La Monte Young
Quick Summary
La Monte Young is an American composer associated with the Minimalism movement in music. Emerging in the late 1960s, Minimalism is characterized by extreme simplicity and an objective approach. Young's compositions often involve electronic "continuous frequency environments," where a few pitches are sustained electronically for extended periods, sometimes days or weeks. He significantly reduced variation as a compositional technique, focusing on sustained sounds. This approach contrasts with the complex styles of modern music and aims to explore essential musical elements like timbre and rhythm. Young's work, alongside composers like John Cage, influenced the development of minimalist music.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
the Velvet Underground…in New York City by La Monte Young. In 1965, while working as Brill Building-style staff songwriter for Pickwick Music, Reed formed a group, the Primitives (including Cale), for live performances of a single he had recorded called “The Ostrich.” He also had written songs, such as “Heroin” and “Venus…
Read More…in New York City by La Monte Young. In 1965, while working as Brill Building-style staff songwriter for Pickwick Music, Reed formed a group, the Primitives (including Cale), for live performances of a single he had recorded called “The Ostrich.” He also had written songs, such as “Heroin” and “Venus…
Read More- Jackson Mac Low
…1963, he copublished (with composer La Monte Young) An Anthology of Chance Operations…, which became a fundamental resource for the Fluxus art movement, of which Mac Low was a founding member. Mac Low wrote prolifically; his works were performed regularly, and in the 1960s members of Fluxus took some of…
Read More…1963, he copublished (with composer La Monte Young) An Anthology of Chance Operations…, which became a fundamental resource for the Fluxus art movement, of which Mac Low was a founding member. Mac Low wrote prolifically; his works were performed regularly, and in the 1960s members of Fluxus took some of…
Read More
Yoko OnoEarly art…she organized with experimental composer La Monte Young. Drawing partly from the interdisciplinary Zen-inspired work of John Cage, himself a habitué of the loft events, Ono presented simple conceptual art pieces that imaginatively encouraged, and often required, interactive participation. Painting to Be Stepped On (1960), for instance, was a canvas…
Read More…she organized with experimental composer La Monte Young. Drawing partly from the interdisciplinary Zen-inspired work of John Cage, himself a habitué of the loft events, Ono presented simple conceptual art pieces that imaginatively encouraged, and often required, interactive participation. Painting to Be Stepped On (1960), for instance, was a canvas…
Read More

