RE: Pop and Minimalism in Classical Music - The Polarizing Compositions of Philip Glass and Ludovico Einaudi
Thanks for the mention! Repetition in classical music is quite common. As is the difference between a simplistic piece and a complex piece. For repetition, I recently heard someone say that we need to remember that the listeners to the works of Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc. . . were likely listening to the performed pieces for the first (and last time). As a result, these composers used repetition as a tool to emphasize a theme, ingrain it in the listener. Without repetition, the themes might have gone in one ear and out the other, or the listener might not hear the harmonic complexity behind the theme. For simplicity and complexity, it all depends on the interpretation of the performer. A well interpreted piece will sound interesting to an audience no matter the complexity, and a badly interpreted piece will sound boring to the audience no matter the complexity. It is the performer's job to take what the composer has done, and convey it to the audience, no matter the complexity.
Exactly. That's why we've got to get your compositions into the hands of a pianist one of these days!
My piano teacher always impressed upon me that the simpler a piece was, the less room the performer had to hide. You've really got to make every note count, and if there are a lot of repetitions, make each one different.