The Knee Plays

The five knee plays

La Sol Do

Train theme 3 bis and Scale passage

The five knee plays

The opera has five Knee Plays:

	KNEE PLAY 1		(Chorus and electric organ) texts
	KNEE PLAY 2		(Violin solo) texts
	KNEE PLAY 3		(Chorus a capella)
	KNEE PLAY 4		(Chorus and violin)
	KNEE PLAY 5		(Women's chorus, violin and electric organ) texts

La Sol Do

The first Knee Play is based on a la-sol-do pedal that begins while the doors are opening, when the public enters the theater:

Knee 1: electric organ

Then, the chorus is heard spelling the three chords beats: (La m) one two three four (Sol) one two three four five six (Do) one two three four five six seven eight...

Knee 1: chorus and electric organ

The fifth Knee Play begins in the same way; then, while the violin starts, the beat changes (3+3+6 instead of 4+6+8). Then three phrases are played successively. They are also used in Knee Plays 3, and 4.

Knee 3: Chorus a capella

Knee 4: Chorus and violin

Knee 5: Women's chorus and ensemble

Knee 4: Chorus and violin

Knee 5: Women's chorus and ensemble

Knee 4: Chorus and violin

Knee 5: Women's chorus and ensemble

Train theme 3 bis and Scale passage

The Knee Plays 2, 3 & 4 have a cyclic structure : A - B - A - B... In Knee 3 and 4, the 'B' part is composed of the above phrases; in Knee 2, it's the scale passage, taken from visual theme Field .

Knee 2: violin

Spaceship: ensemble

In these three Knee Plays, the 'A' part uses the Train third theme (F Db A B E). The main lines are:

Knee 2: violin

Knee 3: chorus a capella

Knee 4: chorus and violin

Extracts have been taken from Einstein on the Beach, Philip Glass, Robert Wilson, The Philip Glass Ensemble conducted by Michael Riesman, Elektra Nonesuch.