Customer Reviews

Minimalists (20th Century Composers)

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K. Robert Schwartz's book is very professinoal job. It reveales the genesis of minimalism and follows the traces of it's most important advocates to this day. Mr Schwartz is obviously an enthusiast but uses also crtical tone of voice when necassery. After reading this book one is well aware of the most important minimalists and their body of work - except some european predicessors (Names of György Ligeti and Erik Satie spring readily to mind). Minimalists is an important addition to new music litterature addressed to a wider audience. Mr Schwartz does not spend much time in analyzing scores in detail, but rather expresses in common sense the basic ideas and directions of minimal compositions. Mr Schwartz also lets the composers (Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, John Adams etc) speak and clear out their ideas and introduces very interesting biographical material without ever trying to create empty scandals. This is a book very much in need. Hopefully it will lead to more writings on the growing list of minimalist composers in the not-too-distant future. (eg. 50' and 60' generations of composers). Very Good

This is a fine introduction to minimalism and its biggest names. Accessible and full of photographs it provides biographical information for Young, Riley, Reich, Glass and Adams. Touches on a few others, but concentrates on the founding composers.

An update that includes some of the more current names working in the form would be helpful.