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On Minimalism: Documenting a Musical Movement
A revisionist history of minimalism's transformative rise, through the voices of the musicians who created it.
When composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich began creating hypnotically repetitive music in the 1960s, it upended the world of American composition. But minimalism was more than a classical phenomenon—minimalism changed everything. Its static harmonies and groovy pulses swept through the broader avant-garde landscape, informing the work of Yoko Ono and Brian Eno, John and Alice Coltrane, Pauline Oliveros and Julius Eastman, and many others.
On Minimalism moves from the style's beginnings in psychedelic counterculture through its present-day influences on ambient jazz, doom metal, and electronic music. The editors look beyond the major figures to highlight crucial and diverse voices—especially women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ musicians—that have shaped the genre. Featuring more than a hundred rare historical sources, On Minimalism curates this history anew, documenting one of the most important musical movements of our time.
When composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich began creating hypnotically repetitive music in the 1960s, it upended the world of American composition. But minimalism was more than a classical phenomenon—minimalism changed everything. Its static harmonies and groovy pulses swept through the broader avant-garde landscape, informing the work of Yoko Ono and Brian Eno, John and Alice Coltrane, Pauline Oliveros and Julius Eastman, and many others.
On Minimalism moves from the style's beginnings in psychedelic counterculture through its present-day influences on ambient jazz, doom metal, and electronic music. The editors look beyond the major figures to highlight crucial and diverse voices—especially women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ musicians—that have shaped the genre. Featuring more than a hundred rare historical sources, On Minimalism curates this history anew, documenting one of the most important musical movements of our time.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
470 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 25, 2023
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325 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 2, 2024
This book is a masterpiece. I don’t read much historical nonfiction, but the narrative construction of this book from primary documents of those living in the movements described is phenomenal. Throughout the book we don’t just focus on the usual four composers, but all of the musicians that surrounded them, inspired them, and were inspired by them. Truly if you have any interest in minimalism, its impact on modern music, and the music on the margins that should be credited as part of the movement, you need to buy this book.
June 15, 2023
3.8 Enjoyed the dynamic format and broad scope of topics. Lots of valuable information on it. The chapter on gurus was very interesting. Wish there was more on some of the composers mentioned, like Yoshi Wada, but overall good read. xx
December 18, 2023
one of my favorite reads of the year but i have no idea who i'd recommend this to!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews