The Glen
Encyclopedia
"The Glen" is a composition by Bradley Joseph
and is not included on any of his original albums. It was written exclusively for the 1998 Narada
compilation album, "Stories", a Narada Artist Collection
, in which "Extraordinary performers reveal their artistic inspirations in deeply personal instrumental memoirs".
This song later appears on the 2001 Narada
compilation album 20 Years of Narada Piano
.
of instruments that decrescend
os at the end, with the left hand on the piano providing the rhythm for the song.
Bradley Joseph
Bradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
and is not included on any of his original albums. It was written exclusively for the 1998 Narada
Narada Productions
Narada is a record label formed 1983 as an independent New Age music label and distributed by MCA Records. Now a fully owned subsidiary of EMI, Narada evolved through an expansion of formats to include music from other styles including world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar...
compilation album, "Stories", a Narada Artist Collection
Stories (Narada Artist Collection)
Stories is a 1998 compilation release by Narada."Extraordinary performers reveal their artistic inspirations in deeply personal instrumental memoirs".-Track listing:#"Bahama" – Artie Traum – 4:26...
, in which "Extraordinary performers reveal their artistic inspirations in deeply personal instrumental memoirs".
This song later appears on the 2001 Narada
Narada Productions
Narada is a record label formed 1983 as an independent New Age music label and distributed by MCA Records. Now a fully owned subsidiary of EMI, Narada evolved through an expansion of formats to include music from other styles including world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar...
compilation album 20 Years of Narada Piano
20 Years of Narada Piano
20 Years of Narada Piano is a 2001 compilation release by Narada. It peaked at #12 on Billboard's Top New Age album charts in the same year.-Track listing:*1.1 "Endings" – Michael Jones – 5:33*1.2 "Sunrise" – Kostia – 5:02...
.
History
From the album liner, this is Joseph's story behind writing "The Glen":My father never traveled much until late in life, and he told me he regretted not having those experiences to call upon through his years. So when I drove from MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
to Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
at age 23, I was thrilled not only by the spectacular scenery but also by the realization that I could use these memories for a lifetime.
Heading west on a winding road from Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
at twilight, I found myself in a rose-colored canyon unlike any glen I had ever seen. I pulled over, jumped up on the warm hood of my rusty '77 Malibu, and my tired eyes watched night fall over the Mojave DesertMojave DesertThe Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
for the first time. The jagged horizon and chilling breeze spoke to me in common terms: loneliness and vulnerability, promise and beauty. I'll never forget that sunset.
Structure
"The Glen" has an ABAB song format (meaning two themes that repeat). It starts out slowly and increases in intensity. As the song progresses, Joseph slowly builds the texture with harmonies from other instruments and layers, a crescendoDynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
of instruments that decrescend
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
os at the end, with the left hand on the piano providing the rhythm for the song.
Production
- Engineered by Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
at More Core Studios, Minneapolis. - Published by Nara Music, Inc. (BMIBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
), Bradley Joseph Publishing (BMIBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
)
External links
- The Glen at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Review of 20 Years of Narada Piano