Minimalist music is commonly defined as a compositional style that deliberately simplifies rhythm, melody, and harmony. However, many pieces labeled as minimalist are not necessarily minimal in nature, and the music grouped under this term often varies greatly in form—so much so that even the works of those regarded as the original minimalists are not particularly similar to each other. In this way, the term “minimalist music” continues to refer to a broad range of musical phenomena, and its boundaries remain ambiguous.

A recently published book on minimalist music defines it as music that makes extensive use of repetition, is harmonically static, and contains pulses that flow with a steady rhythm like a drone or stable beat. It constructs sound through gradual processes and is characterized by an “audible structure,” meaning the listener can perceive how the music operates upon first listening. Additionally, it is described as “meta-musical” in the sense that unintended melodies may emerge as a result of psychological or acoustic effects during listening. These diverse techniques contribute to the recognition of minimalist music as a category through the notion of “family resemblance.” As such, works that appear outwardly different can be grouped under the single label of minimalist music. When minimalist music is explained primarily through its musical techniques, inevitable comparisons arise with other types of music throughout history.

Early minimalist music emerged in 1960s America within a specific social context and amid efforts to establish a uniquely American culture. Riley was involved in California’s counterculture scene of the 1960s, while Young, Reich, Glass, and Riley were active in downtown Manhattan during the 1960s and 70s. Both movements emphasized breaking down boundaries. These composers often rejected academia, which had significant economic implications for them. However, Manhattan in the 1960s was rich with avant-garde art and minimalist artists, who supported and aesthetically influenced minimalist musicians.

One defining characteristic of minimalist music is its appropriation of non-Western music, which is also tied to the composers’ social backgrounds. Reich studied African percussion in Ghana and Indonesian gamelan; Glass explored additive structures in Indian music; Young and Riley focused on Indian drones, improvisation, and alternative tunings. Corbett argues that such elements were part of establishing Americanism or experimentalism as a counter or supplement to European modernism. In this way, early minimalist music developed through interactions with various contemporary cultural phenomena in 1960s America.

Minimalist music also originated within a particular political context. Musicologist James Porter describes it as a weapon to challenge the postwar dominance of serialism. Schwartz claims it opposed the authoritarian, mathematical, and highly rational compositional methods of the older generation. Schwartz further argues that the second tradition minimalists had to confront was the indeterminacy music established by John Cage and his followers. In his own writings, Steve Reich criticizes Cage’s concept of “process,” claiming that no audible connection exists between the process used and the sound of the music itself.

Therefore, the distinctive techniques of minimalist music, such as “repetition,” acquire significance within this political framework. Adorno criticized Stravinsky for the negative effects of repetitive ostinato patterns in his music, and Schoenberg—under Freud’s influence—also expressed strong aversion toward repetition. Due to Schoenberg’s influence, repetition became morally controversial in early 20th-century music. By reclaiming repetition, minimalists took a politically oppositional stance toward the musical establishment. Their embrace of tonal clarity and steady pulse further defied the elements that serialists and Cageians had already declared obsolete.

Another defining condition of early minimalist music is its unique aesthetic character. In conventional Western music, musical content is typically presented in a causal and predictable manner through repetition, allowing the listener to perceive its direction. As listeners hear repetition, they recall past material within a linear conception of time, and repetition acts as a reference to prior events.

However, Mertens argues that minimalist music rejects this traditional paradigm. Minimalist music progresses non-teleologically and does not point to or represent anything external. Rosenbaum suggests that by removing teleological and dramatic elements, minimalist music creates an experience of musical time that denies endings. La Monte Young stated that his music eliminates the notion of a final state, leaving only the sustained or suspended presence of sound, without beginning or end. Stoianova describes minimalist music as “creating presence in every moment, spreading movement multidirectionally without cause or result.” This idea recalls Barbara Rose’s famous comment about minimalist art: “It must not allude to anything other than itself,” and Frank Stella’s statement: “What you see is what you see.”

Another defining feature of early minimalist music is its unique external appearance. Among all works labeled minimalist, early pieces use the fewest musical elements. These highly limited structures intensify the meaning of the term “minimal,” reducing the music to the brink of disappearance and symbolizing an approach where musical elements converge toward nothingness. Here, “minimal” no longer just refers to the lowest value among options, but suggests an extreme form in which every element approaches absence. This aspect gives early minimalist music a distinct impression and serves as another key marker of the genre. Through such processes, early minimalist music expresses the meaning of “minimal” both complexly and intuitively.

In summary, early minimalist music established a new movement distinct from past traditions by reappropriating familiar techniques such as repetition. Its characteristics can be viewed through the lenses of specific social context, political meaning, unique aesthetic features, and distinctive musical form.