The American composers la Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass are widely regarded as pioneers of the aesthetic and the techniques of minimalism in musical composition during the 1960s and early 1970s. This book offers the most detailed account so far of their early works, putting extensive discussion of the music into a biographical perspective. The true musical minimalism of these years is placed in the wider context of their music as a whole, and considered within the cultural conditions of the period which saw not only the rise of minimalism in the fine arts but also crucial changes in the theory and practice of musical composition in the Western cultivated tradition.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction; 1. La Monte Young; 2. Terry Riley; 3. Steve Reich; 4. Philip Glass; Notes; Discography; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author

Keith Potter is a Senior Lecturer in Music at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He was the founding editor of Contact: A Journal of Contemporary Music, and is the author of many articles on twentieth-century musical topics. He currently contributes regularly to The Independent.

Reviews

'... an energetic, readable, cogently argued tome, cram-packed with info ... Four Musical Minimalists is impeccably researched, written with enthusiasm but without evangelical defensiveness.' Gramophone '... a massive achievement, and an absolutely essential resource for anyone interested in the history of minimalism.' Wire '... an indispensable and meticulous survey.' Musical Times