# Non/Atonal Minimalism



## Mephistopheles (Sep 3, 2012)

Hi,

I've never been all that interested in minimalism because it's always sounded to me a little like neoromanticism stripped bare of everything interesting. But, just listening to some a moment ago, I thought, "I've only ever heard tonal minimalism - what about atonal minimalism?" Can you give me some recommendations? I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it, but it seems that the exploration of atmospheric sounds will be far more enjoyable when not based on trite harmonic relationships that we're extremely familiar with.


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## Arsakes (Feb 20, 2012)

Minimalism isn't exciting and Atonal music is ugly ... the combination would be an abomination! :lol:


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

No, I think I know what you mean.

Despite his overblown presence on this forum, I think some of Ligeti might be what you are looking for. Have you tried Atmospheres?


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Arsakes said:


> Minimalism isn't exciting and Atonal music is ugly ... the combination would be an abomination! :lol:


You are free to your opinion but your opinion is WRONG!


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## Mephistopheles (Sep 3, 2012)

That seems like exactly the kind of thing I meant. I'll have to look into it. Thanks.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)




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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

There are some works by Cage which are close to minimalist style, such as his piano works _In a Landscape_ and _Dream_ which are quite good (though they are modal), and some of his prepared piano music like _A Room_, _Bacchanale_, _The Unavailable Memory of_, or _Totem Ancestor_. For more properly minimalist atonal music, alot of the work of Morton Feldman, at least those I've been exposed to fit into that, and though I haven't ever heard anybody classify him as such, some of Gyorgy Ligeti's output fits into that style and utilizes some of the techniques (he even has a piece subtitled "Self-Portrait with Reich and Riley (and Chopin in the Background)"), and you could argue alot of his sound mass pieces are somewhat minimalistic in their gradual progressing nature, though that may be a stretch. Then there are pieces by some of the mainstream minimalists. Reich's music is actually mostly modal, rather than tonal in the common practice sense, but there are certain pieces like _Pendulum Music_ which are more atonal, and then there is also the first String Quartet of Philip Glass, which has alot of the influence of John Cage, and I actually really like it, not sure if any of his other early works fit in that more atonal style, and even then its not quite minimalist in the conventional sense though it does have repetitions. Its kinda hard to find truly atonal works in the minimalist idiom because the style pretty much evolved as a counter to the dogma of Boulez and the total serialists and ultra-modernists. There are some composers who use minimalist techniques (some call them post-minimalist, I don't because all designations that begin with post are stupid, meaningless worthless crap), and also use things like rows and pitch sets, or more liberal dissonances, such as John Mayrose, Marc Faris, and Jennifer Fitzgerald (all parts or former parts of the composer collective "pulsoptional"). I'm not sure how easily you'll be able to find their works but they're really good. Look up the ensemble "pulsoptional" in general. Their work is quite good, and incorporates minimalist ideas. All the members are skilled musicians and composers.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Arsakes said:


> Minimalism isn't exciting and Atonal music is ugly ... the combination would be an abomination! :lol:


Atonal music isn't ugly, and minimalism isn't inherently boring, plenty of it can be quite exciting and surprising, quite engaging.

No form or style or technique in music is absolutely anything.

Not all 12-tone music depressed sounding, not all tonal music is predictable, not all Romantic music is "pretty", simplicity isn't inferior to complexity and vice versa, no style of music is inherently bad, something being of the western classical tradition doesn't make it inherently more high-brow, or intellectual, or more serious or artistic, or less entertaining, or just plain better than music of other traditions (many of which partly branch off of it).


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