Rise of minimalist music

Minimalist music is a style of composition that uses a limited set of musical materials, such as short repeated patterns, steady pulses and simple harmonies, which change slowly over time. It emerged in the United States in the 1960s, and Terry Riley's In C of 1964, a piece built from fifty-three short phrases that players repeat at their own pace, is often seen as its breakthrough. La Monte Young, Steve Reich and Philip Glass were other pioneers. Reich explored gradual phase shifts between identical patterns, while Glass wrote works such as the opera Einstein on the Beach with Robert Wilson. The style influenced later composers like John Adams and also rock, electronic and film music.

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