Music in Twelve Parts

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Music in Twelve Parts is a set of pieces, twelve in total, by contemporary composer Philip Glass. The entire set can be over three hours long when performed and was written between the years 1971-1974. These works utilize Glass' mode of repetitive structures often associated with musical minimalism. Despite this, many of the works display a great deal of variety and invention. Although the slow developmental pace and the seemingly long periods of time where nothing seems to happen (which, as one listens closely, is an illusion, since patterns actually change form almost continuously, though nearly imperceptibly) constitute an considerable task for the casual listener, these pieces have enjoyed a significant level of popularity and are often cited as a major work of the second half of the 20th century. The works show a great emphasis on development and slow alteration, with different pieces utilizing different techniques for development.

Andrew Porter for The New Yorker magazine (1978) wrote of the transitions from one track to the next:

"A new sound and a new chord suddenly break in, with an effect as if one wall of a room has suddenly disappeared, to reveal a completely new view."