The Minimalist school of music is based on the attempt to create the greatest acoustic effect by using the slightest means. It can be seen as a backlash against the heavy orchestration and melodic lines of the Romantic movement and, later,... [more]

The Minimalist school of music is based on the attempt to create the greatest acoustic effect by using the slightest means. It can be seen as a backlash against the heavy orchestration and melodic lines of the Romantic movement and, later, the formless soundscapes of the Aleatory school and the complicated patterns of the Serialists. Minimalist composers seek to strip the ornamentation and augmentation from a musical theme, forcing listeners to focus on the bare essentials. While the music can be deceptively simple, the Minimalist system requires a great deal of planning and procedure on the part of the composer, as well as versatility within the specific framework of the piece. It is a difficult task to glean the maximum effect using only minimal means; the challenge is deciding which means are necessary. The roots of Minimalism can be found in the early ideas of John Cage, as well as in the music of India, Africa, and other Eastern countries. However, it is a musical style all its own, which breaks musical precedents by redefining the acceptable scale of time as well as the acceptable amount of repetition. Composers of this school strive to draw listeners' attention to a few very important details, or to repeat a pattern until it hypnotizes the listener. They bring the beauty of simplicity back to art music. Noted Minimalist composer Philip Glass has his own ensemble of keyboard players, wind instruments, and a variety of electronic devices. His compositions, which utilize the standard Minimalist techniques of repetition and tremendous length, range from solo performances to large ensemble pieces. Individual songs can last up to 15-20 minutes, focusing on the same melodic phrase and repeating it over and over with varying dynamics and superficial melodic activity. John Adams, an enormously popular Minimalist composer, is perhaps the polar opposite of the Aleatory composer. While Aleatory and other modern composers deny the importance of arousing the listener's emotions, Adams is known for his deeply stirring compositions, which feature sound patterns that repeat and ripple on top of each other in an achingly perfect sequence. Another well-known Minimalist composer, Steve Reich, is known for composing works that move so slowly as to be compared to the minute hand of a clock. His compositions change and evolve almost imperceptibly. Reich's objective is to force listeners to appreciate the process of change rather than the actuality of it. Minimalist music embraces and rejects aspects in nearly every musical system or genre, from the highly ornamental and rigidly tonal style of the Baroque period to the hypnotic and repetitive sounds of contemporary Techno. It also draws from cultures around the world, refusing to be limited by Western culture. [show less]