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On Minimalism

Documenting a Musical Movement
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
On Minimalism offers a revisionist history of the transformative rise of minimalism through the voices of the musicians who created it. Beginning in the 1960s with composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich, minimalism reshaped American composition and extended its influence far beyond classical music. The book traces its journey from psychedelic counterculture roots to its present-day impact on ambient jazz, doom metal, and electronic music.

Highlighting a diverse range of crucial contributors, including women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ musicians, this collection of over a hundred rare historical sources redefines our understanding of one of the most important musical movements of our time.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in music history, avant-garde and experimental music enthusiasts, scholars of cultural studies, and those seeking to understand minimalism’s broader cultural influence from diverse perspectives.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

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 colour, 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.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"A gust of fresh air blowing across a stage... As a compilation of source texts, On Minimalism is unparalleled, containing prescient, critical writings from many commentators and participants. Organized in 21 accessible chunks, each with a synthesising introduction, this is a breeze to navigate and, despite its scholarly depth, relaxed in its learning." – The Wire

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520382084

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 April 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 26 b-w illustrations and 1 table

Contributors:

  • Edited by Kerry O'Brien
  • Edited by William Robin
  • Edited by Kerry O'Brien
  • Edited by William Robin

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 635g

Pages: 470

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction

About the Author

Kerry O'Brien is a writer and musicologist who teaches at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She has published work on minimalism and experimentalism in Rethinking Reich, Tempo, the Chicago Reader, and the New York Times.

William Robin is Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Maryland School of Music, author of Industry: Bang on a Can and New Music in the Marketplace, and a contributor to the New York Times.

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