A Minimal Guide on
Minimalist Music & Composers
Recommended for Lower Secondary & Up
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
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A Minimal Guide to
Minimalist Music & Composers
New Music in the Exciting 20th Century
Music in the 20th century was all about exploring new ideas in music, including dissonance1,
new rhythms, and new combinations of instruments and this was broadly termed new music.
20th century music had a lot of different styles, some of which we hear in the movies today.
For example, chance music emerged, involving some element of chance in creating it. In one
piece of music by the prolific American composer John Cage, he cut up little pieces of paper
and dropped them from a ladder onto the floor below and wrote down how it looked. That was
how the piece of music was created.
New music was being created with the use of electronics too. Great advancements in music
technology were made during this time, especially in music recording. The record, cassette
tape, compact disc, and mp3 files were all popular ways to record music. Popular music like
jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, rap, bluegrass, country, and blues all made a great impact. Minimalism is
part of the new music that flourished in the 20th century.
3 Things about Minimalist Music
• It emerged in the late 1960s and can be associated with a group of American
composers classified as ‘minimalists’.
• Unlike most classical music you listen to, minimalist music did not come from the likes
of conservatories in Europe but in lofts and art spaces of New York, Los Angeles and
San Francisco.
• Composers such as La Monte Young, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, John Adams and
Steve Reich were credited for the growth of Minimalist music.
1
Dissonance is when notes create a sound that sounds kind of crunchy to us or bugs us
because it does not sound sweet and smooth
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
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A Minimal Guide on How to listen to Minimalist Music
1. Pulse
Minimalist Music usually has a very strong sense of pulse. This gives the music its energy
and it feels like the ‘engine’ of the music. Listen out for the constant pulse and tap your feet
along with the pulse.
2. Repeated Melodic Unit
Next, listen out for a melodic unit that will be repeated many times!
3. Instruments
The instruments used in minimalist music is often unusual as Minimalist composers use
different instruments to create a colourful sound world.
A Pioneer of Minimalism – Steve Reich
Born in the United States of America in 1936, Steve Reich
(pronounced ‘Rahysh’) is a pioneer of minimalism.
Reich established his reputation in the late 1960s and early
1970s as one of the several composers who rejected the
complex technical and intellectual styles of much mid-20th
century music in favour of the simple and hypnotic
repetitive rhythms of the style we now call minimalism.
Many of his compositions are also influenced by non-
Western traditions.
Image credit: CC0 - Nationaal Archief,
the Dutch National Archives
For little-known facts about this influential composer, check out
“Excuse me, Mr Rahysh?” – Eight mini facts about Steve Reich.
URL: https://bit.ly/2SupeXM
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
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Phasing in Minimalist Music
Steve Reich wrote many pieces that used phasing. With this technique, two musicians
play the same part but at slightly different speeds.
One of Reich’s most notable pieces is Clapping Music
written in 1972. Reich was on tour in Brussels, Belgium
with his ensemble and he watched a flamenco music
performance. He used this performance as inspiration for
the piece.
Read more about how the work
came about.
URL: https://bit.ly/2TaDRiB
How does phasing work?
There are two performers. One of the performers claps the exact same rhythms over and
over again for the entire piece. The other performer starts out clapping the same rhythm, but
after 8-12 bars, he shifts the first note to the end of the pattern. This pattern continues until
the second performer has shifted all the way back to where they started and the two
performers are clapping the same rhythm together again.
This clapping rhythm can be heard at the beginning of the song On Top of
the World by the American band, Imagine Dragons. Listen to it here.
URL: https://youtu.be/w5tWYmIOWGk
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
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The Influence of Minimalism
In Music
The style of minimalism has also spread to other music styles like Pop, Trance, Techno, Punk,
Ambient and Grime. Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock, Experimental Rock, Art Rock, and
Alternative Rock also use repetitive structures in their music. It was through English musician,
Brian Eno, that the principles and practices behind minimalism would properly, and most
lastingly, permeate the pop mainstream.
The Big Screen
Minimalism has become the dominant form in contemporary cinema outside of Hollywood and
an increasing force inside it.
Composers, Philip Glass and Brian Eno are key influences, both sharing a common lineage
stretching back to the early music for piano and prepared piano2 by John Cage. Today,
Glass’s influence is heard in the work of many lesser-known film composers.
Have you ever seen The Truman Show (1998), The Hours (2002), The Illusionist (2006),
Secret Window (2004), or No Reservations (2007)? If so, you have heard the film scores
written by minimalist composer Philip Glass.
Another minimalist composer to make a heavy impact in film is the UK’s Michael Nyman who
also wrote the film score for The Piano (1993).
One key contributor to the style of minimalism in film music is composer Hans Zimmer, who
has been consistently strong of late (Sherlock Holmes marked his seventh Oscar nomination;
he won for The Lion King). His film music for award-winning film, Inception (2010), was written
in a minimalist style and mimicked the narrative structure of the film.
2A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sound altered by placing objects between or on the
strings. You can explore more about John Cage’s use of the prepared piano through this app:
http://johncage.org/cagepiano.html
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
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Explore Further
Timeline of Art Movements in the 20th Century and Beyond
When we discuss the history of art and music, we study the development and stylistic
changes of art and music over the course of time. An art movement is a specific style of art
that was used by a group of artists and composers for a period of time, and often involved
multiple studies such as art, philosophy, music and literature. Many of the development in art
is mirrored in the development of music, and vice versa, including minimalism.
Art Period/ Year Characteristics Key Artists and Historical
Movement Composers and Major
World
Events
Fauvism and 1900– Harsh colours Artists: World War I
Expressionism 1935 and flat surfaces • Henri Matisse (1914–1918)
(Fauvism); • Ernst Ludwig
emotion Kirchner
distorting • Wassily
form Kandinsky
Composers:
• Arnold
Schoenberg
• Alban Berg
• Anton Webern
Cubism, Futurism 1905– Pre– and Post– Artists: Russian
1920 World War 1 art • Pablo Picasso Revolution
experiments: • Georges Braque (1917);
new • Fernand Leger American
forms to express women
modern life Composers: franchised
• Erik Satie (1920)
• Igor Stravinsky
Dada and 1917– Ridiculous art; Artists: Disillusionme
Surrealism 1950 painting dreams • Marcel Duchamp nt after World
and exploring • Salvador Dali War I; The
the Great
unconscious Depression
Composers: (1929–1938);
• Edgard Varése World War II
• Peter Maxwell (1939–1945)
Davies and Nazi
horrors;
atomic
bombs
dropped on
Japan (1945)
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
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Abstract 1940s - Post–World War Artists: Korean War
Expressionism 1950s II: pure • Maxim Gorky begins when
abstraction • Jackson Pollock North Korea
• Mark Rothko invaded
South Korea.
Composers:
• Morton Feldman
• Miles Davis
Minimalism and 1960s Expression Artists: Cold War and
Pop Art without form; • Carl André Vietnam War
popular art • Andy Warhol (U.S. enters
absorbs 1965)
consumerism Composers:
• Steve Reich
• Philip Glass
Postmodernism 1970 Art without a Artists: Communism
and onwards theme and • Sherrie Levine collapses
Deconstructivism reworking and • Robert Longo in Eastern
mixing past Europe and
styles Composers: the U.S.S.R.
• John Adams (1989–1991)
• Luciano Berio
• Harrison Birtwistle
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
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Explore More – The Composers
Steve Reich:
• Steve Reich’s official website: http://www.stevereich.com
• Steve Reich talking about composing some Rock & Roll music:
https://youtu.be/N92LQf1Vsi4
• Steve Reich on his musical influences: https://youtu.be/DWFeYyOGfck
• A free app that challenges you to improve your sense of rhythm through Clapping
Music: http://clappingmusicapp.com (for iPhone and iPad only)
Philip Glass:
• BBC Music – Philip Glass: https://bbc.in/2yGwfwg
• Music from The Hours OST: https://youtu.be/heu9tD0dzkY
• Violin Concerto: https://youtu.be/9ySGfGr7JsU
Terry Riley:
• Terry Riley’s website: www.terryriley.net
• In C: https://youtu.be/aX96z7AuICs
John Adams:
• Short Ride in a Fast Machine: https://youtu.be/5LoUm_r7It8
• Shaker Loops: https://youtu.be/Wx0fkVIErEA
Brian Eno:
• Brian Eno’s website: www.brian-eno.net
• BBC Music – Brian Eno: https://bbc.in/2SoNvhU
• Music for Airports: https://youtu.be/vNwYtllyt3Q
Michael Nyman:
• Michael Nyman’s website: www.michaelnyman.com
• BBC Music – Michael Nyman: https://bbc.in/2qhcWFu
• The Heart asks for Pleasure First: https://youtu.be/NsQBKr_x-P4
Hans Zimmer:
• Hans Zimmer’s website: www.hans-zimmer.com
• How Hans Zimmer Makes Music Scores You remember: https://bit.ly/2qgF3of
• The Best of Hans Zimmer YouTube Playlist: https://youtu.be/PSeJckOUZrs
Interested to learn more about the arts?
Check out www.esplanade.com/learn for more resources and content.
Education Resource Writer: Dr Ruth Rodrigues
No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.
