Philip Glass
| Philip Glass | |
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Philip Glass in Florence, 1993
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Philip Morris Glass |
| Born |
January 31, 1937 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Genres | Minimalism, classical, film score |
| Occupation(s) | Composer |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Website | philipglass |
| List of compositions by Philip Glass | |
 Philip Glass and Robert Wilson (1976) by Robert Mapplethorpe
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Philip Glass and Robert Wilson (2008) by Georgia Oetker |
Philip Morris Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer. He is considered one of the most influential music makers of the late 20th century.
Glass's compositions have been described as minimal music, similar to other "minimalist" composers including La Monte Young, Steve Reich and Terry Riley. However, Glass has described himself instead as a composer of "music with repetitive structures", which he has helped evolve stylistically.
Glass founded the Philip Glass Ensemble, with which he still performs on keyboards. He has written numerous operas and musical theatre works, eleven symphonies, eleven concertos, seven string quartets and various other chamber music, and film scores. Three of his film scores have been nominated for Academy Awards.
Glass was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Ida (née Gouline) and Benjamin Charles Glass. His family were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. His father owned a record store and his mother was a librarian. In his memoir, Glass recalls that at the end of World War II his mother aided Jewish Holocaust Survivors, inviting recent arrivals to America to stay at their home until they could find a job and a place to live. She developed a plan to help them learn English and develop skills so they could find work. His sister, Sheppie, would later do similar work as an active member of the International Rescue Committee.
Glass developed his appreciation of music from his father, discovering later his father's side of the family had many musicians. His cousin Cevia was a classical pianist, while others had been in vaudeville. He learned his family was also related to Al Jolson.
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Wikipedia