We Have Always Been Minimalist - by Christophe Levaux (Paperback)

About the Book

"Rising out of the American art music movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, minimalism shook the foundations of the traditional constructs of classical music, becoming one of the most important and influential trends of the twentieth century. The emergence of minimalism sparked an active writing culture around the controversies, philosophies, and forms represented in the music's style and performance, and its defenders faced a relentless struggle within the music establishment and beyond. Focusing on how facts about music are constructed, negotiated, and continually remodeled, We Have Always Been Minimalist retraces the story of this fight that--from pure fiction to proven truth--led to the triumph of minimalism. Christophe Levaux's critical analysis of literature surrounding the origins and transformations of the stylistic movement offers radical insights and a unique new history"--

Book Synopsis

Rising out of the American art music movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, minimalism shook the foundations of the traditional constructs of classical music, becoming one of the most important and influential trends of the twentieth century. The emergence of minimalism sparked an active writing culture around the controversies, philosophies, and forms represented in the music's style and performance, and its defenders faced a relentless struggle within the music establishment and beyond. Focusing on how facts about music are constructed, negotiated, and continually remodeled, We Have Always Been Minimalist retraces the story of these battles that--from pure fiction to proven truth--led to the triumph of minimalism. Christophe Levaux's critical analysis of literature surrounding the origins and transformations of the stylistic movement offers radical insights and a unique new history.

From the Back Cover

"Hypnotic, pulse, repetitive, process, trance, and system music: in a word, minimalism. In this sparkling, rigorous history, Levaux shows how the term rose out of the chaos, discord, and contradiction that marked the reception of minimal music for more than twenty-five years. This astute and impressive book outlines the halting construction of a now indisputable truth."--Benjamin Piekut, author of Experimentalism Otherwise

"Levaux draws on science and technology studies methods to deconstruct the reification of 'minimal music, ' which provides an innovative and fascinating approach to music historiography."--Olivier Julien, Professor of Musicology, Paris-Sorbonne University

Review Quotes

"In his quest for 'Truth', Levaux provides deeply valuable new historical, disciplinary, and critical perspectives on the history of minimalism, offering novel insights into a topic that many have previously addressed."-- "Music & Letters"

"With his critical and thorough approach, Levaux manages to cast light on the historical contexts, stylistic nuances and elaborates thereby in a manner, that should resonate and be relevant for both the uninitiated as well as the fanatics."-- "Scene Point Blank"

About the Author

Christophe Levaux is a researcher at Liège University, Belgium. He is the editor of Boucle et Répétition and Over and Over: Exploring Repetition in Popular Music, and the author of Rage Against the Machine as well as numerous articles published in Tacet, Volume !, Revue et Corrigée, Organised Sound, and Rock Music Studies.