Syllabus: CFA MH620 Topics in Musical Style: Minimalism

CFA MH620 Topics in Musical Style: Minimalism (W, 9AM-12PM) FLR 134 John Forrestal Office Location: Fuller Building (808 Comm. Ave.), Room 281 Hours: TBD Course Description (heavy-hitting points in bold): This course focuses on the development of European and American minimalist music, beginning with its roots in global and Western traditions, and its divergence into concert and popular music. The course will examine the music of, among others, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt, and Terry Riley; as well as recent “postminimalist” novelties, such as the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and its effects on popular and alternative musics, such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Brian Eno. There will be discussion of its aesthetics; critique; and social, cultural, and historical contexts. While outlining above the chronological development of minimalism, this class will not approach minimalism strictly chronological. Rather, we will dive into key texts, interviews, musical pieces, scores, and in-class performances. We will develop a holistic understanding of minimalism, not only as a musical practice, but also as a cultural movement; examining seminal works in visual and other performance arts. Students will be assigned readings, listening examples, and other assorted examples most weeks; all addressing cultural contexts, historical origins, connections to popular music, etc. (available on Blackboard and/or course reserves). Students will be required to write responses to these readings, and submit their responses to a (private) online blog. These will be graded weekly in accordance to the grading policies below. I would like to suggest that if students find poignant examples on their own, whether they are music, fine arts, or otherwise, I highly recommend sharing with the class and doing your own personal research or exploration! Every three or so weeks, I would like to arrange for an in-class performance of key “minimalist” works. The purpose of these “jams” is not just to expose you to the performance of minimalist works; but rather to encourage you to get inside of the work itself and — in the most 1960’s way of saying it — feel how the music works. That said, I sincerely hope that, if anything at all, you leave this class with a new appreciation for this eclectic and often critically underexamined “genre” of music and arts. I hope that you also leave with a new understanding of how this genre and its disciples still maintain their relevance today, in our changing musical and social world. In addition, students will be asked to attend one concert with a featured “minimal” work, and write a short essay (~3–5 pages in length), addressing its context within the program, the performers and a short biography, and relevance to the program, the ensemble, or otherwise. Students will then present their work on the final day of the course. Please post this essay by the last day of the 1 course. Upcoming concerts will be shared via a Google doc (hint: if you hear of an upcoming concert, please share!). Grading Criteria: • Participation, effort, attitude, and progress – 60% • Discussion participation and in-class contribution – 20% • Online contribution: 20% Late Policies/Grading: ✓+ / ✓ / ✓– / 0 ✓+ = Exceptional. Goes above and beyond the requirements and expectations. ✓ = Full credit. Satisfactorily completes the assignment and meets expectations. ✓– = 3/4 credit. Completes the assignment but does not meet expectations, or does not complete the full assignment. 0 = No credit. Assignment has too many problems, is plagiarized, submitted too late, or not submitted. Your weekly responses will be graded using this rubric. Letter Grades: A (94–100%): Excellent; exceeds expectations. A- (90–93%): Generally excellent; fully meets expectations. B+ (86–89%): Good in all respects, and excellent in some; fully meets expectations. B (82–85%): Good in all respects; meets expectations. B- (78–81%): Good in most areas; meets expectations. C+ (74–77%): Good in a few respects; basically meets expectations. C (70–73%): OK; minimally meets expectations. C- (62–69%): Lacking in some requirements. D (50–61%): Largely does not meet requirements. F (0%): Totally unacceptable, evidence of plagiarism; not submitted. 2 Course Policies: Attendance at each class session is required. Please do not be late. A good classroom experience requires a collaborative effort and a student’s absence detracts from the learning process of the whole. If you are unable to attend a session, please let the Instructor know in advance. Any more than one unexcused absence will result in a full grade demarcation in the attendance and participation portion of your grade. “Imagine a multidimensional spider’s web in the early morning covered with dew drops. And every dew drop contains the reflection of all the other dew drops. And, in each reflected dew drop, the reflections of all the other dew drops in that reflection. And so ad infinitum. That is the Buddhist conception of the universe in an image.” (Alan Watts, on the Hindu-Buddhist concept of “Indra’s Net”) Assignments: Students must complete all assignments to receive a passing grade for the course. The exception is for the weekly assignments. You may miss one, but they will be counted as a “zero.” Assignments and due dates are noted in the course schedule. Late work will receive a lower grade. Past-due assignments will docked one grade step after the deadline, and an additional grade step deduction per day (e.g. A to A–, or ✓+ to ✓). Exceptions will be granted only for serious illnesses or family emergencies. In such circumstances you must notify the instructor, in advance if possible. Incompletes: Course incompletes are not given except under extraordinary circumstances. If such circumstances arise, speak to the instructor as soon as possible. Language: This course requires open, frank discussion of racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and other issues of identity and politics. Students and instructors are expected to engage in these conversations with respect for one another’s views and experiences. We come to this course from varied backgrounds but will do our best to use (or learn) appropriate terminology, non-aggressive communication, and patience. Offensive comments or attacks on any member of the class will not be tolerated. Style: Please use Chicago style formatting for your papers. Purdue University has a useful guide to basic Chicago Manual of Style online: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/ Technology: Technology can enhance learning, but please put your cell phones away during class. Laptops and tablets may be used in class for classwork, but use for social interaction will not be tolerated (unless you are tweeting how awesome this course is). 3 University Policies: Students with disabilities: Any student who believes they have a disability should meet with BU Disability Services as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester to initiat disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure your successful completion of course requirements. The office is at 19 Deerfield Street and can be contacted at (617)-353-3658. Academic integrity: All students entering Boston University are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity. It is the responsibility of every student to be aware of the Academic Conduct Code’s contents and to abide by its provisions. The University’s Academic Code of Conduct is available at http://www.bu.edu/academics/. Plagiarism is a serious offense and will not be tolerated in this course. The University’s Academic Code of Conduct defines plagiarism as follows: Representing the work of another as one’s own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following: copying the answers of another student on an examination, copying or restating the work or ideas of another person or persons in any oral or written work (printed or electronic) without citing the appropriate source, and collaborating with someone else in an academic endeavor without acknowledging his or her contribution. Plagiarism can consist of acts of commissionappropriating the words or ideas of another-or omission failing to acknowledge/document/credit the source or creator of words or ideas (see below for a detailed definition of plagiarism). It also includes colluding with someone else in an academic endeavor without acknowledging his or her contribution, using audio or video footage that comes from another source (including work done by another student) without permission and acknowledgement of that source. (http://www.bu.edu/academics/) Title IX (from the Boston University website): Title IX requires universities to respond promptly and effectively to complaints of all kinds of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. Universities must take immediate action to eliminate the offending conduct, prevent its recurrence, and address its effects. BU is committed to promptly investigating the circumstances of a complaint to determine what occurred, ensure complainant safety, and provide remedies. Regardless of whether a complainant files a criminal action, BU will undertake its own investigation of the circumstances of the complaint. (http://www.bu.edu/safety/sexual-misconduct/title-ix-bu-policies/sexual-misconducttitleix-policy/) 4 Recommended for Additional Reading / Personal Exploration: Duckworth, William. Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Five Generation of American Experimental Composers. New York: Da Capo Press, 1999. Nyman, Michael. Experimental Music and Beyond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Strickland, Edward. Minimalism: Origins. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2000. Weekly Schedule January 20: Introduction to the course. (Short meeting) Reading for next week (1/27, all on Blackboard): Gann, Kyle, et. al. “Introduction,” in The Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music. Nyman, Michael. “Minimal Music,” in Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond. Griffiths, Paul. Chapters 15, “1975,” and 17 of Modern Music and After. Mertens, Wim. Sections 2 and 3 of American Minimal Music. Potter, Keith. “Minimalism,” in Grove Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/subscriber/article_cita tions/grove/music/40603?q=minimalism&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1 Listening (most can be found on Spotify, Youtube, and through the BU Library streaming audio websites!): Riley, Terry. In C (1964). Riley, Terry. Dorian Reeds (1965). Reich, Steve. Piano Phase (1967). Reich, Steve. Clapping Music. (1972). Pärt, Arvo. Für Alina (1976). Tavener, John. The Lamb (1982). Glass, Philip. Music in Fifths (1969). Young, La Monte. The Well-tuned Piano (1964). Young, La Monte. Composition 1960, No. 7 (1960). Lucier, Alvin. I am sitting in a room (1969). https://youtu.be/fAxHlLK3Oyk Adams, John. Phrygian Gates (1977-78). (Additional Listening, if desired!): Andriessen, Louis. Ende (1981). 5 January 27: A minimalism primer. Discussion: Last week’s readings and listening examples; “what is minimalism?;” progenitors and practitioners of minimalism; elements of a minimal style; in-class demonstration of looping/phasing. Reading for next week (2/3, all on Blackboard): Bernard, Jonathan. “The Minimalist Aesthetic in the Plastic Arts and in Music,” in Perspectives of New Music, vol. 31 (1): 86–132. Strickland, Edward. “Sound: J,” in Minimalism: Origins. Strickland, Edward. “Sound: O,” in Minimalism: Origins. Remes, Justin. Chapter 2, “Serious Immobilities,” in Motion(less) Pictures: The Cinema of Stasis. Smith, Geoff. “Composing After Cage: Permission Granted,” in Musical Times 139, no. 1864 (1998): 5–8. Chapter 3 of Grimshaw, Jeremy. Draw a Straight Line and Follow it: the Music and Mysticism of La Monte Young. Listening: Young, La Monte. Trio for Strings (1958). On Blackboard. Pärt, Arvo. Solfeggio (1962). spotify:track:5K2gsjALuztVp8K1LGypWb Feldman, Morton. Piano, Three Hands (1957). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyHl5Sl4oDg Cage, John. 4’33” (1952). Additional Listening: Sunn 0))). Monoliths and Dimensions (2009). Velvet Underground, The. Loop (c. 1964). Viewing: Warhol, Andy. Empire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMCeDBn1Zu0 Klein, Yves. Monochrome Symphonie. http://musicuratum.com/2015/08/31/anexhibit-of-zero-in-amsterdam/ February 3: “Being on a space-station, and waiting for lunch.” On Stillness and Duration. Discussion: Stillness, drone, duration; Elements of drone and stillness/stasis in minimalist/pop-art film, sculpture, fine arts, and music; silence; music/noise; indeterminacy. Reading for next week (2/10, all on Blackboard): Cimini, Amy. “Deleuze and the Musical Spinoza,” in Sounding the Virtual. Bruno, Giuliana. “Introduction,” and “Chapter 6,” from Surface Tensions: Matters of Aesthetics, Materiality, and Media. Beidler, Paul. “The Postmodern Sublime: Kant and Tony Smith's Anecdote of the Cube,” in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 53 (2): 177– 186. 6 Morley, Simon. “Introduction: The Contemporary Sublime,” from The Sublime (Documents of Contemporary Art). Klein, Yves. “Truth Becomes Reality,” in The Sublime. Strickland, Edward. “W (End),” in Minimalism: Origins. Chapters 3 and 14 from Jones, Amelia, ed., A Companion to Contemporary Art since 1945. Cronan, Todd. “The Aesthetic Politics of Affect,” on nonsite.org. <http://nonsite.org/review/radically-private-and-pretty-uncoded> Listening: Reich, Steve. Electric Counterpoint (1987). Pärt, Arvo. Cantus in Memoriam of Benjamin Britten (1977). Godspeed You! Black Emperor. “Storm,” from Lift yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000). Check Blackboard for additional listening examples, uploaded by your classmates. Extra Listening: Explosions in the Sky. The Earth is Not a Cold, Dead Place (2003). Godspeed You! Black Emperor. “Blaise Bailey Finnegan III,” on Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada (1999). A Silver Mount Zion. “Take these hands and throw them into the river,” on Born into trouble as the sparks fly upward (2001). Viewing: Sharits, Paul. T/O/U/C/H/I/N/G (1972). Lemieux, Karl. “Train” (2010). On Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/16884736 Warhol, Andy. Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962). Warhol, Andy. Marilyn Diptych (1962). Excerpts from Moore, Michael. Farenheit 9/11. https://youtu.be/ANOiSEkJ8nI (Beginning at 3:00). February 10: “light a match and watch till it goes out:” on repetition; embodiment; materiality; the sublime. Reading for next week (all on Blackboard): Bernard, Jonathan. “Minimalism, Postminimalism, and the Resurgence of Tonality in Recent American Music,” in American Music, vol. 21 (1): 112–133. Fink, Robert. “Introduction,” in Repeating Ourselves: American Minimal Music as Cultural Practice. Debord, Guy. “Theses on Cultural Revolution,” and “Culture and Revolutionary (SKIM) Politics,” in Utopias (Documents of Contemporary Art). Cummings, Neil, and Lewandowska, Marysia. “A Shadow of Marx,” in Jones, Amelia, ed., A Companion to Contemporary Art Since 1945. 7 Longobardi, Ruth Sara. “Re-producing "Klinghoffer": Opera and Arab Identity Before and After 9/11,” Journal of the Society for American Music 3 (2009): 273-310. Chapter One from Lindau, Elizabeth Ann. Art is Dead, Long Live Rock! Avantgardism and Rock Music, 1967–1999. Cervo, Dimitri. Post-minimalism: Is it a Valid Terminology? 2005. Gann, Kyle. “A Technically Definable Stream of Postminimalism, Its Characteristics and Its Meaning,” from Gann and Potter, eds., The Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music. Ásgeirsson, Hallvarður. “Minimalism and post rock.” http://www.hallvardurasgeirsson.com/essays/minimalism-and-post-rock Reynolds, Simon. “Post Rock,” in Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. Read also the Wikipedia article on “Fordism,” “Late Capitalism,” and “Neoliberalism.” These will be relevant to this week, next week, and later discussions regarding politics and minimal music in America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_capitalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism Listening: Adams, John. Death of Klinghoffer. 1991. Velvet Underground, The. The Velvet Underground and Nico. Ruehr, Elena. Shimmer (1997). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njscWas12zM Gubaidulina, Sofia. Offertorium. Monk, Meredith. Gotham Library. Monk, Meredith. Turtle Dreams. In-class: Adams, John. Excerpts from Death of Klinghoffer; Nixon in China. Viewing: Velvet Underground, The. Symphony of Sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHPxFclY_0c Sigur Rós, Heima, https://vimeo.com/24369724 February 17: popular musics, arts, and everyday life; convergences and divergences; critiques; post-minimalisms PART ONE Reading for next week: Krauss, Rosalind. “The Cultural Logic of the Late Capitalist Museum,” October 54 (Fall 1990), pp. 3-17 Johnson, Timothy A. “Minimalism: Aesthetic, Style, or Technique?” in The Musical Quarterly, vol. 78 (4): 742–773. 8 Fink, Robert. “(Post-)Minimalisms 1970-2000: The Search for a New Mainstream,” in The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century Music. Sun, Cecilia. “Resisting the Airport: Bang on a Can Performs Brian Eno,” Musicology Australia 29 (2007): 135–159. “Brian Eno,” “ECM,” “Windham Hill and New Age Music,” “John Adams,” and “Other Minimalists,” from Pendergrast, Mark. “Minimalism, Eno, and the New Simplicity,” in The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby — the Evolution of Sound in the Modern Age. Bernard, Jonathan W. “Minimalism and Pop: influence, reaction, consequences,” in Gann and Potter, eds., Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music. “Introduction: Postminimalism into Maximalism,” and “Introduction to Postminimalism,” in Pincus-Witten, Robert, Postminimalism into Maximalism: American Art, 1966–1986. Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” 1936 (1968). Bourland, Ian. Minimalism and Yeezus. http://airshipdaily.com/blog/minimalismand-yeezus Pick one of the two: McClary, Susan. “Rap, Minimalism, and Structures of Time in Late TwentiethCentury Culture,” in Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. Sherburne, Philip. “Digital Discipline: Minimalism in House and Techno,” in Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. Additional Readings: Bourland, Ian. “Star Wars and Pseudomorphism.” http://airshipdaily.com/blog/itsa-trap-star-wars-and-pseudomorphism Cohen, Zachary. “Star Wars and Modernism: an Artist Commentary.” http://hyperallergic.com/6504/star-wars-and-modernism/ “Godspeed you! Black Emperor and the Politics of Chaos,” http://zuihitsu.org/godspeed-you-black-emperor-and-the-politics-of-chaos Fletcher, Lawson. “The Sound of Ruins: Sigur rós’ Heima and the Post-rock Elegy for Place,” http://www.interferencejournal.com/articles/a-sonicgeography/the-sound-of-ruins Marx, Karl. “The Fetish of Commodities and the Secret there-of.” https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch01.htm#S4 Listening: Muhly, Nico. Mothertongue (2008); Doublespeak. Lief Inge, 9 Beet Stretch (http://www.expandedfield.net/). John McGuire, 48 Variations for Two Pianos. Gordon, Michael. I Buried Paul. Ingram Marshall. Fog Tropes. Brian Eno. Music for Airports 1. Kanye West. Black Skinhead. 9 The Who. Baba O’Riley. Sufjan Stevens. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run. Research Project: RESEARCH ONE COMPOSER WHO EITHER (A) SELF-IDENTIFIES AS A “POST-MINIMALIST”, OR (B) HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS A POSTMINIMALIST IN THEIR MUSICAL OEVURE, AND SHARE TWO MUSICAL WORKS WITH THE CLASS ON BLACKBOARD. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postminimalist_composers) — A list of several to start. http://www.newmusicbox.org/?s=postminimalism — also an excellent means of finding articles and composers! Viewing: Kanye West Yeezy Season 2, Fashion Show. https://youtu.be/Ns0iTMn8pBs Mark Ronson: How Sampling Transformed Music, TED Talk, https://youtu.be/H3TF-hI7zKc Excerpts from 2003 Woolcock's Death of Klinghoffer: https://youtu.be/_za_H8d2X4A Postminimalist artworks compilation: https://youtu.be/m3-MkayavyU Anthony McCall, Line Describing a Cone (2011): https://vimeo.com/29428835 February 24: popular musics, arts, and everyday life; convergences and divergences; critiques; post-minimalisms PART TWO Reading for next week: “Prelude,” from Hardt, Michael, and Negri, Antonio. Empire. Foucault, Michel. The historical a priori and the Archive. From The Archive (Documents of Contemporary Art). Selections from Said, Edward. Orientalism. 1979 See the wiki for “traditional Japanese music:” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Japanese_music Browse the wiki for “Gamelan:” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan Browse: http://thisworldmusic.com/gahu-african-drumming-and-dance-fromghana/ Sādhana’s Hindustani Music Page: http://raag-hindustani.com/ Listening: Reich, Steve. Drumming. 1970–71. Reich, Steve. Music for Pieces of Wood. Riley, Terry. A Rainbow in Curved Air. 1969. Ziporyn, Evan. Tire Fire. Ziporyn, Evan. Amok. 10 Giteck, Janice. Om Shanti. Browse “Pradit Pran Nath” on Youtube and Spotify, explore and listen. March 2: Worldly Influences. “World musics,” Global inflections, euro-centrism and postcolonial theories of space, place, and belonging Jam session: IN C Reading for next week (all on Blackboard): Reich, Steve. Music as a Gradual Process. Reich, Steve. Four Organs: An End to Electronics. Strickland, Edward. “P,” “Q,” “R,” “S,” and “T,” in Minimalism: Origins (approx. 48 pages). Potter, Keith. “Terry Riley,” in Four Musical Minimalists: La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass. Kostelantz, Richard (ed.), Writings on Glass: Essays, Interviews, Criticism (Selected essays). Evans, Tristian. “Analysing Minimalist and Postminimalist Music: an overview of methodologies,” in Gann and Potter, eds., Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music. “Introduction,” from Ngai, Susan, Ugly Feelings. “Introductions,” from Biddle, Ian, and Thompson, Marie, eds., Sound, Music, Affect. Ruddick, Susan. “The Politics of Affect: Spinoza in the work of Negri and Deleuze,” in Theory Culture Society 27:21 (2010). Listening: PICK 2 LISTENING EXAMPLES (1 EARLY WORK, 1 LATE WORK) FOR EACH COMPOSER, LIST FIVE MUSICAL FEATURES OF THE WORK THAT YOU NOTICE; TRACK THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR MUSICAL STYLE FROM ONE WORK TO THE OTHER. COORDINATE WITH YOUR CLASSMATES IN AN EMAIL CHAIN OR GOOGLE DOC TO MAKE SURE THERE IS LITTLE OR NO OVERLAP. IF YOU CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT FOR A COMPOSER’S “MINIMAL” AND “POSTMINIMAL” WORK, THEN DO SO! YOUNG: EARLY (1953–1962); LATE (1962–TODAY) RILEY: EARLY (C.1950s–1969); LATE (1969–TODAY) REICH: EARLY (1963–1973); LATE (1973–TODAY) GLASS: EARLY (1950s–1974); LATE (1974–TODAY) (these are arbitrary dates, and by no means concrete!) Watching: Einstein on the Beach: The Changing Image of Opera. 11 Glass: a Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts. Steve Reich: A New Musical Language (1987), https://youtu.be/LbXQThfR5K0 March 9 – NO CLASS, SPRING RECESS. March 16: The canon: La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass // Affect Theory, part deux. Jam Session: Music for wood; Music in Fifths; Piano Phase. Reading for next week (3/23, all on Blackboard): Chapter 16 of Amelia Jones, ed., A Companion to Contemporary Art since 1945. Strickland, Edward. “A” of Minimalism: Origins. “Theoretical Issues,” from Colpitt, Frances. Minimal Art: A Critical Anthology. Sections from Gopinath, Sumanth S., Contraband Children: The politics of race and liberation in the music of Steve Reich, 1965–1966. Interview with Byron Kim, http://bombmagazine.org/article/1000050/byron-kim. Zelevansky, Lynn. “Sense and Sensibility: Women Artists and Minimalism in the Nineties,” MoMA 17 (1994): 14–16. Whitesell, Lloyd. “White Noise: Race and Erasure in the Cultural Avant-garde,” American Music 19:2 (2001): 168–189. “Introduction,” from Shelley, Peter. Rethinking Minimalism: At the Intersection of Music Theory and Art Criticism. Dissertation: University of Washington, 2013. “Introduction” and “Chapter 1,” from Bowles, John P. Adrian Piper: Race, Gender, and Embodiment. “Eva Hesse: More Light on the Transition from Postminimalism to the Sublime,” in Pincus-Witten, Robert, Postminimalism into Maximalism: American Art, 1966–1986.. Listening: Adams, John, Christian Zeal and Activity. Reich, Steve, It’s Gonna Rain; Come Out; Different Trains. Lupe Fiasco. Little Weapons, from The Cool. 2007. Ziporyn, Evan. Mumbai. Tortoise. Djed. Viewing: Kim, Byron. Synecdoche. 1991–1992. Kim, Byron, and Ligon, Glenn. Black and White. 1993. Hesse, Eva. Hang Up. 1966. 12 Piper, Adrian. Parallel Grid Proposal for Dugway Proving Grounds. 1968. Reich, Steve. Oh ‘Dem Watermelons. Youtube. March 23: Critiques of minimalism as a genre; curation; canonization; feminism, race, and theories of sexuality in (post)minimalist practice. Reading for next week: Skipp, Benjamin. “The Minimalism of Arvo Pärt: an ‘antidote’ to modernism and multiplicity?” in Shenton, Andrew, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Arvo Pärt. Dolp, Laura. “Arvo Pärt in the marketplace,” in Shenton, Andrew, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Arvo Pärt. Dies, David. “Defining ‘Spiritual Minimalism,” in Gann and Potter, eds., Ashgate Research Companion to Minimalist and Postminimalist Music. Selected Readings from Tavener, John. The Sound of Silence. “Arvo Pärt,” “Henryck Gorecki,” and “John Tavener,” from Pendergrast, Mark. “Minimalism, Eno, and the New Simplicity,” in The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby — the Evolution of Sound in the Modern Age. Listening: Pärt, Arvo. Silhouette. Score on Blackboard. Pärt, Arvo. Passio. Score on Blackboard. Pärt, Arvo. Berliner Messe. Pärt, Arvo. Cantus in Memoriam of Benjamin Britten. Esmerine. “Spiegel im Spiegel”. https://youtu.be/pnvRqBGJw9I Gorecki, Henryck. Symphony No. 3. Tavener, John. Funeral Canticle. Tavener, John. The Protecting Veil. Lang, David. Little Match-girl Passion. Viewing: Arvo Pärt: 24 Preludes for a Fugue. (optional) Arvo Pärt: And then came the morning and then the evening (Youtube). March 30: Holy Minimalists (Pärt, Gorecki, Tavener). April 6: In-class presentations. April 13: In-class presentations. April 20 – NO CLASS, MONDAY SCHEDULE. April 27: Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) class trip. No readings. Spend this week focusing on your final projects! (Due May 4 @ 5PM) 13