{"id":1770,"date":"2017-03-31T16:41:40","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T16:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/vccs-tcc-music-rford\/?post_type=chapter&p=1770"},"modified":"2020-04-11T21:52:21","modified_gmt":"2020-04-11T21:52:21","slug":"minimalism","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/vccs-tcc-music-rford\/chapter\/minimalism\/","title":{"raw":"Minimalism - Steve Reich - Arvo Part","rendered":"Minimalism – Steve Reich – Arvo Part"},"content":{"raw":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/vccs-tcc-mus121-1\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=766&action=edit<\/span>\r\n\r\nComposers of minimalism were united in their goal\u00a0 of\u00a0 striving for greater simplicity.\u00a0 It\u00a0 arose later in the 20th century\u00a0 as a reaction to the complexity, structure, and perception of twelve-tone serialism as developed at the hands of Schoenberg's disciples. The application\u00a0 of minimalism varied with different composers. An explanation of minimalism\u00a0 as well as a brief history of the techniques involved in minimalist composition follows.\r\n

Introduction<\/h2>\r\nMinimal music\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the <\/span>New York Hypnotic School.\u00a0 <\/i>It\u00a0 originated in the New York \u00a0downtown scene\u00a0 (1960s) with <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass\r\n<\/span>\r\n\r\nAs an aesthetic,\u00a0 Minimal Music\u00a0 represents a new approach to a activity of listening to music, marked by a non-narrative, non-teleological, and non-representational conception of a work.\u00a0 It\u00a0 focused on\u00a0<\/span>internal processes<\/span>\u00a0 which lacked\u00a0 goals or motion.\u00a0 Features include \u00a0consonant harmony, steady pulse, plus a gradual transformation and\u00a0 the repetition\u00a0 of phrases, figures, motifs, and cells. Minimalism might\u00a0 include\u00a0 an additive process and phase shifting which leading\u00a0 to what has been termed \"phase music\". Minimal compositions rely heavily on process techniques<\/span> that follow strict rules are usually described as \u00a0process music<\/span>.<\/span>\r\n\r\nOnly five (Young, Riley, Reich, Glass, and later John Adams) emerged to become publicly associated with American minimal music, though .the minimalist\u00a0 movement originally involved dozens of composers.\r\n\r\nBrief History\r\n<\/strong>The most prominent minimalist composers are John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and La Monte Young. \u00a0The early compositions of Glass and Reich are somewhat austere, with little embellishment on the principal theme. They were works for small instrumental ensembles, of which the composers were often members. In Glass's case, these ensembles comprised\u00a0 organs, winds\u2014particularly saxophones\u2014and vocalists, while Reich's works have more emphasis on mallet and percussion instruments. \u00a0Most of Adams's works are written for more traditional classical instrumentation, including full orchestra, string quartet, and solo piano.<\/span>\r\n<\/strong>\r\n\r\nYou need not listen to this entire work - Six Mirambas by Steve Reich but listen long enough without scrolling\u00a0 the work to hear the repeated phrases in\u00a0 the work. This is typical of minimalism. Changes\u00a0 occur\u00a0 \u00a0occasionally throughout the work but there\u00a0 still long repetitive unchanging segments.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/RaYvMwQd3cs\r\n\r\nNow listen to the first few minutes\u00a0 of this example of Music\u00a0 for 18 Musicians.\u00a0 You will have a good idea of minimalism after hearing these two works.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/ZXJWO2FQ16c\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/vccs-tcc-mus121-1\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=769&action=edit<\/span>\r\n\r\nHoly minimalism:\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Holy Minimalism is a name for a composition style that combines the principles of minimalism with Medieval or Renaissance influences and religious subject matter. It is a fairly recent stylistic trend within the larger minimalist movement.\r\n\r\nThe growing popularity of minimalist music often broke with prevailing musical aesthetics of serialism and aleatoric music. Many composers began to work with more traditional notions of simple melody and harmony in a radically simplified framework<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0This transition was seen as an aspect of musical post-modernism or as neo-romanticism, that is a return to the lyricism of the nineteenth century.\r\n\r\nContinuing \u00a0from the 1970s, several composers began working with\u00a0 radically simplified compositional materials<\/span>,\u00a0 featuring\u00a0 a strong foundation in tonality or modality, and the use of simple, repetitive melodies\u00a0 but\u00a0 also included an explicitly religious orientation<\/span>. Many of these composers looked to Renaissance or medieval music for inspiration, or to the liturgical music of the Orthodox Churches of the East, some of which employ only a cappella in their services.\r\n\r\nArvo P\u00e4rt\r\n<\/strong>We discuss Arvo Part in a later topic in this Module buit his\u00a0 contribution\u00a0 toward minimal requires his inclusion here as well. This work is quite convectional (unlike previous examples in this module)<\/em>\r\n\r\nExamples\u00a0 of this a style\u00a0 include\u00a0 the music of\u00a0 Arvo P\u00e4rt (an Estonian Orthodox), (exhibited below), John Tavener (a British composer), Henryk G\u00f3recki (a Polish Catholic), Alan Hovhaness (the earliest mystic minimalist), and others..\r\n\r\nAlthough Part does not consider himself a minimalist or this work an example of Holy Minimalism this work does remind one of these styles. Listen\u00a0carefully for suggestions of minimalism.<\/em>(See further discussion below)\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/_ZUQzmyotlU\r\n\r\nDespite being grouped together,\u00a0the composers \u00a0are by no means a \"school\" of close-knit associates. Their widely differing nationalities, religious backgrounds, and composition inspirations make the term - minimalism - \u00a0problematic. It is nonetheless in widespread use, sometimes critically,\u00a0 primarily because of the lack of a better term. \"Neo-Contemplative Music\" is one example of a suitable alternative.\r\n\r\nRecordings have played a major role in the popularization of\u00a0 \u00a0holy minimalism,<\/span> as all three of the most well-known \"holy minimalists\" (Arvo P\u00e4rt, Henryk G\u00f3recki, Sir John Tavener) have had significant success with CD sales.\u00a0A 1992 recording of G\u00f3recki's 1976\u00a0Symphony No. 3<\/i>, sold over a million copies.\u00a0John Tavener has had several recordings of his works nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and P\u00e4rt has a long-term contract with ECM Records, ensuring consistent and wide distribution of recordings of his works.","rendered":"

https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/vccs-tcc-mus121-1\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=766&action=edit<\/span><\/p>\n

Composers of minimalism were united in their goal\u00a0 of\u00a0 striving for greater simplicity.\u00a0 It\u00a0 arose later in the 20th century\u00a0 as a reaction to the complexity, structure, and perception of twelve-tone serialism as developed at the hands of Schoenberg’s disciples. The application\u00a0 of minimalism varied with different composers. An explanation of minimalism\u00a0 as well as a brief history of the techniques involved in minimalist composition follows.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

Minimal music\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the <\/span>New York Hypnotic School.\u00a0 <\/i>It\u00a0 originated in the New York \u00a0downtown scene\u00a0 (1960s) with <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

As an aesthetic,\u00a0 Minimal Music\u00a0 represents a new approach to a activity of listening to music, marked by a non-narrative, non-teleological, and non-representational conception of a work.\u00a0 It\u00a0 focused on\u00a0<\/span>internal processes<\/span>\u00a0 which lacked\u00a0 goals or motion.\u00a0 Features include \u00a0consonant harmony, steady pulse, plus a gradual transformation and\u00a0 the repetition\u00a0 of phrases, figures, motifs, and cells. Minimalism might\u00a0 include\u00a0 an additive process and phase shifting which leading\u00a0 to what has been termed “phase music”. Minimal compositions rely heavily on process techniques<\/span> that follow strict rules are usually described as \u00a0process music<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only five (Young, Riley, Reich, Glass, and later John Adams) emerged to become publicly associated with American minimal music, though .the minimalist\u00a0 movement originally involved dozens of composers.<\/p>\n

Brief History
\n<\/strong>The most prominent minimalist composers are John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and La Monte Young. \u00a0The early compositions of Glass and Reich are somewhat austere, with little embellishment on the principal theme. They were works for small instrumental ensembles, of which the composers were often members. In Glass’s case, these ensembles comprised\u00a0 organs, winds\u2014particularly saxophones\u2014and vocalists, while Reich’s works have more emphasis on mallet and percussion instruments. \u00a0Most of Adams’s works are written for more traditional classical instrumentation, including full orchestra, string quartet, and solo piano.<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

You need not listen to this entire work – Six Mirambas by Steve Reich but listen long enough without scrolling\u00a0 the work to hear the repeated phrases in\u00a0 the work. This is typical of minimalism. Changes\u00a0 occur\u00a0 \u00a0occasionally throughout the work but there\u00a0 still long repetitive unchanging segments.<\/p>\n