Glass founded the Philip Glass Ensemble, with which he still performs on keyboards. He has written numerous operas and musical theatre works, twelve symphonies, eleven concertos, eight 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 emigrants 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.
Glass has composed many film scores, starting with the orchestral score for Koyaanisqatsi (1982), and continuing with two biopics, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985, resulting in the String Quartet No. 3) and Kundun (1997) about the Dalai Lama, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination. In 1968 he composed and conducted the score for director Harrison Engle's minimalist comedy short, Railroaded, played by the Philip Glass Ensemble. This was one of his earliest film efforts.
The year after scoring Hamburger Hill (1987), Glass began a long collaboration with the filmmaker Errol Morris with his music for Morris's celebrated documentaries, including The Thin Blue Line (1988) and A Brief History of Time (1991). He continued composing for the Qatsi trilogy with the scores for Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). In 1995 he composed the theme for Reggio's short independent film Evidence. He made a cameo appearance—briefly visible performing at the piano—in Peter Weir's The Truman Show (1998), which uses music from Powaqqatsi, Anima Mundi and Mishima, as well as three original tracks by Glass. In the 1990s, he also composed scores for Bent (1997) and the thriller Candyman (1992) and its sequel, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), plus a film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent (1996).
In 1999, he finished a new soundtrack for the 1931 film Dracula. The Hours (2002) earned him a second Academy Award nomination, and was followed by another Morris documentary, The Fog of War (2003). In the mid-2000s Glass provided the scores to films such as Secret Window (2004), Neverwas (2005), The Illusionist and Notes on a Scandal, garnering his third Academy Award nomination for the latter. Glass's most recent film scores include No Reservations (Glass makes a brief cameo in the film sitting at an outdoor café), Cassandra's Dream (2007), Les Regrets (2009), Mr Nice (2010), the Brazilian film Nosso Lar (2010) and Fantastic Four (2015, in collaboration with Marco Beltrami). In 2009, Glass composed original theme music for Transcendent Man, about the life and ideas of Ray Kurzweil by filmmaker Barry Ptolemy.
In the 2000s Glass's work from the 1980s again became known to wider public through various media. In 2005 his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1987) was featured in the surreal French thriller, La Moustache, providing a tone intentionally incongruous to the banality of the movie's plot. Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis One from Solo Piano (1989) was featured in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica in the episode "Valley of Darkness" and also in the final episode ("return 0") of Person of Interest. In 2008, Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto IV featuring Glass's "Pruit Igoe" (from Koyaanisqatsi). "Pruit Igoe" and "Prophecies" (also from Koyaanisqatsi) were used both in a trailer for Watchmen and in the film itself. Watchmen also included two other Glass pieces in the score: "Something She Has To Do" from The Hours and "Protest" from Satyagraha, act 2, scene 3. In 2013 Glass contributed a piano piece "Duet" to the Park Chan-wook film Stoker. In 2017 Glass scored the National Geographic Films documentary Jane (a documentary on the life of renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall).
Glass's music was featured in two award-winning films by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, Elena (2011) and Leviathan (2014).
For television, Glass composed the theme for Night Stalker (2005).
The Photographer
Philip Glass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A Gentleman's honor
And a long white beard
Burns up in fever
And this is artificial moonlight
An artificial sky
Feet on the ground
Never seen
This picture before
And this is artificial moonlight
An artificial sky
Horses in the air
"Whose baby is this"
Never seen
This picture before
The lyrics of Philip Glass's song The Photographer tell a tale of a man, described as an honorable gentleman, who succumbs to a fever that burns up his long white beard and all his white hair. The imagery of the artificial moonlight and sky depicts an industrialized era where even nature is not immune to human interference. The following line, "Horses in the air, feet on the ground," is an interesting image that seemingly represents a contradiction or impossibility. It could be interpreted as a metaphor for the photographer's subject matter being surreal or otherworldly. The final line, "Whose baby is this? Never seen this picture before," reinforces the idea of capturing something unique or unusual and also suggests a sense of wonder and curiosity.
Line by Line Meaning
All that white hair
A symbol of wisdom and experience, suggesting that the photographer is older and has seen a lot in his life.
A Gentleman's honor
A reference to the photographer's demeanor and professionalism. He conducts himself with respect and integrity, as a true gentleman would.
And a long white beard
Another symbol of age and wisdom. The photographer has lived a long life and has much knowledge to share.
Burns up in fever
The photographer is passionate about his work and becomes consumed by it. His intense dedication can sometimes take a toll on him.
And this is artificial moonlight
The photographer is creating his own environment to capture the perfect shot. He controls the lighting to set the mood he desires.
An artificial sky
Similar to the artificial moonlight, the photographer is manipulating the sky to fit his vision for the photograph. He creates his own reality.
Horses in the air
A surreal image that the photographer is able to create through his artistry. He can capture the impossible and make it seem real.
Feet on the ground
Despite the fantastical elements he may capture in his photographs, the photographer remains grounded and practical in his approach to his work.
Never seen
The images the photographer captures are unique and one-of-a-kind. No one has ever seen anything quite like what he creates.
This picture before
Each photograph the photographer takes is a new and original piece of art. He never repeats himself and is always pushing himself to create something new and exciting.
"Whose baby is this"
The photographer is capturing moments that are deeply personal and emotional for his subjects. He is able to connect with them on a level that allows them to trust him with their most intimate moments.
Contributed by Mila E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mauro Balbino
The Photographer - Act 1: A Gentleman's Honor
All that white hair
A Gentleman's honor
And a long white beard
Burns up in fever
And this is artificial moonlight
An artificial sky
Horses in the air
Feet on the ground
Never seen
This picture before
And this is artificial moonlight
An artificial sky
Horses in the air
"Whose baby is this"
Never seen
This picture before
Walperion Music
Philip Glass somehow manages to create pieces of music that sound so unique it doesn't sound like any other pieces of music in the world.
And throughout his career he managed to create such tracks dozens of times!
"Religion", "A Gentleman's Honor (Instrumental)", "Koyaanisqqatsi"...
Every single one of those tracks sound so unique like no other music in the universe!
Zero Kelvin
Glass does a fantastic job of making repetitive sound non-repetitive and engaging.
Shombie
Well-put!
Ethan Hill
You might listen more often to sub Saharan west African drummers and drumming for same effect.
Zero Kelvin
Also, I meant this as a compliment. Nobody can say this doesn't repeat a lot - but they can say that it's done so well you never get tired of it. Was not a criticism.
Travis Nielsen
@***** Dude lay off the guy a bit! He's warming up to Glass's music and does not to answer to an internet troll.
Walperion Music
20:32 - my favourite bit.
I never heard a piece of music that sounds like that!
Such a unique magical music.
Philip Glass is unique in making music sound like no other piece of music in the world.
Jeremy Colson
Philip Glass no longer surprises me, but he never fails to amaze me. Many thanks for the upload. Much appreciated
TheHapexamendios
Act III is the only piece of music I've ever heard that never fails to bring a tear to my eye at the end. Not of sadness but pure joy. A tear of astonishment and awe. I love all of Glass' music … but this really is something else.
Gustave Muhozi
Philip Glass is a master at creating a feeling of awe.