I've just been listening to Philip Glass's violin concerto. Its structure struck me as being very similar to J S Bach's works. How do I describe that? I sure don't like Bachesque and Bachian doesn't sound right, either.
The OED vouches for "Bachian." It would seem to be a relatively recent coinage, given how long people have been listening to Bach: the first citation the OED provides dates to 1920, and that citation uses "Bachian" as a noun; the first adjectival usage cited is dated 1945.
Curiously, "Glassian" does not yet appear to have entered the lexicon. I happen to enjoy much of Glass's work, although I know a few musicologists who would argue that there's no need to coin the term "Glassian" when the phrase "maddeningly repetitive" is more than sufficient.
> Bachianas Brasileiras
nan nan nan, nan nan nan nan, nan nan nan, nan nan nan, nan_nan
>>maddeningly repetitive
Thanks, HFlower, for the
Bachian. I have an OED here but the print's too small and the magnifying glass is, well, maddening. Or madding, even.
"maddeningly repetitive"
Must.....resist....temptation...
There is a new pub game associated with the Internet jukeboxes that are becoming ever more popular. Because there is an enormous back catalogue of music accessible from them one can choose very odd music to put on at, say, 8pm on a Friday - and then sit back and wait for punter reactions. The keyboard works of Philip Glass that drag on for at least 20 mins and involve a single chord being repeated over and over are apparently favourites. There is in fact an eponymic coinage for this sport - but the name fails me at present. Some British musician. Anyway, Glass failed to secure the dubious honour of having 'to glass' mean putting on the most off-putting music in a public place.
Can I cast my vote for "Bach-analian"?
Please, it's just a joke. No whining. ;-)