ABSTRACT
Early minimalist music was generally understood as being based on strict processes, subjectivity being seen as rather a weakness. In his program notes to Einstein on the Beach, Philip Glass claimed (or let the listener believe) that the opera was grounded in similarly strict processes, but an analysis shows that this was not the case. Only the Bed scene follows a classically minimalist additive pattern. The other movements move through material in circuitous ways, both subtracting and adding phrases unpredictably. In particular, in the Train and Dance 1 and 2 scenes, Glass moves through his material multiple times, recomposing the shape anew for each repetition. This element of intuitive rewriting is responsible for much of the opera’s durability, holding the listener’s attention through unexpected variations within very clear limits.
