Minimalism

min·i·mal·ism [min-uh-muh-liz-uhm] noun

1. Music . a reductive style or school of modern music utilizing only simple sonorities, rhythms, and patterns, with minimal embellishment or orchestrational complexity, and characterized by protracted repetition of figurations, obsessive structural rigor, and often a pulsing, hypnotic effect.

As the final blog assignment for my current music history class, I have been asked to write about a composer, producer, or innovation of the past that has had a major impact on the popular music of today.  While looking for a good subject for my post, I came across a two-part snippet of video (on our Music History references page) from a BBC documentary on Modern Minimalism, hosted by Bjork.  In the film, we are introduced to a number of innovators in music who are on a quest for a pure and minimalistic experience of sound and musical expression.

Whether it is the “Glass Harmonica” of Alasdair Malloy, the custom-built “Cigar Box” of Mika Vainio (reminiscent of Kraftwerk’s custom synths), the “living” room-sound of Tommi Gronlund, or the ephemeral voicing of Arvo Part… one can’t help but to be in awe of the way each person feels and views their creation and experience of music.  It gives a true sense of just how much Minimalism itself, is an innovation in music.

Minimalism has permeated almost every form and genre since the very first musical note was ever enjoyed or created.  It seems as if we have always been in the process of bringing this concept full-circle, only to find that a new cycle of creation has begun and we have no choice, except to follow its lead.  

In the "Downtown Scene" of the experimental music scene, discussed in prior posts of my blog, we talked about a number of heavy influences in music which can be traced back to that particular time and place.  This movement, called Minimalist Music or Minimalism is no different.

The composers most commonly mentioned when referring to minimalist music are; Terry Riley, John Adams, La Monte Young, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass.  The music tends to be very tonal, non-discordant, and lacking in direction.  The music of which I am most passionate about, Goa Psy and Ambient, owe their existence to this experimental musical expression.  Every form of electronic dance music (EDM) stems from this starting point in music history.

Play a single chord on a wine glass and suddenly something as simple as a single chord becomes very complicated to be played by one’s-self.  Yet, artists such as Michael Cretu, Kitaro, and Trent Reznor can compose, perform, and record entire musical compositions utilizing hundreds, if not thousands of instruments with a single computer.  I suppose even these complex compositions on a computer can be broken down into a bunch of binary digits at their simplest form.

It has been said that there isn’t a lot of complexity in the music we listen to today, especially from the standpoint of its chord structure, scale, or theory.  So, the minimalists of the past were wielders of sonic complexity while we will find the most complex ways of creating the simplest of sonorities.  Ethan Hein, a music producer and teacher of music in New York has said, “There are very few chords and scales in use right now that would have shocked Debussy or Wagner.”

As technology advances along side the human spirit and our drive to create, Minimalism will always force us to strive for new experiences in our quest for a more unique sonic soundscape.