Strung Out (1967) by Philip Glass

Strung Out (1967) was originally written for amplified violin and first performed at the Film-Makers Cinematheque in 1968. The piece is an experiment with additive process techniques of rhythmic elaboration. The title refers to the music being strung out around the performance space on stands or walls, the idea of stringing a violin, and the expression of being "strung out" ("at the end of one's tether," as Glass puts it). With the exception of two short sections, the music consists of a continuous string of fast eighth notes, marked "mechanically." An entire performance of the work consists of playing the written eight pages of music and then repeating all eight pages (two separate endings). For the sake of time, I will be performing it without the repeat. Unfortunately, Strung Out has gradually been regarded a failure (although the premiere was successful) and remains rarely performed, if ever. I programmed this minimalist work with the intention that listeners will take the opportunity to discover whether or not this unsystematic approach to rhythmic and melodic structuring can give rise to a compelling aural experience. Program Note by Justin R. Stolarik ----------------------------------- Part of Dr. Stolarik's University of Texas at Austin DMA 2 Solo Percussion Recital, entitled "An Unconventional 20th Century Retrospective." Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 4:30pm in Bates Recital Hall. My unconventional retrospective concept delivers a wide variety of musical styles of the twentieth-century -- one work from almost every decade. The pieces not originally composed for percussion have been included as a means to demonstrate the contributions by important composers of the century and to expose the listener to the versatility of percussion instruments.