What is minimalism and what were its musical 'fingerprints'?

Minimalism, in music, is a movement from the 20th century. Most popular in 1960s America, it involves using little or limited 'raw' materials (e.g. in music this included minimal pitch and harmony). Notable minimalist composers include Steve Reich, Phillip Glass and Terry Riley. To recognize minimalism in music, listen for features such as little pitch range and variation, repetitive ostinatos, little or no functional harmony (and slow harmonic rhythms), and complicated rhythmic and metric systems. 

EJ
Answered by Eleanor J. Music tutor

4603 Views

See similar Music A Level tutors

Related Music A Level answers

All answers ▸

The excerpt is taken from the song 'It's a Hard Life' off The Works (1984) album by Queen. Explain how Mercury portrayed his views regarding stereotypical Western virtues of love in terms of structure, harmony, tonality and rhythm.


How did the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ rework the formal conventions of the classical symphony?


Why do we study composers such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven above others?


What is a tritone and why should it be avoided when writing harmony in the style of Bach?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning