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minimal music --> translation of French FA

Presentation [ edit ] Typically referred to as a current minimalist music of contemporary music emerged in the 1960s to the United States with composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass. The movement grows mainly in two regions of the United States traditionally more open to artistic innovations and influences of non-European cultures: New York and West Coast. Minimalism also has followers in Great Britain ( Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars ), Holland ( Louis Andriessen ), France ( Renaud Gagneux ), but it remains primarily an American phenomenon 1. The term is sometimes used more broadly by including some composers of experimental music, or postmodern music. In particular, Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki are sometimes called minimalist composers, although with very different concerns from those of the American minimalists. Minimalist music marks a break with the avant-garde and a return to tonal music, sometimes modal. It is also generally characterized by a recount and an economy of means. Depending composers, various features are used: the use of systematic processes of composition, and repetitive structures for repetitive pulse regular American influence of religious music and the Middle Ages to Arvo Pärt and Henryk Gorecki, the return certain forms classics ( quartet, symphony ...) to John Adams 1. The year 1976 marks a summit of the minimalist movement in his large ensemble 2 with the concomitant creation of Music for 18 Musicians, Reich, opera Einstein on the Beach of Glass, De Staat Louis Andriessen, of Für Alina part Founder tintinnabulum style of Arvo Pärt and the Third Symphony by Henryk Gorecki. All these works have in common, besides their first date, to be a pivotal in the careers of their composers, or by being the culmination of a theoretical work or by creating the beginning of a new style of writing that bring a "breath of fresh air" in the world of classical music of xx th century 2.

Background Music [ edit ] The contemporary music of the years 1950-60 was dominated by serialism and the full European avant-garde around Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono , Bruno Maderna , Luciano Berio , Karlheinz Stockhausen ... The composers are experimenting with new electronic technologies and founded the foundation of electronic music and musique concrete , notably under the impetus of Pierre Schaeffer , Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Henry. For the U.S., the figure of John Cage which dominates in a primarily conceptual, close to happening , with the red wire indeterminacy. It is also the time of the creation of the artistic movement Fluxus, to push the boundaries of the notion of works of art, which also influences the minimalists. The years 1950-60 also saw the birth and development under the influence of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman on free jazz that marks especially American composers of the time. Popular music can not be ignored in the musical context. The emergence of the dominance of rock, discovered in the west of the Outer Western music , and especially Indian music , they also exert an influence on minimalist.

Origins A precursor and influence: Erik Satie The premise of minimalist music are found in certain works of Erik Satie in particular through use of form in repetitive ostinato seen as an "ecstatic passing of time in rehearsal, in the obsession of the contemplative" 8 and is the basis for several compositions. The First Gnossienne (1890) is the first piece he wrote in a pattern, it will experiment further forward with its mystical piece Vexations (1892-1893). The latter consists of repeated 840 times on a single motif, the length of the room up to twenty hours. Vexations be performed for the first time at the initiative of John Cage in 1963 in New York 9, is ie in the years of birth of minimalism. Meredith Monk, often associated with the minimalist movement, attend a performance of Vexations Satie at a festival in 1966 10 and Gavin Bryars and Christopher Hobbs will do the same to Leicester in 1971 11. Satie is cited by the minimalists as a reference, including Steve Reich 12. A tribute in the form of snap him is also made ​​with the composition of Philip Glass, Piece In The Shape of a Square , referring to three pear-shaped pieces 13 , and his works Music with Changing Parts and Einstein on the Beach resume some form of progression movements ABCBCA arch type previously used by Satie 14. For Michael Nyman, Satie was "indispensable for many reasons" 11 and it holds only for the pre-experimental composer whose work is essential 11

Serialism More surprisingly, Anton Webern, a student of Arnold Schoenberg and member of the Second Viennese School , also exerts an influence on the minimalist movement. In particular, La Monte Young, who cites the static sections of the Six Bagatelles for String Quartet (1913) and the Symphony, Op. 21 (1928) works as having been instrumental in helping to make the transition from serialism and minimalism 15. The fact that Webern is also a major influence of post-serialism, which develops at the same time in Europe, but in radically different musical conceptions, is sometimes identified as "paradoxical" by musicologists 16. Figure of serialism and the Darmstadt school, Karlheinz Stockhausen , however, has links with the minimalist movement. Works like Stimmung, Mantra and Inori use a minimalist material and extended time 17. La Monte Young will also discuss with Stockhausen in Darmstadt, and at the time regarded as the greatest living composer 15. Terry Riley is also a strong interest in works by Stockhausen, especially the rhythmic complexities Zeitmasze 18, and Arnold Schoenberg. More generally, the minimalists have all been exposed to serialism, Steve Reich as a student at Mills College, and who immediately felt he had to move away as quickly as 4 , and Philip Glass who composed works atonal up to 18 years before changing style 19.

The American avant-garde [ edit ] John Cage has a great influence in the birth of minimalism. Composer's most important avant-garde and experimental music in the United States, his ideas have an impact, directly or indirectly on the work of the Minimalists. Some parts may seem Cage linked to Minimalism, especially his early compositions 5, or the famous 4'33 " dating from 1952 , the composition that is the most minimal, being composed solely of silence. Cage is still very critical of minimalism, and his favorite technique, the uncertainty (or lack of intent), that is to say the use of randomness in the works, or in the process composition itself, will be strongly rejected by the minimalists 5 . In his book Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond , Michael Nyman clearly raises the minimalism in the post-Cage, as a reaction to the indeterminacy dear to him 20 . However, musicologists have noted similarities with the work of Cage, in particular the interest in the structure more than material, the fact that music is created by processes of composition and musical expression avoiding implementation before the composer's personality, focusing on experiments to go beyond the imagination of the composer 5. Another American composer of the generation of cage is linked to the minimalist Morton Feldman. Feldman also uses the indeterminacy and chance in his works, but is attracted by the sounds required long-term and soundscapes calm and flat 5, 17. Although it is generally not considered a minimalist, some of its parts, including Piece for Four Pianos (1957), can approach the subsequent documents of Steve Reich using the phase shift. Reich also recognize his admiration for Feldman 21

Non western music In 1.95 thousand years / 1960, Western Europe and the United States discovered the non-Western music. These songs usually based on patterns will affect all minimalist composers. Inhabiting the west coast, La Monte Young discovered Indian music in 1957 on the campus of the UCLA 22. He quotes Ali Akbar Khan ( sarod ) and Chatur Lal ( tabla ) as particularly significant. Indian music has a decisive influence on Young, especially the discovery of the tambura, he learns with Pandit Pran Nath. The role of drone tambura fascinates the Young, and grows to his interest held sounds of long duration. Young also acknowledges the influence of Japanese music and in particular of Gagaku. This influence is in part seen as the birth of minimalism, Trio for Strings (1958) 22. Terry Riley discovered the non-western music during his stay in Europe, particularly the Moroccan music and Indian music, through La Monte Young 18. It also works with Pran Nath for the disc Music from Mills (1986). For Steve Reich, are the courts of William Austin at Cornell who introduced her to world music. Austin made ​​his students listen to African music and Balinese music, is quite unusual for the time 4. On the recommendation of Gunther Schuller, Reich studied the book Studies in African Music of Arthur Morris Jones , who impressed 4. In 1970, he decided to study during the summer percussion at Ghana, which has the effect of confirming his intuition about the rich sound of acoustic instruments (as opposed to electronic instruments) and his strong interest in percussion. The piece Drumming ( 1971 ) is partly the result of this trip. Musicians Russell Hartenberger and Robert Becker of Nexus, regular members of the ensemble of Reich also studied African drumming. During the summers of 1973 and 1974, Reich will also study the gamelan Balinese on the west coast of the United States. Reich said in 1973 that "The non-Western music are currently the main source of inspiration for new ideas for composers and musicians western ' 23 . For Philip Glass, is the meeting with Ravi Shankar in Paris in 1965 who introduced him to Indian music. He discovered the principle of accumulation of small musical units to form larger, which strongly influence the way dial 24 . Glass will also traveled extensively in India in different parts of the country to discover the music and culture

Jazz The jazz is of great importance among the minimalists. All recognize its influence, and in particular the modal jazz of John Coltrane, the free jazz and Ornette Coleman. The improvisation is central in Terry Riley, as with La Monte Young 18. This is saxophonist and has experience as a jazz instrumentalist, exerted primarily during his years of high school and college. In Los Angeles, he played in big bands and in small groups, especially with Eric Dolphy , Don Cherry , Billy Higgins , and planned to devote himself to jazz 22. The jazz influence is clearly visible in his work, particularly his game sopranino saxophone, or his interest in forms of improvisation 22. Riley is on her pianist, and studied ragtime with Wally Rose, and plays for a living while studying at university and during his stay in France. Riley was also impressed by John Coltrane, which inspired her and other learning soprano saxophone 18. For Steve Reich, jazz is also a major influence. Reich is drummer by training, and played in jazz bands in high school and Cornell University. It was extremely influenced by John Coltrane, was seen very often in concert, and cites the album My Favorite Things and Africa / Brass as particularly significant 4. For Reich, it is unthinkable that his music has been possible without the jazz, especially the rhythm, flexibility, and sense of melodic jazz, which appear to be fundamental influences 4. Unlike his colleagues, Philip Glass, training more exclusively musical classic, does not see jazz as one of his influences, even if he acknowledges having been fascinated by the free jazz of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane 24