Reviews
An engaging memoir of an adventuresome, iconoclastic career...Writing with warmth and candor, Glass portrays himself as driven, self-confident and tenaciously determined to invent his own, radically new musical language., [A]n engaging, even charming book, one of the most readable autobiographies ever written by a classical composer., 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.... Honest and candid., Warm, low-key and often delightful.... A portrait of a composer who rose to prominence almost entirely outside of the usual institutions.... Words Without Music reads the way Mr. Glass's compositions sound at their best: propulsive, with a surreptitious emotional undertow., Readers don't have to like Glass's music to find pleasure in this warm, unaffected, and deeply human book, but they may come away with an improved understanding of and a greater appreciation for both the music and its composer.... If a listener's view of a composer is one of the things that shapes his or her perception of the music, an autobiography that alters the composer's image should have the potential to change the way the music comes across. Words Without Music has done precisely that for me., Words Without Music is a sustained performance with fascinating scenes and a lucid text. If there is a 'music' to this book, it is the regular rhythm that being in the presence of someone humble and kind allows--it is a comfort and a constancy., [Glass has] fascinated several generations of listeners, demonstrating mesmeric properties that are as palpable as they are inexplicable., I came to Philip Glass's 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?, At its core, Glass's story is about work...he worked as a mover, a plumber, and a taxi driver to keep his family fed during his decades of obscurity, and since then he has immersed himself in the craft of composing. 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's rarefied cultural sphere wonderfully accessible., "Glass, a key figure of musical minimalism, was one of the first composers to reject a distinction between "ethnic" music and Western classical music, and in this memoir he explains how he came to view a composition not as a linear narrative but as progressive rhythmic sequences.", Essential reading for anyone remotely interested in the evolution of the avant-garde during the past half-century.... Words Without Music [is] an important contribution to cultural history., So bursting with culture and anecdote that names and stories virtually explode out of it... Gloriously readable., An absorbing, graceful, and humane window into the interior life of one of our most important and arguably most famous composers.... For everyone who has been fascinated and moved by his music, the book will be full of deep insights into how Glass the man became Glass the composer., Illuminating... Words Without Music offers Glass plenty of opportunities to take aim at [his] critics... He is always vigorous in defending his artistic choices and aesthetics. Glass's music may sound simple, but it revels in subtle complexity., Words Without Music is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. The book overflows with love and enthusiasm for life and art. Philip Glass's vision of human culture as the transmission of ideas through time is transcendent. Hilarious, touching and profound, this book should be read by everyone interested in music and great writing., Philip Glass has written a fascinating account of his life with recollections of family, teachers, and friends. From his childhood in Baltimore to his studies with Ravi Shankar and Nadia Boulanger and the collaborations with Robert Wilson, Allen Ginsburg, Godfrey Reggio, and Martin Scorsese, among others, Glass offers insights to his music and personal life. Words Without Music will be a pleasure to read, not only for musicians (although they will particularly enjoy it) but for anyone interested in the world of art., A joy to read... Considering the insight he provides into the various works he does discuss (particularly the operas and early minimalist pieces), anyone with a passing interest in Glass will come away with a better understanding of this musical giant's creative process and influence., Lively and colorful.... 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., Fascinating.... Glass's 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., No matter your opinion of Glass' music, you will like Glass the man....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., Long overdue... [Words Without Music] rightly touches on only the major works of his early and middle periods, gracefully leaving the reader to conclude how much the 78-year-old Glass... has changed the cutting-edge music world, how that world is run, how pieces are made and disseminated, and the value of his having saved serious music from the hegemony of modernism., An appealing memoir from one of the foremost creative geniuses of the last fifty years, Philip Glass's homespun reminiscences are as accessible as his entrancing musical compositions. In his epic quest to discover 'where the music comes from,' Glass chronicles his transformative, lifelong journey across four continents, including his musical epiphany with Ravi Shankar, which had a dramatic impact on contemporary instrumental music and opera., A joy to read... Considering the insight he provides into the various works he does discuss (particularly the operas and early minimalist pieces), anyone with a passing interest in Glass will come away with a better understanding of this musical giant''s creative process and influence.
