Einstein on the Beach

Philip Glass is an American composer born in 1937 who pioneered minimalist music through the systematic use of repetitive arpeggiated figures and additive processes. Working primarily in opera, orchestral music, and chamber works, Glass developed a distinctive compositional method that strips harmonic language to its essentials while building complex structures through subtle accumulation and variation. His operas, including collaborations with director Robert Wilson, have fundamentally shaped postwar concert music and influenced composers across classical, popular, and experimental idioms.