Minimalist Music Analysis

In the early 60s, the word “minimal” possibly first used with regard to music by Michael Nyman. The movement of minimalism came about as a reaction against other music styles, primarily serialism which was based on the mathematical control of the musical elements.. This music style was an avant-garde by a group of American composers such as Michael Nyman and Tom Johnson. First of all, it was a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School and later recognized as a popular experimental music style. It was mainly influenced by the minimalist art forms such as geometric abstractions of painters associated with Bauhaus, sculptors in the works of various artists including David Smith, Anthony Caro etc.

Composers like Philip Glass,

One of the basic features of minimalist music is the using static tone along a song. The shift from one scale to another is slow and unrealizable. In minimalist music usually simple and repetitive harmonies are used. . Static harmony could be explained as staying on just one chord or even moving back and forth using a set of a few chords. Some beats are followed along the song. Drones also can be used in similar way which can be explained in simple words, as less change of rhythm in music. Many minimalist pieces use the same rhythm and the same pulse throughout the song. Use of polyrhythms is also a prevalent characteristics of minimalist music, in which a composer uses two or more rhythms

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Lucinda Chills are known with their minimalist pieces. Both implemented the minimalist movement into the dance. Their dance consists of simple movements as well as costumes. It is not related to other dance movements instead it includes sharp movements, minimalistic figures. "Fase: Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich" by Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker and “Dance” by Lucinda Chills are some of the examples of Minimalism movement effects on dance.

Minimalist music is a plain music with stagnant harmony, diatonic and a still instrumentation style. Minimalism makes the most of minimal music resources. The work is stripped down to fundamental features. Minimalist music is enhanced in both art and music like in expressionism. Other music styles were also influenced by Minimalist music like Pop, Techno, Ambient, Punk etc. Progressive Rock, Experimental Rock, Alternative Rock also used repetitive structures in their music.

In a more broad and general sense, minimalism in the paintings, architecture and other arts influenced music. Music is generally made up with single rhythm repetition and iteration such as those of the compositions of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams. Not only the music but also the dance is influenced by Minimalism. The pioneers of the Minimalist dance are Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker and Lucinda