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The Modern, Minimalist Movies Scores of Philip Glass

Musicnotes

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The Modern, Minimalist Movies Scores of Philip Glass

Philip Glass was a pioneer of the avant-garde music movement of the 1960s. His use of repetitive structures eventually led to critics labeling his scores "minimalism." Glass never cared for the term himself. And indeed, his output is anything but minimalist. He has composed hundreds of concert pieces for ensembles of all sizes and over 50 movie scores.

His work for film has found a broad and enduring audience. It runs the gamut from small art-house flicks to bigger, summer blockbuster types. Each film has an undertow of the hallmark Glass sound of undulating rhythms, repeating chords, and soaring countermelodies. Here is a brief overview of some of his most important contributions to film.

'Koyaanisqatsi' (1982)

Koyaanisqatsi, an experimental film by Godfrey Rodrigo, is precisely the type of movie where one would expect to find Philip Glass' music. The title means "life out of balance" in the Hopi language. It consists of a non-narrative montage of footage from all across the United States. Cities are shown in all their congestion and hubris. Empty landscapes are shown to be barren and beautiful.

The music is straight-up minimalism performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble. It includes slow, meditative passages with long, sustained notes as well as fast, rhythmic ostinatos played on a synthesizer. Despite its unconventional sound, this score has become one of the most popular pieces in all of Glass' canon. Individual selections from the soundtrack are often played on concert tours, including:

  • "Vessels"
  • "The Grid"
  • "Prophecies"
  • "Cloudscape"

This movie began a 20-year collaboration between Rodrigo and Glass. Two more movies followed: Powaqqatsi in 1988 and Naqoyqatsi in 2002.

'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters' (1985)

This biographical film tells the story of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima with dramatized excerpts from his novels. The movie concludes with Mishima's ritual suicide. Appropriately, this is one of Glass' boldest scores. There is little subtlety here as he uses a full orchestra and plenty of percussion to achieve the mood of the film.

The soundtrack features the famous avant-garde performing ensemble, the Kronos Quartet. After the release of the film, Glass rewrote excerpts from the film into his "String Quartet No. 3," a piece in six movements. Both the soundtrack and the string quartet are often listed among his finest works.

'Candyman' (1992)

It seems that every avant-garde composer worth their John Cage albums forays into horror films eventually. This happy marriage of the two art forms can be traced back to 1956 and the soundtrack to Forbidden Planet by Bebe and Louis Barron.

Candyman is the Philip Glass horror score par excellence. "Helen's Theme" immediately sets the ominous tone with plenty of dark, sonorous chords played over repeated rhythmic patterns. The simplicity of the orchestration contributes to the gothic appearance and feel of the movie. Glass uses just the chorus, pipe organ, and piano for the entire film. This limited pallet builds feelings of paranoia and fear.

'Kundun' (1997)

This biographical movie about the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, directed by Martin Scorsese, brought Glass his first Academy Award nomination. This represents a typical genre of Philip Glass movies: the more accessible art house film. Set in Tibet, Glass makes full use of the sounds and timbres available to him from that region.

You will hear Tibetan gongs, throat singing, and Tibetan horns throughout the score. Above all, you will hear the unmistakable sound of a synthesizer and woodwinds playing those pervasive Glassian ostinato arpeggios. The juxtaposition is not jarring, as may be expected. Rather, Glass melds his style of minimalism with Tibetan harmonies to produce a compelling and evocative soundscape for the film.

'The Truman Show' (1998)

The Truman Show contains perhaps some of the most popular music from Philip Glass’ film scores. However, he did not compose the entire soundtrack. This score was written in collaboration with Burkhard Dallwitz, a German/Australian composer known mostly for his television scores. Together, Glass and Dallwitz won the Best Original Score Golden Globe for this movie.

This score is particularly successful as the repetitious arpeggiations and rhythms serve to depict the controlled monotony of Truman's life. The simple melodies are appropriately melancholic. As with much of Glass' music, there is a simplicity here that allows for a great deal of emotional subtext. The popular excerpt, "Truman Sleeps," is an excellent example of this.

'The Hours' (2002)

This is a softer score. It's full of warm string sounds that pulsate with life and emotion. Of course, there are the Philip Glass hallmarks, such as ostinato rhythms and repeating chords. But soon, a cello solo soars above it all, adding unexpected depth and resonance.

Glass' score for The Hours was his second Academy Award nomination. It beautifully underscores the story about the intersection of the lives of three very different women with a simplicity that doesn't get in the way of the visuals.

The major accomplishment of this score is the lush romantic sound it conveys. Minimalism is at home with edgy films and documentaries. To use this style of composition to tell a human interest story is unusual and quite successful here. There are many popular solo pieces from The Hours, such as:

A film score having a life outside the movie with excerpts for all to play is always a good sign that the soundtrack is of high quality.

Awards and Honors

It is possible to be an accomplished composer and to have received no nominations or awards. However, Philip Glass does not fall into that category. Despite some poor critical reviews early on, Glass has won the respect of his peers and subsequent generations.

To date, he has received three Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Original Score and won for the film The Truman Show. He won the BAFTA Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for The Hours. He has been nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Philip Glass has earned his place among the great film composers of the modern age. His innovation and unique vision have left an indelible mark on the art of film scoring.

Sources:

  • https://philipglass.com/films/all/
  • https://www.criterion.com/films/28034-koyaanisqatsi
  • https://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/film.php
  • https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-09-ca-6381-story.html
  • https://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/candyman-a-perfect-score/