The Broad Appeal of Minimalism

Experimental approaches to composition by American composers in the 20th century became the foundation for works of art that made increasingly more demands upon the listener. Atonality, bitonality, serialism, chromaticism, and chance operation, were all techniques that composers applied to their sonic experiments. These techniques resulted in music with characteristics that challenged the average music enthusiast. Melodic line was often marked by an angular contour, rhythmic content was irregular, harmonic progression replete with insistent dissonance were lacking in tonal center, and unusual timbres accompanied an expanding range of sound. The academic world intellectualized and patronized experimental efforts while concert audiences, puzzled by the approach of the experimentalists, turned to swing, jazz, blues and rock and roll. Minimalism is a compositional technique that has been received by audiences with enthusiasm and sustained......

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Title: Minimalism
Approximate Word Count: 1241
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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