Classical music will forever be marked as some of the greatest music ever made in the eyes of many academics and composers. The perception of classical music as ancient, and sometimes even boring…can prevent its creativity from being viewed as beneficial to all branches of art. Specifically the misconception that classical music is ancient is one that has stopped many in seeing the beauty of its contemporary explorations. So where is this beauty to be found?
How do we define contemporary classical music and its movements? Like contemporary art, much of the specific classifications have not yet been defined in history books. Artistic movements emerge and die, and their documentation is sparse because of how new most of the movements are. One of the most documented contemporary classical movements — and the movement I think has brought some of the most exciting and beautiful advancements in composition — is minimalism.
Minimalism is a musical movement still continuing today that essentially promotes compositions that use as few musical components as possible. This loosely means repeating musical phrases over and over and keeping the instrument count low. The repetition will build and build on itself in grand sweeping motions, Philip Glass’ ‘Lightning’ is a great song to introduce this style. Not even to mention the technical skill required to repeat a small part of music over and over for what is sometimes upwards of forty-five minutes a song, which is crazy to even conceive of. The figures involved in the minimalism movement — and most often associated with the movement — vary a lot and have all led incredibly fascinating lives.
Moondog is an incredibly interesting figure coming from the New York artist’s scene in the late 1940s. He lived in New York from the 40s to the early 70s where he made a name for himself composing and playing music on a street corner on Sixth avenue. Moondog was known not just for his music and poems but also his decision to be a busker and his bizarre way of dress, often in a horned hat and robe.
Moondog was blinded when he was 16 and discovered music subsequently. He dedicated himself to composition and music for his entire life and created hundreds of compositions, each employing a minimalist style. Moondog’s music was known by jazz musicians like Charlie Parker in the New York area for its inventiveness. His music contributed to the music scene with the use of his own invented instruments such as a percussion instrument called the ‘trimba’. The trimba included two wood block drums and a cymbal.² Moondog was an incredible musician who has inspired many musicians during and after his time. His music inspired one of the most famous minimalists of all time: Philip Glass.
Philip Glass is one of the major contributors to the minimalism movement and is an important contemporary classical figure. Glass has found success in many different musical forms, such as: movie soundtracks, operas, and musical compositions of every kind. You may recognize Glass’ music from films like The Truman Show, most notably his composition ‘Truman Sleeps’, which plays during the final scenes of the film. He has also worked on many operas, including the likes of performance artist Laurie Anderson, known for her avant garde music and films, and poet Allen Ginsberg, known for his poem ‘Howl’. Glass composed the first minimalistic opera to break into mainstream entertainment, called Einstein on The Beach. Glass has inspired many composers — of many different genres — in his lifetime and continues to write and create music to this day, like Circus Days and Nights, an opera that premiered in May of 2021. Many musicians who you may not expect — such as David Bowie — worked very closely with the minimalist movement. David Bowie was very close with Philip Glass and in fact Philip Glass composed music based on Bowie’s 1977 album Low. So if you like Bowie, you might also find some interest in exploring minimalistic composers such as Philip Glass.
So is classical music too elitist — by attempting to define itself as ‘High Art’ —- to be enjoyed by anyone but academics? Well, why don’t you ask the man with the horned hat on the street corner or the David Bowie fanatic?
I encourage you to put aside any preconceived notions around classical music that might have influenced how you view the genre, in order to interact with many different art forms. Do not listen to those who believe some art is only for the upper class and is valued more because of certain traditions associated with ‘high culture’ — often associated with geniuses who all smoke pipes and walk around art galleries all day. I encourage you to find and interact with art on your own terms, so you can witness the beauty in this world on your own terms
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1 The authorized website of the estate of Louis Hardin aka Moondog. MOONDOG. (2020). https://moondog-music.com/
2 Thomas Heinrich, G. (2001). Moondog’s corner. Moondog’s Corner. https://www.moondogscorner.de/frame.html
3 The Official Philip Glass Website. Philip Glass. (1970, October 31). https://philipglass.com/
4 Raskauskas, S. (2024, February 7). Did you know Philip Glass wrote music inspired by David Bowie?. WFMT. Source Link
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