Minimalists
By: by K. Robert Schwarz.
Series: 20th century composers
Publisher: Phaidon
Published: 1996
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 239
Subjects: Composers -- Biography; Minimal music -- History and criticism; Music -- United States -- 20th century -- History and criticism
Description: 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 Mome Young and Terry Riley) and their successors (John Adams, Meredith Monk, and Europeans such as Michael Nyman, Louis Andriessen, and Arvo Part).

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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 228) and index.
Discography: p. 229-232.
"Classified lists of works": p. 218-227.