"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Metamorphosis Five" by Philip Glass. Modest rise and fall. balanced composition. Mood: contemplative, dreamy, introspective. Visual style: 1980s editorial aesthetic, neon accents against moody ground. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
Deep calm, gentler than 99% of our 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for sleep.
60
BPM
Metamorphosis Five by Philip Glass is 60 BPM — Adagio (slow).
Half-time 30 BPM · Double-time 120 BPM · released 1989
Fan image for "Metamorphosis Five"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
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Song DNA
Notes: Minimalist piano piece with steady arpeggios and repetitive patterns creating a hypnotic, flowing soundscape without harsh attacks or abrupt shifts. Gentle dynamic swells provide subtle emotional depth ideal for sensitive listeners.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: anxiety relief focus meditation relaxation
A contemplative solo piano composition from Philip Glass's Metamorphosis series, characterized by interlocking arpeggios and minimalist repetition inspired by Kafka's novella.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: contemplative, dreamy, introspective
Traditions: contemporary classical, minimalist
Quiet Track
"Metamorphosis Five" sits at 60 BPM. Built for stillness.
This is well below typical speech rhythm. The body reads slow tempo as permission to rest. Smooth texture and instrumental keep the foreground spare. Good candidates for use: falling asleep, processing a hard day, slow mornings, study sessions where the music must not pull at you. Avoid for any task that needs alertness — the piece works against it.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 4/10 is within the normal pop-mix band. There is variation between verse and chorus, but it's the kind of variation most listeners encounter routinely.
Sudden changes: none. Transitions are musically signaled — nothing will surprise you if you're only half-listening.
Texture: smooth.
Predictability is high — the song telegraphs what it will do next. A sensory-sensitive listener can usually guess where it's going without close attention.
Vocal style: instrumental.
Where this sits in Philip Glass's catalog
We have 18 songs from Philip Glass in the library. Of those, 13 are rated Safe, 3 Moderate, and 2 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 4/10 sits below the artist average of 4.8, making it the #14 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Solo Piano
We have 4 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans safe in sensory profile.
- Metamorphosis One — safe DR 3
- Metamorphosis Two — safe DR 4
- Mad Rush — moderate DR 6
1989 context
Released in 1989. We have 219 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.5/10. This track is quieter / less dynamic than the year average. Explore more from the 1980s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
Why Post-Rock Works for Focus — The Logic of Slow Builds
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How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach
How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach — A guide for sensory-se…
Jazz for Anxiety Relief: Which Subgenres Help and Which Overwhelm
Jazz for Anxiety Relief: Which Subgenres Help and Which Overwhelm — A guide for sensory-sensitive li…
How fast is "Metamorphosis Five"?
60 BPM — Very slow (ballad / ambient)
For running
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
For workouts
Warm-up, cool-down, yoga, stretching.
For daily life
Sleep, meditation, reading, focus work.
Browse more songs at 60 BPM.
When "Metamorphosis Five" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
✓
Focus / studying
Yes — low-variance volume, no surprises, steady tempo. The ideal study-music profile.
✗
Running / workout
No — 60 BPM is too slow for sustained cardio.
~
Sleep / winding down
Maybe — calm overall, but tempo is a bit high for deep sleep. Better for winding down than falling asleep.
✓
Driving / road trip
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
✓
Cooking / dinner background
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
~
Emotional release / catharsis
Not really — it's pleasant but doesn't hit hard enough for cathartic listening.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
Classical Music for Sensory Sensitivity: What's Safe, What's Intense, and Why
Classical Music for Sensory Sensitivity: What's Safe, What's Intense, and Why — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Jazz for Anxiety Relief: Which Subgenres Help and Which Overwhelm
Jazz for Anxiety Relief: Which Subgenres Help and Which Overwhelm — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Metal is some of the most predictable music you'll ever hear — and that's not an insult
Counterintuitive but measurable: heavy metal scores high on predictability and structural consistency. Here's why that makes it uniquely use…
Why this rating
We rate this song Safe because its dynamic range stays within our low-variance band, there are no unsignaled changes, and the texture and vocal style are both in the low-fatigue range. Our methodology uses an AND rule for Safe — a song has to clear every dimension to earn the rating.
This song in the Music Studio
12/100 intensity
See how “Metamorphosis Five” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-15. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
By the numbers: how this song compares
Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.
Where it sits in 19,000 songs
This sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 99% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 12/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and instrumental. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 100% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.
Feels almost identical to
Metamorphosis Four — Philip Glass · 99%Embryo — Black Sabbath · 99%Shadow Journal — Max Richter · 99%Aphasic and Appeasing — Stars of the Lid · 99%
Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.
What it’s good for
Sleep10/10
Focus9/10
Workout0/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype0/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1989 in context
The 219 songs we’ve measured from 1989 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 4/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity12
Dynamics33
Tempo11
Surprise0
Density0
Predictability0
Vocal force0
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Metamorphosis Five"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Metamorphosis Five" by Philip Glass?
"Metamorphosis Five" by Philip Glass has a tempo of 60 BPM (Adagio (slow)). At half-time that is 30 BPM, and at double-time 120 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Metamorphosis Five" by Philip Glass?
"Metamorphosis Five" by Philip Glass rates as Low-Intensity. Dynamic range 4/10, no sudden changes, smooth texture. Our Low-Intensity rating means no single dimension triggers the higher-intensity thresholds.
How loud is "Metamorphosis Five" — what is its dynamic range?
"Metamorphosis Five" has a dynamic range of 4/10. Within normal pop-mix variation. Movement between verse and chorus but nothing dramatic.
Does "Metamorphosis Five" have sudden or surprising changes?
No. "Metamorphosis Five" has no sudden unsignaled changes. Every transition is musically telegraphed.
What is "Metamorphosis Five" best for?
In our library "Metamorphosis Five" is recommended for: anxiety relief, focus, meditation, relaxation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Metamorphosis Five" released?
"Metamorphosis Five" is from 1989, on the album "Solo Piano". It appears in our 1980s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Metamorphosis Five"?
We tag "Metamorphosis Five" as contemplative, dreamy, introspective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Metamorphosis Five"?
The vocal style is instrumental.
Is "Metamorphosis Five" good for running?
Not really — at 60 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Metamorphosis Five" good for studying?
Yes — low dynamic range (4/10) and no sudden changes means the song stays in the background without pulling focus.
Can I use "Metamorphosis Five" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Dynamic range is too high — quiet moments will be ambushed by louder ones.
Should I listen to "Metamorphosis Five"?
If you want gentle, low-arousal music, "Metamorphosis Five" is a solid pick — Low-Intensity across every sensory dimension.
Songs with the same DNA
smooth texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.