BiblioGlassy

Robert Schwarz

Minimalists

1996

© GlassPages, 1997

Cover Pictures (Front and Back)

References

• Title: Minimalists.
• Author: Robert Schwarz.
• Published by Phaidon Press Limited, London, UK.
• © 1996 Phaidon Press Limited.
• ISBN: 0-7148-3381-9.

Contents

006 Acknowledgements.
008 Introduction: Minimalism Defined.
015 La Monte Young and Terry Riley.
049 Steve Reich, Minimalist.
077 Steve Reich, Maximalist.
107 Philip Glass, Minimalist.
129 Philip Glass, Maximalist.
169 Adams, Monk, and Post-Minimalism.
193 Europeans: Nyman, Andriessen, Part.
218 Classified List of Works.
228 Further Reading.
229 Selective Discography.
233 Index.

Total Pages 239.

Notes

Minimalism is arguably the most popular style of concert music that the late-twentieth century has produced, appealing to the widest possible audience - fans of rock, jazz and classical music. But the minimalist aesthetic has not been lacking in controversy. To its detractors, it is maddeningly repetitive and single-minded, no better than pop music masquerading as art. To its adherents, it is ecstatic and vibrant, combining classical, popular and non-Western elements to create a style that restores the severed link between composer and audience.

The two best-known minimalist composers, Americans Philip Glass and Steve Reich, are world-famous figures. But they can only properly be understood in the context of their predecessors (La Monte Young and Terry Riley) and their successors (John Adams, Meredith Monk, and Europeans such as Michael Nyman, Louis Andriessen and Arvo Pärt). This book, the first overview of minimalism aimed at a general public, traces the lives of the minimalist composers, discusses their most significant works, and examines the artistic milieu from which they emerged.

K. Robert Schwarz is an American freelance music journalist who contributes regularly to The New York Times, Classic CD, Out, Opera News, and other publications. He wrote the dissertation for his Master's degree on Steve Reich, and is currently pursuing research on the music of Paul Bowles. His articles on minimalism have appeared in Perspectives of New Music and American Music.

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