Minimalism

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Minimalism
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Beginnings

• Minimalism began as Systems Music in the 1960s
• Features of systems music were repetition, simple
  melody and slowly changing harmony
• Stockhausens Stimmung is an extreme example of
  this

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Terry Riley

• Minimalism basically started with the music of
  Terry Riley (b1936)

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Rileys In C

• In C consists of 53 repeating motifs which slowly
  oscillate making various chords
• Study In C with the score and maybe have a go at
  performing it!
• Terry Riley's website

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Steve Reich

• Reich, who took part in the first performance of
  In C, was greatly influenced by Rileys ideas.
• He developed a style based on the idea of gradual
  change of texture, rhythm and harmony
• He also explored the concept of Phase Shifting

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Clapping Music

• In this piece, written in 1972, Reich takes one
  rhythmic pattern and repeats it 156 times.
• Clap 1 never changes. Clap 2 moves the pattern
  one quaver forward after each 12th repeat.

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Reichs influences
John Adams
John Tavener
Chris Martin
Philip Glass
Mike Oldfield
Michael Nyman
Tomasz Sikorski
Arvo Part
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More information

• Steve Reich website
• Philip Glass website
• John Adams website
• Favourite minimalist music