lost Philip Glass composition 'Music in Eight Parts' gets first-ever recording (listen)

Philip Glass‘s 1970 composition Music in Eight Parts was considered “lost” for over 40 years until sheet music was found and sold at a Christie’s auction in 2017. It’s now, for the first time ever, been recorded and released — by the Philip Glass Ensemble — 50 years after being written. Here’s more background on the work from The New School:

Composed in 1970 shortly before Music in 12 Parts and Music in Similar Motion, Music in Eight Parts was played that year only at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and was largely forgotten until the manuscript was recently auctioned at Christie’s. For years, Glass thought no manuscript had survived, having sold it to pay off debt incurred by the original production of Einstein on the Beach. Glass describes Music in Eight Parts as ‘actually for eight contrapuntal parts. The piece begins in unison and with each successive note the number of parts increases. As it goes on, you get eventually to a twelve-note figure and the piece comes to sound like an accordion: it keeps opening up and closing. That’s what I meant by ‘parts’ there.’

The Philip Glass Ensemble’s recording of Music in Eight Parts is out today via Orange Mountain Music and you can listen below.

In other news, Philip Glass’ Koyaanisqatsi score, and compilation The Essential, are getting vinyl reissues for Record Store Day this fall.