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Philip Glass
Music With Changing Parts
Superior Viaduct - Cat No: SV211
- updated:2026-07-06
Finally reissued on LP by 〈Superior Viaduct〉. This is the 1971 debut album by Philip Glass—known as one of America’s great composers and a leading figure of minimalism alongside Terry Riley and Steve Reich—released when he was in his mid-30s. Self-funded and released as the debut release on his independent label, 〈Chatham Square Productions〉, this is an early masterpiece. Sixty sublime minutes of ethereal sustained tones lurking within repetition, rocked by the ecstasy of the pulse. A 2LP set that faithfully reproduces the original album’s side breaks and gatefold sleeve design. Cut by Dubplates & Mastering. A lifelong treasure.
Track List
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1. Music With Changing Parts
1:01:38
This landmark work from the dawn of minimalism, written for electric organ and woodwinds, centers on psychoacoustic phenomena—a fact underscored by the well-known anecdote that Glass composed it after noticing, during rehearsals for *Music in Similar Motion* (1969), a sustained tone that should not have been audible. Performed by the original Philip Glass Ensemble—which included Glass himself and John Gibson—the piece features arpeggios that pulsate through a repetitive structure woven from long, drawn-out drones produced by three organs, an electric piano, woodwinds, an electric violin, and vocals. The way short patterns gradually evolve, transforming time as they paint a sonic mandala, is truly breathtaking. Glass apparently disliked being labeled “minimalist,” and indeed, the piece consists of many rich layers of sound. The lo-fi, DIY texture achieved through the use of the relatively inexpensive Farfisa organ—a instrument also used by rock bands—adds to its charm. This is one of the recordings that captures Philip Glass’s aesthetic in its most raw form. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)