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Downtown music might be said to have in common is that, at least at the time of its original appearance, it was too bizarre – by dint of excessive length, stasis, simplicity, extemporaneity, consonance, noisiness, pop influence, vernacular reference, or other purported infraction – to have been considered "serious" modern music by proponents of "uptown" music. Another generalization one could point to is an embrace of the creative attitudes of
404:, as generally being American/British versus Continental, experimental music being more open to process, surprises, and accidents and less focused on the artistic personality. In this respect, as a general descriptive, and without reference to any particular scene, experimental and Downtown have sometimes been used synonymously. Another, even more coextensive term is
248:, which often made innovative (even subversive) use of electronic technology, many Downtown artists developed an often humorous or thought-provoking style of solo performance with conceptualist overtones. This scene coexisted with minimalism, and due to the dearth of funding opportunities for Downtown composers, many of them still pursue genres of solo performance.
139:
Downtown music is not distinguished by any particular principle, but rather by what it does not do: it does not confine itself to the ensembles, performance tradition, and musical rhetoric of
European classical music, nor to the commercially defined conventions of pop music. The only thing that all
102:
would soon occupy. Ono's gesture led to a new performance tradition of informal performances in nontraditional venues such as lofts and converted industrial spaces, involving music much more experimental than that of the more conventional modern classical series Uptown. Spaces in
Manhattan that
258: – this is a term with several different meanings, depending on one's milieu, but two are most relevant to Downtown music: 1. originally, music made by visual artists, presumably musical amateurs, often tending toward surreal theater, as in the early performances of
318: – a style of music based on a steady beat and diatonic harmony, less linear or obvious than minimalism but taking over its ensemble concept of amplified chamber groups. Postminimalism was more a far-flung national movement than anything specific to Manhattan, but
210: – a style of music that began with the repetition of short motifs, sometimes going out of phase due to slight differences of speed, and crescendoed into a movement of simple diatonic music of clearly defined linear processes.
168:
More than a continuous scene, Downtown music has resembled a battlefield on which, from time to time, various groups have reigned ascendant. In chronological order of dominance, the following movements have been prominent
Downtown:
312:. This music, celebrating extemporaneity, flourished in a city in which rehearsal space was expensive and difficult to come by, and provided an outlet for many jazz-trained/-centered musicians tired of jazz performance conventions.
332: – another style emerging from minimalism but taking it in the direction of rhythmic complexity and rock-inspired beat momentum. Postminimalism and totalism were both bolstered by the emergence, starting in 1987, of the
416:
festival (1979–1990). Due to its obvious and inconvenient applicability to many types of music, use of "new music" as describing a specific type of contemporary composition has fallen off in recent years.
1018:
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238:) were less characterized by their music's prettiness and accessibility than by its tremendous length, volume, and attention-challenging stasis.
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356:
in
Downtown music, which have tended toward process-oriented and interactive music rather than fixed compositions. The history of
412:
in 1979, which visibly showcased the music referred to as
Downtown; the term remained in widespread use during the years of the
144:, though this is not universal; Zorn in particular has downplayed his influence. Some Downtown music, particularly that of
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352:
The above list of movements and idioms is far from exhaustive – in particular, it omits the continuous history of
793:
Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie
Anderson, and Five Generations of American Composers
364:
as an art form. Likewise, despite its origin in New York musical politics, "Downtown" music is not solely specific to
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to "rock" instruments, resulting in static pieces played on electric guitars, generally with a backbeat. Groups like
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artists, who made pieces from brief instructions ("the short form") or concepts. For instance,
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There is a considerable overlap between
Downtown music and what is more generally called
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492:, p. xiii; Kyle Gann, "The Part That Doesn't Fit Is Me" (interview with Yoko Ono),
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580:"Minimal Music, Maximal Impact: The Original Minimalists – A Cast of Dozens"
304:, this scene took over Downtown in the early 1980s, under the leadership of
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This article is about the style of music. For the publishing company, see
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Peter
Cherches, "Downtown Music, 1971–87: An Overview and Resource Guide"
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became the public face of the movement, but the original minimalists (
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has also shown a predilection for composers from the
Downtown scene.
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should be taken into account, along with the more recent advent of
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634:, pp. 42–49; Kyle Gann, "Harps from Heaven" (interview with
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244: – starting with the enigmatic solo text/music pieces of
392:, especially as that term was defined at length by composer
200:, in which performers bang their heads against the wall; or
78:, to be used as a performance space for a series curated by
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597:
127:, the Gas Station, the Paula Cooper Gallery, and others.
644:, November 22, 1994 (vol. XXXIX, no. 47, pp. 49, 54, 58)
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supported
Downtown music from the 1960s on included the
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86:. Prior to this, most classical music performances in
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204:'s classic "Creep into the vagina of a living whale".
594:, April 28, 1998 (vol. XLIII, no. 17, pp. 141, 145)
498:, August 11, 1992 (vol. XXXVII, no. 32, pp. 69, 82)
753:
501:
58:The scene the term describes began in 1960, when
1053:
545:; Tom Johnson, "Takehisa Kosugi Happens Again",
915:Soundpieces: Interviews With American Composers
834:Music Downtown: Writings from the Village Voice
674:"Minimal Music, Maximal Impact: Postminimalism"
326:are examples of New York-based postminimalists.
992:
896:Reprinted 1999 by Cambridge University Press
535:Tom Johnson, "New Music: A Progress Report",
750:, June 1, 1993 (vol. XXXVIII, no. 22, p. 81)
713:, March 29, 1994 (vol. XXXIX, no. 13, p. 86)
90:occurred "uptown" around the areas that the
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985:
787:
699:"Minimal Music, Maximal Impact: Totalism"
615:
380:have alternative, Downtown music scenes.
184:'s "Draw a straight line and follow it";
588:; Kyle Gann, "Minimalism Isn't Pretty",
26:
850:
815:American Music in the Twentieth Century
563:
552:
542:
262:and Jeffrey Lohn; and 2. subsequent to
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697:, pp. 13–14, 127–129; Kyle Gann,
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961:New York Downtown Scene Discographies
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771:
966:Sample audio files of Downtown Music
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941:, April 1998, updated February 2012
882:Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond
398:Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond
13:
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907:
836:. University of California Press.
14:
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928:
723:"Minimalism Pumped Up to the Max"
947:by Kyle Gann, November 1, 2001,
541:, January 3, 1974, reprinted in
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66:artists, opened her loft at 112
945:"Minimal Music, Maximal Impact"
744:Kyle Gann, "After Ugly Music",
738:
716:
684:
659:
578:, pp. 203–206; Kyle Gann,
551:, March 28, 1977, reprinted in
266:'s influence, a transferral of
971:Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine
913:Cagne, Cole and Caras, Tracy,
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529:
513:
479:
432:Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine
1:
707:; Kyle Gann, "Tyrannize Me",
672:, pp. 13–14; Kyle Gann,
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935:"An Essay on Downtown Music"
400:. Nyman opposes the term to
368:; many major cities such as
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134:
20:. For the record label, see
7:
526:, pp. 154–155, 174–176
420:
111:, Experimental Intermedia,
10:
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176: – starting with the
53:
15:
1077:Experimental music genres
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296: – originating with
286:arose from this (and the
129:Brooklyn Academy of Music
1072:American styles of music
1067:Culture of New York City
917:, 1982, Scarecrow Press
606:, pp. 294–295, 381.
396:in his influential book
856:The Voice of New Music
121:Dance Theater Workshop
105:Judson Memorial Church
32:
336:festival, curated by
232:Charlemagne Palestine
46:, which developed in
42:, closely related to
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701:, November 1, 2001,
693:, pp. 355–356;
676:, November 1, 2001,
668:, pp. 325–327;
630:, pp. 298–303;
582:, November 1, 2001,
38:is a subdivision of
832:Gann, Kyle (2006).
618:, pp. 425–427.
378:Birmingham, Alabama
358:sound installations
100:Columbia University
62:, one of the early
31:112 Chambers Street
1024:Free improvisation
789:Duckworth, William
732:The New York Times
452:Minimalism (music)
390:experimental music
294:Free improvisation
48:downtown Manhattan
44:experimental music
33:
18:Downtown (company)
1049:
1048:
747:The Village Voice
710:The Village Voice
656:, pp. 13–14.
641:The Village Voice
591:The Village Voice
548:The Village Voice
538:The Village Voice
495:The Village Voice
414:New Music America
320:William Duckworth
256:experimental rock
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884:. Studio Vista.
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735:, July 18, 1993]
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117:Knitting Factory
92:Juilliard School
84:Richard Maxfield
22:Downtown Records
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220:La Monte Young
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182:La Monte Young
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158:Morton Feldman
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96:Lincoln Center
80:La Monte Young
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50:in the 1960s.
40:American music
36:Downtown music
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334:Bang on a Can
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852:Johnson, Tom
833:
817:. Schirmer.
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795:. Schirmer.
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762:, p. 5.
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264:Rhys Chatham
260:Glenn Branca
216:Philip Glass
197:
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186:Robert Watts
167:
146:Philip Glass
138:
74:later named
57:
35:
34:
950:NewMusicBox
774:, p. .
704:NewMusicBox
679:NewMusicBox
585:NewMusicBox
457:Noise music
410:The Kitchen
402:avant-garde
354:electronics
338:Julia Wolfe
298:Terry Riley
290:) movement.
276:Sonic Youth
224:Tony Conrad
212:Steve Reich
150:Steve Reich
109:The Kitchen
1056:Categories
811:Gann, Kyle
772:Nyman 1974
468:References
447:Noise Fest
342:David Lang
280:Live Skull
268:minimalism
208:Minimalism
198:Wall Piece
939:Kyle Gann
760:Gann 2006
695:Gann 2006
691:Gann 1997
670:Gann 2006
666:Gann 1997
654:Gann 2006
632:Gann 2006
628:Gann 1997
604:Gann 1997
576:Gann 2006
524:Gann 1997
520:Gann 2006
508:Gann 2006
490:Gann 2006
486:Gann 1997
462:Post-punk
427:Mudd Club
406:new music
366:Manhattan
306:John Zorn
228:John Cale
164:Varieties
154:John Zorn
142:John Cage
135:Character
1041:Totalism
880:(1974).
854:(1989).
813:(1997).
791:(1995).
421:See also
330:Totalism
282:and the
252:Art rock
194:Yoko Ono
113:Roulette
60:Yoko Ono
782:Sources
442:No wave
376:, even
370:Chicago
288:no wave
76:Tribeca
54:History
921:
900:
888:
866:
840:
821:
799:
437:Tier 3
344:, and
178:Fluxus
156:, and
115:, the
64:Fluxus
473:Notes
362:DJing
284:Swans
190:Trace
125:Tonic
919:ISBN
898:ISBN
886:ISBN
864:ISBN
838:ISBN
819:ISBN
797:ISBN
322:and
308:and
300:and
214:and
98:and
82:and
725:by
638:),
272:DNA
254:or
196:'s
94:at
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24:.
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