Einstein on the Beach in 1976, he never abandoned his ideals throughout his collaborations with such artists as Allen Ginsberg, Ravi Shankar, Robert Wilson, Doris Lessing, and Martin Scorsese. And in this loving and slyly humorous autobiography, Philip Glass re-creates in words the thrill that results from artistic creation, ultimately affirming the power of music to change the world.BONUS FEATURE: Includes "Etude No. 2," written and performed by Philip Glass

About Philip Glass

Philip Glass was born in Baltimore in 1937 and studied at the University of Chicago and the Juilliard School. The composer of operas, film scores, and symphonies, he performs regularly with the Philip Glass Ensemble and lives in New York.

About Lloyd James

Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Barry

My obsession with Philip Glass' music is probably a type of mania. There I am, sitting, just listening to the same couple of notes being played over and over again, sometimes for hours. And I love it. Glass' memoir thankfully doesn't follow his trademark repetitive style. Instead he has produced a r......more

Goodreads review by David

This book is the autobiography of Philip Glass, a world-renowned composer of art music. I have not really appreciated his minimalist style of music, but I truly enjoyed his story. This is a guy who really paid his dues, over and over again, before becoming world-famous. He grew up in Baltimore, and......more

Goodreads review by Rob

“If you don’t know what to do, there’s actually a chance of doing something new. As long as you know what you’re doing, nothing much of interest is going to happen.” – Philip Glass, Words Without Music......more

Goodreads review by Tosh

A very warm and human-like nice guy (at least on the printed page) who also has a fascinating life, and knows everyone. Philip Glass has not always been my favorite composer, but he has written some of my favorite pieces of music. I love Einstein on the Beach and the "Mishima" soundtrack - and parts......more

Quotes

“[A] warm, low-key, and often delightful new memoir… Like his music, his prose is made up of simple components—plain, honest sentences that work their magic cumulatively.” New York Times

“Glass is one of the most articulate composers around. Insight and practical common sense pervade his new book…With a composer’s sense of form, Glass returns, in the final pages, to his youth, the subject that elicits his most evocative writing.” New York Times Book Review

“Essential reading for anyone remotely interested in the evolution of the avant-garde during the past half-century…An important contribution to cultural history.” Dallas Morning News

“Well supplied with droll observations and plainspoken assessments regarding the details of a career that has been as remarkable and noteworthy as any in American music―indeed, in American culture.” Boston Globe

“Fascinating…Glass’ wry observations of those he has worked with―alongside memories of those he has loved and lost―remind us of the human scale of his achievement over the years and of how the years are numbered.” BBC Music Magazine

“[A] warm, unaffected, and deeply human book.” Nation

“Aspiring musicians and artists will learn much from Glass, as will general readers, musical or not, who will discover an artistic life exceptionally well lived.” Booklist (starred review)

“Glass is raptly alive to the aesthetic epiphanies, philosophy, spirituality, and magnetic personalities he has encountered, yet his prose is conversational and free of pretense. The result is a lively, absorbing read that makes Glass’ rarefied cultural sphere wonderfully accessible.” Publishers Weekly

“Writing with warmth and candor, Glass portrays himself as driven, self-confident, and tenaciously determined to invent his own, radically new musical language.” Kirkus Reviews

“I came to Philip Glass’ music very simply, without any critical prodding or guidance. I listened and was transfixed. I was excited to work with Philip on Kundun, and he exceeded my wildest expectations, giving us a score that was genuinely transcendent. He’s exceeded my expectations again with this rich and beautifully written memoir. Who knew that he was as good a writer as he is a composer?” Martin Scorsese, multiaward–winning film producer and director

Awards

  • NPR’s Great Reads
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