Philip Glass Piano Etudes

A stunning, deluxe boxed set of composer Philip Glass’s most important and historic body of work, his collection of twenty Piano Etudes, along with a book of reflections by notable artists and musicians.

Philip Glass is one of the most influential artists and composers of our time. The Complete Piano Etudes box contains Glass’s most seminal and personal work, his twenty piano etudes, consisting of twenty sewn bound expandable folios of each piece of music, along with a bound collection of essays and reflections by notable writers, musicians, artists, and famous admirers, including Lucinda Childs, Nathan Chen, Alice Waters, Maira Kalman, Martin Scorcese, and more, connected to this body of work.

Glass began composing the Etudes, or "studies," in the early 1990s. Book 1, the first set of 10 Etudes, were composed for Glass himself to work on his own playing. While on this journey, it became clear that Glass was no longer composing just for himself, but rather to be played and enjoyed by others. The Etudes were completed in 2012, remaining unpublished until 2014. The published volumes of the two complete volumes of the Etudes became an instant staple of modern music repertoire and a compendium of the finest elements of Philip Glass’s later music. There have been dozens of recordings in part and in whole by artists on the most prestigious record labels. At just over two hours long, the music itself became a self-contained concert experience, performed internationally by some of the world’s great interpreters.

This deluxe volume of Glass’s historic body is to be cherished by music lovers, piano students and players as a lasting heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation. It’s a beautiful object to display at home, and to be explored at the keyboard.

About the Author

Philip Glass is the first composer to win a wide, multi-generational audience in the opera house, the concert hall, the dance world, in film and in popular music simultaneously. Through his operas, his symphonies, his compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg, Leonard Cohen to David Bowie, Philip Glass has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his times. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Philip Glass is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the Juilliard School.

By 1974, Glass had created a large collection of music for The Philip Glass Ensemble. The period culminated in the landmark opera, Einstein on the Beach. Since Einstein, Glass’s repertoire has grown to include music for opera, dance, theater, orchestra, and film. His scores have received Academy Award nominations (Kundun, The Hours, Notes on a Scandal) and a Golden Globe (The Truman Show). Glass received the Praemium Imperiale in 2012, the U.S. National Medal of the Arts from President Barack Obama in 2016, and 41st Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.