Holger
Group: Members
Posts: 1506
Joined: Feb. 2003 |
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Posted: May 01 2003, 11:03 |
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Quote (Guest @ May 01 2003, 05:57) | I am a newbee. Can anyone tell me what is prog rock?
Also, I find some books stated out "minimal music". What's that? |
Prog Rock, or Progressive Rock, is a type of Rock music that started out in the early 70s and that incorporated lots of new influences, e.g. from classical music, into the genre. Prog Rock pieces tend to be much longer than average Rock songs, and very often you will find `concept albums` that develop one basic idea over the length of a whole album, making all songs related. Prog Rock often has a dreamy, removed, surreal athmosphere to it. Prime examples are basically all Genesis albums from the 70s, early King Crimson, Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer and Rush.
Minimal Music is basically a branch of the classical avantgarde, however it took a very different approach to music than did most avantgarde composers at the time (late 60s / early 70s). The term 'minimalism' is a bit problematic for if you listen to some examples of the genre, you might find it not minimalistic at all. It's just a tag that was attached to them and then stuck. The basic feature of 'minimal music' is repetition and slow development. A basic pattern or melody will be constantly repeated with small changes, so that the music does evolve but you'll hardly recognize it. All this may sound very theoretic but be assured that there is some truely beautiful music to be found there. The minimalist composer Mike is most often compared to is Terry Riley, his album 'A Rainbow In Curved Air' is often referred to. Other examples are Steve Reich and Philip Glass. For a very good idea of what this style is about, I recommend Steve Reich's 'Music for 18 Musicians'.
And BTW, welcome to the board, Doris!
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