Minimalism: Origins by Edward StricklandReview by: Brad ShortNotes, Second Series, Vol. 53, No. 1 (Sep., 1996), pp. 77-78Published by: Music Library AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/900308 .

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Book Reviews Book Reviews

white photographs sandwiched between pages 302 and 303.

The essays are analytical and offer an expansive survey of the composer's music. One would expect praiseworthy writings from the biographers and interpreters of Messiaen's music; remember that this book is a "companion," not a critical evaluation. Therefore, the critical scholar should not be stunned to find first or last paragraph sentences that transport Messiaen's creative legacy to a distant universe recently iden- tified by the Hubble telescope. Here are some astronomical samples: "Of all great composers, Messiaen's musical character is arguably one of the most clearly defined" (Anthony Pople, p. 16). "Few composers in history have more fully documented the ideas that lie behind their music-or, more accurately, the extra-musical ideas they re- gard as relevant to the audience of their works-than did Olivier Messiaen" (John Milsom, p. 51). "The proof is in the ex- perience: in isolation the passage ['Je dors, mais mon coeur veille', from the Vingt re- gards sur l'Enfant-Jesus] is a marvel in itself, but heard as a cumulation and completion of the whole, it is inexpressibly overwhelm- ing" (Hill, p. 103). "The eminence of Oliv- ier Messiaen among twentieth-century composers is now incontestable. Before his death in 1992, he was often referred to as 'the greatest living composer,' and al- though he had rivals to this accolade, he was always a seriously considered candi- date" (Mellers, p. 220). Of course, since Hill already determined that only Stravinsky was Messiaen's equal, this incontestability could not have existed before 1971, the year Stravinsky departed and Messiaen turned 63. And finally: "It is through this hybrid approach [timbre and pitch com- bined in hierarchical relationships], of which we have had so many dazzling proofs in the course of this chapter, that Messiaen reasserted his position as one of this cen- tury's greatest innovators" (Malcolm Troup, p. 445). Experiential and dazzling proofs aside, The Messiaen Companion is a faithful friend of those who revere and study the man's music.

white photographs sandwiched between pages 302 and 303.

The essays are analytical and offer an expansive survey of the composer's music. One would expect praiseworthy writings from the biographers and interpreters of Messiaen's music; remember that this book is a "companion," not a critical evaluation. Therefore, the critical scholar should not be stunned to find first or last paragraph sentences that transport Messiaen's creative legacy to a distant universe recently iden- tified by the Hubble telescope. Here are some astronomical samples: "Of all great composers, Messiaen's musical character is arguably one of the most clearly defined" (Anthony Pople, p. 16). "Few composers in history have more fully documented the ideas that lie behind their music-or, more accurately, the extra-musical ideas they re- gard as relevant to the audience of their works-than did Olivier Messiaen" (John Milsom, p. 51). "The proof is in the ex- perience: in isolation the passage ['Je dors, mais mon coeur veille', from the Vingt re- gards sur l'Enfant-Jesus] is a marvel in itself, but heard as a cumulation and completion of the whole, it is inexpressibly overwhelm- ing" (Hill, p. 103). "The eminence of Oliv- ier Messiaen among twentieth-century composers is now incontestable. Before his death in 1992, he was often referred to as 'the greatest living composer,' and al- though he had rivals to this accolade, he was always a seriously considered candi- date" (Mellers, p. 220). Of course, since Hill already determined that only Stravinsky was Messiaen's equal, this incontestability could not have existed before 1971, the year Stravinsky departed and Messiaen turned 63. And finally: "It is through this hybrid approach [timbre and pitch com- bined in hierarchical relationships], of which we have had so many dazzling proofs in the course of this chapter, that Messiaen reasserted his position as one of this cen- tury's greatest innovators" (Malcolm Troup, p. 445). Experiential and dazzling proofs aside, The Messiaen Companion is a faithful friend of those who revere and study the man's music.

RICHARD D. BURBANK

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign RICHARD D. BURBANK

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Minimalism: Origins. By Strickland. Bloomington: University Press, 1993. [312 0-253-35499-4.]

Minimalism: Origins. By Strickland. Bloomington: University Press, 1993. [312 0-253-35499-4.]

Edward Indiana

p. ISBN

Edward Indiana

p. ISBN

Edward Strickland's Minimalism: Origins is the first study that attempts to put mini- malism in a historical perspective across various artistic expressions. Strickland has already covered minimalist musicians La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass in his American Composers: Dialogues on Contemporary Music (Blooming- ton: Indiana University Press, 1991), a bene- ficial companion collection of interviews (all but one culled from his Fanfare articles), which he cites heavily. The present book considers the shared origins of minimalism in the downtown scene of New York among painters, musicians, and sculptors. Strick- land outlines the origins and does not at- tempt to offer a "history" per se, dating minimal painting from Barnett Newman's Onement I (1948), minimal music from Young's Trio for Strings (1956), and mini- mal sculpture from 1961 by a group of sculptors including Robert Morris and Donald Judd.

The organization of the book itself is a "minimalist" approach in twenty-six sec- tions. Each is given a letter of the alphabet; the forward being "A," eight chapters (B-I) under the rubric "Paint," followed by eleven chapters (J-T) devoted to "Sound," and then two chapters (U-V) given to "Space." "W" is an epilogue; "X," acknowl- edgments; "Y," bibliography; and, "Z," index.

Chapter B provides a detailed discussion of the terminology of minimalism in the art world. Clearly, one commonality among artists and musicians is the rejection of the popular term "minimalism." But such cate- gorization, like a disparaging epithet, may be impossible to overcome when used by critics and scholars to describe artistic movements in any period.

Much of the book reads like a chronol- ogy, which makes for a dense presentation. Strickland's chapters on the visual artists center on Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Rein- hardt, Barnett Newman, Ellsworth Kelly, and Frank Stella, highlighting the impor- tant works and techniques associated with each, but overwhelming the reader with de- tails. He includes such oft-told stories as

Edward Strickland's Minimalism: Origins is the first study that attempts to put mini- malism in a historical perspective across various artistic expressions. Strickland has already covered minimalist musicians La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass in his American Composers: Dialogues on Contemporary Music (Blooming- ton: Indiana University Press, 1991), a bene- ficial companion collection of interviews (all but one culled from his Fanfare articles), which he cites heavily. The present book considers the shared origins of minimalism in the downtown scene of New York among painters, musicians, and sculptors. Strick- land outlines the origins and does not at- tempt to offer a "history" per se, dating minimal painting from Barnett Newman's Onement I (1948), minimal music from Young's Trio for Strings (1956), and mini- mal sculpture from 1961 by a group of sculptors including Robert Morris and Donald Judd.

The organization of the book itself is a "minimalist" approach in twenty-six sec- tions. Each is given a letter of the alphabet; the forward being "A," eight chapters (B-I) under the rubric "Paint," followed by eleven chapters (J-T) devoted to "Sound," and then two chapters (U-V) given to "Space." "W" is an epilogue; "X," acknowl- edgments; "Y," bibliography; and, "Z," index.

Chapter B provides a detailed discussion of the terminology of minimalism in the art world. Clearly, one commonality among artists and musicians is the rejection of the popular term "minimalism." But such cate- gorization, like a disparaging epithet, may be impossible to overcome when used by critics and scholars to describe artistic movements in any period.

Much of the book reads like a chronol- ogy, which makes for a dense presentation. Strickland's chapters on the visual artists center on Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Rein- hardt, Barnett Newman, Ellsworth Kelly, and Frank Stella, highlighting the impor- tant works and techniques associated with each, but overwhelming the reader with de- tails. He includes such oft-told stories as

77 77

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NOTES, September 1996 NOTES, September 1996

Rauschenberg's white color-field canvases that inspired John Cage to respond with 4'33". But beyond this kind of easily un- derstood analogy there are no reproduc- tions of the art works (save one black-and- white photograph of a Reinhardt exhibit held at the Museum of Modern Art in 1991), which makes the material presented less successful, and limits a book that in- tends to reach both art and music readers.

Tracing the influence of minimal music from the 1950s of Young to Riley, Reich, and Glass, Strickland does not attempt to prove any sort of "genealogy." With the four composers all being born within eigh- teen months of each other (from June 1935 through January 1937), he does address the issue of mutual influence. Further, Strickland points to a number of common influences and makes a strong case for the profound impact of the modal jazz of Miles Davis and John Coltrane upon minimalism. Like the art chapters, Strickland offers an in-depth survey of many of the major works of each of the composers. Unfor- tunately, also like the art chapters, there are no music examples (save the excerpt from Young's Trio for Strings).

Strickland offers a needed study. He presents an artistic movement that has per- vaded the latter half of the twentieth cen- tury, complete with the philosophic com- plexities and interrelationships between the arts. The presentation is nearly mortally flawed by the omission of visual examples. This is an important book, but one that will need to be read amid an impressive library of accompanying materials.

BRAD SHORT Washington University, St. Louis

On Mahler and Britten: Essays in Hon- our of Donald Mitchell on His Sev- entieth Birthday. Edited by Philip Reed. (Aldeburgh Studies in Music, 3.) Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Boydell Press, 1995. [xvii, 355 p. ISBN 0- 85115-382-8. $63.00.]

This volume is a Festschrift of twenty- eight essays in honor of Donald Mitchell, one of England's foremost musicologists and a prolific writer on musical matters of all kinds. Included is a bibliography of his works between 1945 and 1995, which runs to thirty-one pages, citing books, editions of

Rauschenberg's white color-field canvases that inspired John Cage to respond with 4'33". But beyond this kind of easily un- derstood analogy there are no reproduc- tions of the art works (save one black-and- white photograph of a Reinhardt exhibit held at the Museum of Modern Art in 1991), which makes the material presented less successful, and limits a book that in- tends to reach both art and music readers.

Tracing the influence of minimal music from the 1950s of Young to Riley, Reich, and Glass, Strickland does not attempt to prove any sort of "genealogy." With the four composers all being born within eigh- teen months of each other (from June 1935 through January 1937), he does address the issue of mutual influence. Further, Strickland points to a number of common influences and makes a strong case for the profound impact of the modal jazz of Miles Davis and John Coltrane upon minimalism. Like the art chapters, Strickland offers an in-depth survey of many of the major works of each of the composers. Unfor- tunately, also like the art chapters, there are no music examples (save the excerpt from Young's Trio for Strings).

Strickland offers a needed study. He presents an artistic movement that has per- vaded the latter half of the twentieth cen- tury, complete with the philosophic com- plexities and interrelationships between the arts. The presentation is nearly mortally flawed by the omission of visual examples. This is an important book, but one that will need to be read amid an impressive library of accompanying materials.

BRAD SHORT Washington University, St. Louis

On Mahler and Britten: Essays in Hon- our of Donald Mitchell on His Sev- entieth Birthday. Edited by Philip Reed. (Aldeburgh Studies in Music, 3.) Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Boydell Press, 1995. [xvii, 355 p. ISBN 0- 85115-382-8. $63.00.]

This volume is a Festschrift of twenty- eight essays in honor of Donald Mitchell, one of England's foremost musicologists and a prolific writer on musical matters of all kinds. Included is a bibliography of his works between 1945 and 1995, which runs to thirty-one pages, citing books, editions of

music, articles, reviews, program notes, and radio broadcasts on a large variety of top- ics. He has devoted special attention to Gustav Mahler and Benjamin Britten, hence the content of the present volume.

Several of the articles are biographical in nature. Henry-Louis de la Grange's essay addresses many misconceptions concerning Mahler's association with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. A substantial con- tribution by Paul Banks discusses Mahler and Viennese Modernism, with particular insight into his influence on Arnold Schoen- berg. John Williamson writes about Mah- ler's relationship with Hans Pfitzner, and David Drew writes about Britten's relation- ships with Kurt Weill, Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, Igor Markevich, Roberto Ger- hard, and Leopold Spinner. David Mat- thews's "In Search of Mahler's Childhood" describes the Czechoslovakia the composer knew in his boyhood. An essay by Peter Franklin examines the source materials of two of the earliest contributors to Mah- ler biographical studies-Natalie Bauer- Lechner and Alma Schindler, his wife. Asa Briggs's "Mahler and the BBC" chronicles Mahler's early reception in England.

Essays by Ludmila Kovnatskaya on Peter Grimes, by Eric Roseberry on "Abraham and Isaac," and by Mervyn Cooke on the church parables are analytical in nature. Contributions by Edward Reilly on Mah- ler's Ninth Symphony and by Philip Reed on Billy Budd are studies of the composers' manuscript sketches. An article by Somsak Ketukaenchan, head of music at Bangkok's Srinakharinwirot University, discusses the influence of Balinese gamelan textures on a scene in Paul Bunyan; its presence in the volume reminds us that among his many accomplishments, Mitchell is an interna- tionally recognized authority on the music of Thailand. A fascinating two-page sketch by Oliver Knussen traces the genesis of all the themes of Britten's Les Illuminations to the Fanfare that begins it. Colin Matthews's "Mahler and Self-Renewal" investigates the composer's constant interest in exploring new musical and emotional territories in each of his symphonies.

Britten's Death in Venice is the subject of two articles, one by Edward W. Said and the other by Christopher Palmer, the lat- ter's, which previously appeared in The Britten Companion (London: Faber and Faber, 1984), is included here in place of

music, articles, reviews, program notes, and radio broadcasts on a large variety of top- ics. He has devoted special attention to Gustav Mahler and Benjamin Britten, hence the content of the present volume.

Several of the articles are biographical in nature. Henry-Louis de la Grange's essay addresses many misconceptions concerning Mahler's association with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. A substantial con- tribution by Paul Banks discusses Mahler and Viennese Modernism, with particular insight into his influence on Arnold Schoen- berg. John Williamson writes about Mah- ler's relationship with Hans Pfitzner, and David Drew writes about Britten's relation- ships with Kurt Weill, Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, Igor Markevich, Roberto Ger- hard, and Leopold Spinner. David Mat- thews's "In Search of Mahler's Childhood" describes the Czechoslovakia the composer knew in his boyhood. An essay by Peter Franklin examines the source materials of two of the earliest contributors to Mah- ler biographical studies-Natalie Bauer- Lechner and Alma Schindler, his wife. Asa Briggs's "Mahler and the BBC" chronicles Mahler's early reception in England.

Essays by Ludmila Kovnatskaya on Peter Grimes, by Eric Roseberry on "Abraham and Isaac," and by Mervyn Cooke on the church parables are analytical in nature. Contributions by Edward Reilly on Mah- ler's Ninth Symphony and by Philip Reed on Billy Budd are studies of the composers' manuscript sketches. An article by Somsak Ketukaenchan, head of music at Bangkok's Srinakharinwirot University, discusses the influence of Balinese gamelan textures on a scene in Paul Bunyan; its presence in the volume reminds us that among his many accomplishments, Mitchell is an interna- tionally recognized authority on the music of Thailand. A fascinating two-page sketch by Oliver Knussen traces the genesis of all the themes of Britten's Les Illuminations to the Fanfare that begins it. Colin Matthews's "Mahler and Self-Renewal" investigates the composer's constant interest in exploring new musical and emotional territories in each of his symphonies.

Britten's Death in Venice is the subject of two articles, one by Edward W. Said and the other by Christopher Palmer, the lat- ter's, which previously appeared in The Britten Companion (London: Faber and Faber, 1984), is included here in place of

78 78

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.141 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 02:09:00 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions