Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical

Question

Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition, an approach that had been in hibernation in the United States during the 1960s, composer Philip Glass (born 1937) embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions. Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies’ sound is distinctively his. Popular elements do not appear out of place in Glass’s classical music, which from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music. Yet this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music. His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics.    1 
 1. The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass’s use of popular elements in his classical compositions?

A. How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics
B. How it has affected the commercial success of Glass’s music
C. Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in using popular elements in their compositions
D. Whether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass’s reputation as a composer of classical music
E. Whether it has caused certain of Glass’s works to be derivative in quality

2 
 2. The passage suggests that Glass’s work displays which of the following qualities?

I. A return to the use of popular music in classical compositions
II. An attempt to elevate rock music to an artistic status more closely approximating that of classical music
III. A long-standing tendency to incorporate elements from two apparently disparate musical styles

A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. II and III only

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 268 Date: 05-Jul-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

vaibhav1221 · Accepted Answer

1. The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass’s use of popular elements in his classical compositions?

A. How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics
B. How it has affected the commercial success of Glass’s music
C. Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in using popular elements in their compositions
D. Whether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass’s reputation as a composer of classical music
E. Whether it has caused certain of Glass’s works to be derivative in quality

E is a clear winner if you understand what the option actually says. Derivative in quality would mean whether his music was derived from something. Read the second line "Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies’ sound is  distinctively his ."
If the symphonies' sound is distinctively his, then the music cannot be called derivative.
Even if this is not easy to catch, eliminating the other choices in not very hard as they talk about listeners in one way or the other whereas the passage doesn't at all touch upon the topic. The passage has nothing to do with listeners or their perception of any kind of music.

2. The passage suggests that Glass’s work displays which of the following qualities?

I. A return to the use of popular music in classical compositions
II. An attempt to elevate rock music to an artistic status more closely approximating that of classical music
III. A long-standing tendency to incorporate elements from two apparently disparate musical styles

A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. II and III only

(I) The first line of the paragraph - Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition.. -> This has to be correct
(III) Again true as elements of rock music were fused with Glass' compositions.

D has to be correct.

ap2201 · Answer

Hello Experts,

Could you pls help me with Que 1. 
I was torn b/w A and E.

A: Because of last line of the passage - "it is high art.."
E: Because of the music was "distinctively" his.

Thank you.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass’s use of popular elements in his classical compositions?

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

One of the important points that the passage makes is that when Glass uses popular elements in his music, the result is very much his own creation (it is  “distinctively his” ). In other words, the music is far from being derivative. Thus one issue that the passage addresses is the one referred to in answer  choice E  — it answers it in the negative. The passage does not discuss the impact of Glass's use of popular elements on listeners, on the commercial success of his music, on other composers or on Glass's reputation, so none of  Choices A  through  D  is correct. The correct answer is  Choice E.

Answer: E

ASRV · Answer

I had a general question - is it common for RCs of this small length to come in GMAT ?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

No! it is not common but it is possible to have such a length passage in the real exam.

Good luck!

mollyweasley · Answer

GMATNinja   KarishmaB  echoing the earlier question. I chose E, but was wondering why A is incorrect? The question does not state that the "impact" of his music is discussed. Rather, it says how his music is "regarded". And this is covered in the last line of the passage, right?

ashishzanke · Answer

Im not convinced about the question 2. Why statement 3 is correct? 
How does it infers from the passage that this is 'long standing tendency' and from 'two disparate musical styles'?
Isnt it too big of a leap in logic?

Sam010 · Answer

It says "regarded by listeners". I think the last line only covers the type of audience/listener(i.e "  for listeners steeped in rock  ")not what these listeners actually think/regard glass's composition as.

Sam010 · Answer

In the second question's 3rd option, "A long-standing tendency" would mean composing classic with rock has been happening since a long time isnt it? But then the passage says "an approach that had been in hibernation", meaning it was not common to do so. So how was it a long-standing?

Or is the logic like this: when glass was born in 1937, it had been happening, "embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions" but then went in hibernation later in the 1960s?

WiziusCareers1 · Answer

This passage explores how Philip Glass integrated rock music elements into classical compositions without compromising the "high art" nature of his work.

Question 1 
 The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass’s use of popular elements in his classical compositions?

A. How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics: The passage mentions that his music is for "listeners steeped in rock," but it does not describe their reaction, opinion, or how they "regard" it.

B. How it has affected the commercial success of Glass’s music: There is no mention of sales, chart positions, or financial success in the text.

C. Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers: While the passage says Glass revived a practice that was in hibernation, it does not state whether other composers followed his lead or if interest grew across the industry.

D. Whether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass’s reputation: The passage remains neutral or positive regarding his status as a "high art" composer and does not mention any negative impact on his reputation.

E. Whether it has caused certain of Glass’s works to be derivative in quality (Correct): The passage explicitly addresses this by stating that while Glass based symphonies on the music of Bowie and Eno, the "sound is distinctively his." It further argues his music is not just a "version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners." By doing this, the author addresses the "issue" of whether his work is merely a copy (derivative) or original.

Question 2

The passage suggests that Glass’s work displays which of the following qualities?

I. A return to the use of popular music in classical compositions:
 True.  The opening sentence states he was  "reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition,"  which had been in hibernation.

II. An attempt to elevate rock music to an artistic status more closely approximating that of classical music:
 False.  The passage states Glass  "embraced the ethos of popular music"  and created  "high art for listeners steeped in rock,"  but it never suggests his goal was to change the status of rock music itself. He used the elements to create his own classical art, not to "elevate" the genre of rock.

III. A long-standing tendency to incorporate elements from two apparently disparate musical styles:
 True.  The text says Glass's music  "from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music."  This confirms a long-standing (early days) tendency to blend two different styles (classical and rock).

The answer is D (I and III only).

soumyab12 · Answer

In question 3, how can we say that the 2 music styles are disparate? While it may be common knowledge to know that classical and rock music are not alike, the passage doesn't say that anywhere. So how is E also correct?

guddo · Answer

The passage implies the styles are different by saying popular elements “do not appear out of place,” which only matters if they could have seemed out of place. And E does not rely on “disparate” anyway; it is supported directly by  “the symphonies’ sound is distinctively his” , meaning  not derivative .

Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical

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Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical

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