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La Monte Young

American composer

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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

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. John Cage
  2. Minimalism

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