MI on Music Theory Print

Miami bass

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

1980s origins#

During the 1980s, the focus of Miami bass tended to be on DJs and record producers, rather than individual performers. Record labels such as Pandisc, HOT Records, 4-Sight Records and Skyywalker Records released much material of the genre. Unterberger has referred to James (Maggotron) McCauley (also known as DXJ, Maggozulu Too, Planet Detroit and Bass Master Khan) as the “father of Miami bass”, a distinction McCauley denies, choosing to confer that status on producer Amos Larkins. MC ADE’s “Bass Rock Express”, with music and beats produced by Amos Larkins, is often credited as being the first Miami bass record to gain underground popularity on an international scale. The single “Throw The D” by the group 2 Live Crew in 1986 gave a permanent blueprint to how future Miami bass songs were written and produced.

Michigan rap

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

While Michigan has historically trailed behind New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta in terms of the infrastructure and resources available to rap musicians, in recent years, Detroit and Flint have emerged as “havens” for a vibrant and diverse music scene. The presence of established veterans and a burgeoning community of rising artists further contributes to the state’s dynamic and innovative musical landscape.

Characteristics#

Two pillars of Michigan rap are Flint rap and Detroit rap, which prioritize driving drum beats, brooding low piano chords, and narratives in their lyrics. The element of drum beats was popularized by J Dilla who used beat drum programming with live improvisation instruments. The style of Flint rap did not gain traction within Michigan until the late 2010s with the rise in popularity of Rio Da Yung OG. Flint rap is a newer scene that has a symbiotic relationship with Detroit. Flint performers could take advantaged of an established scene in Detroit, while the Detroit community hones and harnesses the talent to expand the scene.

Microgenre

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Etymology and definition#

The term “microgenre” was originally coined in a 1975 French article about historical fiction, alongside “macrogenre”.The author defined microgenres as “a narrowly defined group of texts connected in time and space”, whereas macrogenres are “more diffuse and harder to generalize about.” Further discussion of the microgenre concept appeared in various critical works of 1980s and 1990s.

1960s–1990s: Origins#

Historically, musical microgenres were usually labelled by writers seeking to define a new style by linking together a group of seemingly disparate artists. Music journalist Simon Reynolds has suggested that early examples of “genre-as-retroactive-fiction” include “Northern soul” and “garage punk”, both of which were coined in the early 1970s, but did not become widespread until years after the fact. These genres were later followed by “freakbeat” coined by Phil Smee in the 1980s, as well as “sunshine pop” which was coined in the 1990s. According to Reynolds, such “semi-invented” genres were sometimes pushed by record dealers and collectors to increase the monetary value of the original records. In the early 1980s, Robert Christgau coined the term “pigfuck” to describe the music of Sonic Youth, the term later took a life of its own to denote a specific style of noise rock music. Successful attempts that resulted in widespread usage include “post-rock” (Reynolds) and “hauntology” (Mark Fisher). House, drum-n-bass, dubstep and techno also contain a large number of microgenres.

Microhouse

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Microhouse has its roots in the minimal techno, bitpop (both developed in the early 1990s), and house (developed in the early 1980s) genres of music. Its first echoes appeared in a glitch album by German experimental artist Oval, in 1993. Like many contemporary electronic genres, Microhouse has many influences, most notably techno and the “click and pop” garage house that has emerged from Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass (or “Bleep”), bitpop and minimal techno. Contrasting with tech house, which is often thought of as ‘house music with elements of techno in its arrangement and instrumentation’, microhouse is more aptly described as ‘housey minimal techno’ – a marriage of the funky and groovy backroom house elements with bitpop and the driving, repetitive sound of techno. Emphasis tended to fall on cushiony kick-drum thumps and the accompanying hi-hats, with faint textures provided by synthetic strings and dreamy keyboard tones. Full-fledged microhouse artists start appearing in the late-90’s to early-00’s such as German producer Jan Jelinek. His contributions are notable in the genre considering works like “textstar+” (as Farben) and “Loop-finding-jazz-records”. Both works have amassed cult status and widespread acclaim with its distinctive microhouse sound. Microhouse has continued on in the late 2010s-20’s with electronic artists like Jon Hopkins, The Field, Pantha du Prince, Rival Consoles, Matthew Herbert, Actress, Four Tet, Isolée, and many others. “Vocalcity” by Luomo is a hallmark album in microhouse and has been credited as one of the main works that helped popularize the genre. Throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s, several small labels thriving on this approach cropped up. A fair percentage of the output from already-established labels like (Isolée, ), Kompakt (Sascha Funke, M. Mayer) and (Farben) made for some of microhouse’s most thrilling moments. Other labels — such as Force Tracks (Luomo, MRI), Perlon (Ricardo Villalobos, Pantytec) and Trapez (Akufen, M.I.A.) — were virtually all-microhouse in scope.

Microtonality

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Microtone#

Microtonal music can refer to any music containing microtones. The words “microtone” and “microtonal” were coined before 1912 by Maud MacCarthy Mann in order to avoid the misnomer “quarter tone” when speaking of the srutis of Indian music. Prior to this time the term “quarter tone” was used, confusingly, not only for an interval actually half the size of a semitone, but also for all intervals (considerably) smaller than a semitone. It may have been even slightly earlier, perhaps as early as 1895, that the Mexican composer Julián Carrillo, writing in Spanish or French, coined the terms microtono/micro-ton and microtonalismo/micro-tonalité. In French, the usual term is the somewhat more self-explanatory micro-intervalle, and French sources give the equivalent German and English terms as Mikrointervall (or Kleinintervall) and micro interval (or microtone), respectively. “Microinterval” is a frequent alternative in English, especially in translations of writings by French authors and in discussion of music by French composers. In English, the two terms “microtone” and “microinterval” are synonymous. The English analogue of the related French term, micro-intervalité, however, is rare or nonexistent, normally being translated as “microtonality”; in French, the terms micro-ton, microtonal (or micro-tonal), and microtonalité are also sometimes used, occasionally mixed in the same passage with micro-intervale and micro-intervalité. Ezra Sims, in the article “Microtone” in the second edition of the Harvard Dictionary of Music defines “microtone” as “an interval smaller than a semitone”, which corresponds with Aristoxenus’s use of the term diesis. However, the unsigned article “Comma, Schisma” in the same reference source calls comma, schisma, and diaschisma “microintervals” but not “microtones”, and in the fourth edition of the same reference (which retains Sims’s article on “Microtone”) a new “Comma, Schisma” article by André Barbera calls them simply “intervals”. In the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Paul Griffiths, Mark Lindley, and Ioannis Zannos define “microtone” as a musical rather than an acoustical entity: “any musical interval or difference of pitch distinctly smaller than a semitone”, including “the tiny enharmonic melodic intervals of ancient Greece, the several divisions of the octave into more than 12 parts, and various discrepancies among the intervals of just intonation or between a sharp and its enharmonically paired flat in various forms of mean-tone temperament”, as well as the Indian sruti, and small intervals used in Byzantine chant, Arabic music theory from the 10th century onward, and similarly for Persian traditional music and Turkish music and various other Near Eastern musical traditions, but do not actually name the “mathematical” terms schisma, comma, and diaschisma. “Microtone” is also sometimes used to refer to individual notes, “microtonal pitches” added to and distinct from the familiar twelve notes of the chromatic scale, as “enharmonic microtones”, for example. In English the word “microtonality” is mentioned in 1946 by Rudi Blesh who related it to microtonal inflexions of the so-called “blues scales”. In Court B. Cutting’s 2019 Microtonal Analysis of “Blues Notes” and the Blues Scale, he states that academic studies of the early blues concur that its pitch scale has within it three microtonal “blue notes” not found in 12 tone equal temperament intonation. It was used still earlier by W. McNaught with reference to developments in “modernism” in a 1939 record review of the Columbia History of Music, Vol. 5. In German the term Mikrotonalität came into use at least by 1958, though “Mikrointervall” is still common today in contexts where very small intervals of early European tradition (diesis, comma, etc.) are described, as e.g. in the new Geschichte der Musiktheorie while “Mikroton” seems to prevail in discussions of the avant-garde music and music of Eastern traditions. The term “microinterval” is used alongside “microtone” by American musicologist Margo Schulter in her articles on medieval music.

Middle Eastern and North African music traditions

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Middle East and North Africa#

File:Abderrahmane Abdelli.jpg Algerian musician Abderrahmane Abdelli performing in Belgium name = Dabke دبكة image = Palestinian girls dancing traditional Dabke.jpg caption = Palestinian girls dancing traditional dabke image size = 300px medium = Circle dance and line dancing types = Variations ancestor = culture = Levantine era = File:La fête de la musique au centre culturel dEgypte (Paris) (7416610718).jpg Egyptian music instrument Mizmar File:Sintir player in Rabat, Morocco.JPG A Moroccan instrument sintir or gimbri File:2 dhols.jpg Iranian instrument dohol

Middle Eastern music

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Strings#

Many instruments originate in the Middle East region. Most popular of the stringed instruments is the oud, a pear-shaped lute that traditionally had four strings, although current instruments have up to six courses consisting of one or two strings each. Legend has it that the oud was invented by Lamech, the sixth grandson of Adam. This is stated by Al-Farabi, and it is part of the Iraqi folklore relating to the instrument. Legend goes on to suggest that the first oud was inspired by the shape of his son’s bleached skeleton. Historically, the oldest pictorial record of the oud dates back to the Uruk period in Southern Mesopotamia over 5000 years ago. It is on a cylinder seal currently housed at the British Museum and acquired by Dr. Dominique Collon, Editor of Iraq at the British Institute for the Study of Iraq. The widespread use of the oud led to many variations on the instrument, including the saz, a Turkish long-necked lute that remains very popular in Turkey. Another popular string instrument is the qanoun, developed by Farabi during the Abbasids era. Legend has it that Farabi played qanoun in court and alternately made people laugh, cry, or fall asleep. The qanoun developed out of string instruments described in inscriptions that date to the Assyrian period. It has about 26 triple-string courses, plucked with a piece of horn. The musician has the freedom to alter the pitch of individual courses from a quarter to a whole step by adjusting metal levers. Middle Eastern music also makes use of the violin, which is European in origin. The violin was adopted into Middle Eastern music in the 19th century, and it is able to produce non-Western scales that include quarter-tones because it is fretless.

Middle of the road (radio format)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology and usage#

According to music academic Norman Abjorensen, “middle of the road” has referred to a commercial radio format more often than a music genre, although “it has been used to describe a broad type of music” of numerous styles, usually characterized by vocal harmony techniques, prominent melodies, and subtle orchestral arrangements. Radio stations that played adult standards during the 1960s and 1970s were marketed as “MOR radio” in order to differentiate them from Top 40 and rock stations. Middle of the road was famously associated with MetroMedia Radio stations; their flagship station was WNEW 1130 AM in New York. The MOR genre creation was an evolutionary outcome of WNEW’s reluctance to follow the Top 40 domination and adhere to traditional male and female vocals such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee. The term “middle of the road” was the creation of WNEW program director Dick Carr. Soft rock groups like the Association, the 5th Dimension, the Bee Gees, the Johnny Mann Singers and Simon & Garfunkel infiltrated the MOR market in the late 1960s. In the early 1970s, Bread, the Carpenters and John Denver were notable performers in the middle of the road genre. Writing in Christgau’s Record Guide: The ’80s (1990), Robert Christgau said MOR “applied to radio formats that shun or put stringent tempo and volume restrictions on rock, although ’lite’ and ‘adult contemporary’ are now the preferred evasions.”

Midwest emo

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

According to The Chicago Reader critic Leor Galil, the second-wave bands of the Midwest emo scene “transformed the angular fury of D.C. emo into something malleable, melodic, and cathartic—its common features included cycling guitar parts, chugging bass lines, and unconventional singing that sounded like a sweet neighbor kid with no vocal training but plenty of heart.” Incorporating elements from indie rock, the genre also features “gloomy chord progressions” and arpeggiated guitar melodies, Texas Is the Reason guitarist Norman Brannon has stated that the 1993 albums The Problem with Me by Seam, In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi, and On the Mouth by Superchunk were particularly influential, having been “name-checked by every second-wave emo band I knew.” Post-hardcore band Jawbox also impacted the sound of Midwest emo, being cited as an influence by such bands as Braid, Elliott, the Jazz June, and Boys Life. The definable traits of the Midwest emo have proven to be easily fused with other genres of underground independent music. Revival bands including The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die mixed the Midwestern emo sound with genres such as post-rock and orchestral music. Other outfits, including Patterns Make Sunrise, The Pennikurvers, and Everyone Asked About You, introduced elements of twee pop and indie pop into the sound of Midwest emo. This proved influential to the aforementioned emo revival scene, with groups like Dowsing and Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) taking a similar approach. Midwest emo has also been described as a “whole band potluck” with several bands bringing in experimental sounds to develop the genre. The result is “a musical casserole of introspective lyrics, DIY sprinkles, and heartfelt garnishes that cooked up the signature Midwest Emo scene, where everyone brought their own instruments to the party”. This style of shared sound and experimentation in the scene helped to develop the scene in the Midwest, where many alternative people feel there is a lack of culture.

Midwestern hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Style#

Although the Midwest hip-hop scene encompasses a wide range of local styles, several recurring characteristics are commonly associated with the region. One of the most notable elements is the tempo, which often varies between 90 and 180 beats per minute, reflecting a broad rhythmic spectrum. A particularly distinctive feature is the use of fast-paced and rhythmically complex vocal delivery, commonly referred to as chopper style. This technique, popularized by artists such as Eminem, Twista, Da Brat, and Tech N9ne, is characterized by rapid articulation, intricate rhyme schemes, and precise control of timing and breath. In addition to its technical emphasis, Midwest hip-hop frequently integrates melodic components, such as sung hooks and harmonized vocals, into its structure. The combination of accelerated lyricism and melodic expression has contributed to a stylistic identity that is both rhythmically dynamic and musically adaptable. Nevertheless, significant regional variation persists across the Midwest, and differences in production, themes, and delivery between cities and states often prevent the formation of a singular, unified musical aesthetic.

Military cadence

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Duckworth Chant#

A V-Disc issued in 1944 credits the origin of “The Duckworth Chant” (also known as “Sound Off”) to Private Willie Lee Duckworth of Sandersville, Georgia, an African-American soldier serving in the United States Army. This original cadence was recorded as “Sound Off”: This cadence, known as the “Duckworth Chant”, still exists with variations in the different branches of the U.S. military. Duckworth’s simple chant was elaborated on by Army drill sergeants and their trainees, and the practice of creating elaborate marching chants spread to the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. A musical version of the chant was recorded by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra (Voc.: Vaughn Monroe & Chorus in New York City) on March 7, 1951. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4113A (in USA) and by EMI on their His Master’s Voice label as catalog number B 10086. A variant of that cadence was used in the 1949 film Battleground and in the 1981 film Taps, filmed at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It appears in two versions in the film, both ending in the same cadence. Other cadences include “Blood on the Risers”, “I Wish All the Girls Were”, “Captain Jack” (Army), and “Yellow Ribbon” (Army).

Milonga (music)

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Notable artists#

Artists known for their milonga compositions and interpretations include Roberto Firpo, Angel D’Agostino, Pedro Maffia, Pedro Laurenz, Ángel Villoldo, Francisco Canaro, Rodolfo Biagi, Jorge Drexler, Juan d’Arienzo, Edgardo Donato, Gabino Ezeiza, Aníbal Troilo, Lucio Demare, Domingo Federico, Angel Vargas, Mariano Mores, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Francisco Lomuto, Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Di Sarli. These artists are from the early years and the Golden era of tango. Los Moonlights released a song entitled “Milonga de pelo largo” (Milonga of long hair) on their debut LP, Moonlights. In Rio Grande do Sul, milonga is an important regional genre and it is part of the repertoire of many gaucho musical groups and interpreters, not to be confused with the Argentinean gauchos. It also continues to influence other genres of the modern gaucho music. José Cláudio Machado’s “Milonga Abaixo de Mau Tempo”, Renato Borghetti’s “Milonga para as Missões” and Jayme Caetano Braun’s “Bochincho” are examples of the traditional rio-grandense form of milonga, Argentine composer and pianist Fernando Otero has based many of his orchestral and chamber works on this rhythm, creating compositions for Symphonic Orchestra, String Quartet and Jazz Combos. Kevin Johansen is a modern Argentine rock artist who has a number of songs that combine folkloric and pop music with a milonga rhythm.

Milwaukee hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Overview and history#

The state of Wisconsin isn’t often associated with the hip-hop genre of music. However, the Midwestern state has cultivated its own hip-hop scene. While not as prominent as cities like New York or even neighboring scenes such as Chicago or Detroit, Wisconsin has produced talented artists who contribute to the genre’s diversity and creativity. The current scene is focused around the city of Milwaukee. One of the most prominent characteristics of Milwaukee’s current scene is the use of “low-end type” beats that feature heavy kicks, deep basslines, and 808s. Producers in the scene tend to incorporate chopped samples or original synth chords to complete their beats. Some examples of this style are Certified Trapper’s “Each Smack” track or J.P.s “Party Mix” track. Another major characteristic of the current scene is the use of rather eccentric music videos that are paired with the tracks.

Min'yō

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Styles#

Many min’yō are connected to forms of work or to specific trades and were originally sung between work or for specific jobs. Other min’yō function simply as entertainment, as dance accompaniment, or as a components of religious rituals. Min’yō are also distinct depending on the area of Japan, with each area boasting its own favorite songs and styles. The songs found in the far northern island of Hokkaidō and sung by the Ainu people are usually excluded from the category of min’yō. In the far south, (especially Okinawa) distinct genres of min’yō, differing in scale structure, language and textual forms, have developed as well.

Minangkabau music

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Traditional Minang music#

Traditional Minang music whose origins are related to Malay music is characterized by the Minang style or rent and traditional Minang musical instruments. Minang traditional musical instruments (see description below), namely: saluang, agung (gong), gondang, rebana, serunai, talempong, Minang rabab, gambus, and bansi. However, for traditional events such as weddings, Islamic rebana or gambus are never used. Apart from kaba, dendang with musical instruments accompanies such oral genres as pantun and salawat dulang, and some dances too. Modern Minang music. Minang pop The emergence of modern Minang popular music that sometimes generally called Minang pop traced to the late 19th century, when traditional Talempong gong style ensembles incorporated into thear repertoire Minang pop songs. Contemporary Minang music was born around 1955 with Orkes Gumarang. During 1950s–60s Minang pop created by the composers Ibenzani Usman and Yusaf Rahman, the lyricist Syahrul Tarun Yusuf and others and played by Orkes Kumbang Tjari together with its leading workers Nuskan Sjarif and Elly Kasim, singers-songwriters Oslan Husein with his encemble Teruna Ria and Tiar Ramon, singers Fetty and Nurseha, and Zaenal Combo group. It is influenced by Latin music with bongo punches and marakas games, usually a rhythm similar to rumba, cha-cha-cha, or mambo. Modern Minang music is also the forerunner of Dangdut along with Malay music. The musical instruments used developed with the entry of European musical instruments such as accordion, violin, guitar, piano or keyboard, bass, drums, bongo, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, flute, maracas, and so on. In the 1970s, a more traditional music genre emerged, namely Gamad with Minang-style vocals and Portuguese musical instruments. Albums by songwriter and singer Yan Juneid Sarunai Aceh and Bunga Tanjuang are referred to as albums of the revival of Minang music which was previously dominated by Western and Indonesian songs. Among other figures, singer-songwriter Rustam Raschani and singer Upik Saunang. Two legendary figures of Minang pop from the 1970s who did not mix the traditional Dendang singing style with non-Minang music (Malay, Arabic, Indian, Western) were songwriters and singers Adjis Sutan Sati and Sawir Sutan Mudo. Minang-language songs of the 20th – 21st century are very open in their form to the influence of other forms of music, starting from (1) Pop (songwriters Agusli Taher and B. Andoeska, singers-songwriters Alkawi, Asben and Nedi Gampo, singers Zalmon, Ajo Buset, Alwi Oslan, Amelda Lesty, Amriz Arifin, An Roys, Asman, Beniqno, Betharia Sonatha, Boy Shandy, Christin Aziz, Eddy Silitonga, Efrinon, Elda, Elvia, Fauzana, Hetty Koes Endang, Irni Yusnita, Iyeth Bustami, Jhon Kinawa, Joni Linggo, Kardi Tanjung, Kintani, Lily Syarif, Ocha Oktavia, Ratu Sikumbang, Rayola, Ria Amelia, Rina Fhasma, Rosinda YS, Roza, Ruskam, Seruni Pilang, Upiak Isil, Vanny Vabiola, Vivied Yuza, Waty Tanjung, Wirdaningsih, Wisye Pranadewi, Yan Bastian, Yen Rustam, Yenny Puspita, and Carano’s Band), (2) Dangdut, both in the regional subgenre of dendang saluang dangdut (Cimpago group together with Erri Tamala and Mel Rah Cani, Adjis Sutan Sati, Asben, Ellyzamiarti, Gafur Syah, Misramolai, Nisya Laila, Sawir Sutan Mudo, Upik Malay, Yenny Mustika) and common dangdut (singer and songwriter Ujang Virgo, singers Amriz Arifin, Beniqno, Daniel Saniara, Devi Rose, Dhinda Rozi, Fani Sun, Leni Alvin, Liza Tania, Ralmi Muas, Riri Anjeli, Sahar Panker, Tety Liany), (3) Reggae (Melati, Upik Saunang, Yan Juneid, and others), (4) Pop rock, rock-n-roll and rock (Andra Respati, Chika Andriani, Fabian, Elsa Pitaloka, Eno Viola, Ipank, Ovhi Firsty, Rayola, Sultan Tanjung, Thomas Arya), even (5) Disco, dance-pop dan electronic dance music similar to Indonesian Funkot (Chika Andriani, Elda, Fani Sun, Jushia, Liza Tania, Misramolai, Mita Viose, Novi Barat, Ratu Sikumbang, Regina, Ria Amelia, Riri Anjeli, Uria Novita, Yenny Mustika, and duet Ririn Trichani & Asnaria Jambak). In contemporary music, two trends coexist: (1) an ethnic pop, the use of traditional Minang musical elements in works (for example, some songs of the young singers Amelda Lesty and Joni Linggo are accompanied by the sound of the rabab) or (2) full adherence to national and international musical standards while maintaining the lyrics in the Minangkabau language, such as a number of sentimental ballads.

Minimal music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Brief history#

The word “minimal” was perhaps first used in relation to music in 1968 by Michael Nyman, who “deduced a recipe for the successful ‘minimal-music’ happening from the entertainment presented by Charlotte Moorman and Nam June Paik at the ICA”, which included a performance of Springen by Henning Christiansen and a number of unidentified performance-art pieces. Nyman later expanded his definition of minimal music in his 1974 book Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond. Tom Johnson, one of the few composers to self-identify as minimalist, also claims to have been first to use the word as new music critic for The Village Voice. He describes “minimalism”: The idea of minimalism is much larger than many people realize. It includes, by definition, any music that works with limited or minimal materials: pieces that use only a few notes, pieces that use only a few words of text, or pieces written for very limited instruments, such as antique cymbals, bicycle wheels, or whiskey glasses. It includes pieces that sustain one basic electronic rumble for a long time. It includes pieces made exclusively from recordings of rivers and streams. It includes pieces that move in endless circles. It includes pieces that set up an unmoving wall of saxophone sound. It includes pieces that take a very long time to move gradually from one kind of music to another kind. It includes pieces that permit all possible pitches, as long as they fall between C and D. It includes pieces that slow the tempo down to two or three notes per minute. Already in 1965 the art historian Barbara Rose had named La Monte Young’s Dream Music, Morton Feldman’s characteristically soft dynamics, and various unnamed composers “all, to a greater or lesser degree, indebted to John Cage” as examples of “minimal art”, but did not specifically use the expression “minimal music”. The most prominent minimalist composers are La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams, and Louis Andriessen. Others who have been associated with this compositional approach include Terry Jennings, Gavin Bryars, Tom Johnson, Michael Nyman, Michael Parsons, Howard Skempton, Dave Smith, James Tenney, and John White. Among African-American composers, the minimalist aesthetic was embraced by figures such as jazz musician John Lewis and multidisciplinary artist Julius Eastman. The early compositions of Glass and Reich are somewhat austere, with little embellishment on the principal theme. These are works for small instrumental ensembles, of which the composers were often members. In Glass’s case, these ensembles comprise organs, winds—particularly saxophones—and vocalists, while Reich’s works have more emphasis on mallet and percussion instruments. Most of Adams’s works are written for more traditional European classical music instrumentation, including full orchestra, string quartet, and solo piano. The music of Reich and Glass drew early sponsorship from art galleries and museums, presented in conjunction with visual-art minimalists like Robert Morris (in Glass’s case), and Richard Serra, Bruce Nauman, and the filmmaker Michael Snow (as performers, in Reich’s case).

Minimal techno

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

Minimal techno first emerged in the early 1990s. The development of the style is often attributed to a so-called “second wave” of American producers associated with Detroit techno. According to Derrick May, “while the first-wave artists were enjoying their early global success, techno also inspired many up-and-coming DJs and bedroom producers in Detroit”. This younger generation included producers such as Richie Hawtin, Daniel Bell, Robert Hood, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin, and Mike Banks. The work of several of these artists evolved to become focused on minimalism. Robert Hood describes the situation in the early 1990s as one where techno had become too “ravey”, with increasing tempos leading to the emergence of gabber. Such trends saw the demise of the soul-infused techno that typified the original Detroit sound. Robert Hood has noted that he and Daniel Bell both realized something was missing from techno in the post-rave era, and saw that an important feature of the original techno sound had been lost. Hood states that “it sounded great from a production standpoint, but there was a ‘jack’ element in the old structure. People would complain that there’s no funk, no feeling in techno anymore, and the easy escape is to put a vocalist and some piano on top to fill the emotional gap. I thought it was time for a return to the original underground.” Daniel Bell has commented that he had a dislike for minimalism in the artistic sense of the word, finding it too “arty”. By 1994, according to Sherburne, the term “minimal” was in use to describe “any stripped-down, Acidic derivative of classic Detroit style”. Los Angeles-based writer Daniel Chamberlin attributes the origin of minimal techno to the German producers Basic Channel. Chamberlin draws parallels between the productions by Richie Hawtin, Wolfgang Voigt, and Surgeon with phase music techniques used by American minimalist composer Steve Reich. Chamberlin also sees the use of sine tone drones by minimalist composer La Monte Young and the repetitive patterns of “In C” by minimalist composer Terry Riley as other influences. Sherburne has suggested that the noted similarities between minimal forms of dance music and American minimalism could easily be accidental. He also notes that much of the music technology used in electronic dance music was traditionally designed to suit loop-based compositional methods, which may explain why certain stylistic features of minimal techno sound similar to those in works by Reich that employ loops and pattern-phasing techniques.

Minimal wave

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Background and etymology#

Veronica Vasicka, founder of the Minimal Wave record label, claims to have coined the genre name. She stated in a 2009 interview: For a 2009 publicity piece, Vasicka wrote that the music overlaps with several other genres, “The Minimal Wave genre actually formed only several years ago, as a result of a resurgence of interest in the roots of pre-MIDI electronic new wave (1978–1985), mainly from North America, Europe and Japan. This music is sometimes referred to as minimal electronic, minimal synth, coldwave, new wave, technopop, or synth-pop, depending on the particular style, year, and location of the band.”

Minneapolis hardcore

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Venues#

The Triple Rock Social Club, a popular hardcore venue in Minneapolis. It was owned by some of the members of Dillinger Four. It closed in 2017.
NOFX’s 2006 single “Seeing Double at the Triple Rock”, from the Wolves in Wolves’ Clothing album, is a tribute to the Triple Rock club where they also filmed the video for the song.
The Beat Coffeehouse
Memory Lanes Punk Rock Bowling
The Hexagon Bar
Station4

DIY#

The Minneapolis hardcore and punk scene has a strong DIY ethic. Accomplishments have included community-sponsored venues to basement shows to an all-volunteer independent record store Extreme Noise Records.

Minneapolis sound

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Identifying characteristics#

While the Minneapolis sound incorporates many of funk’s quintessential elements, it bears several distinguishing characteristics: * Synthesizers generally replace horn sections of trumpets and saxophones, and are used more as accent than as fill or background. * The rhythm is often faster and generally less syncopated than traditional funk, owing much to new wave music. At the same time, dominant rhythm lines are often accented with repeating percussive fills at fixed intervals, often courtesy a Linn or other drum machine. * Lead guitar is frequently much louder and more aggressively processed during solos than in most traditional funk, while a wah-wah effect is heavily relied upon for rhythm guitar accompaniments. * Compositions often incorporate orchestral string arrangements, adding a symphonic pathos. * The “bottom” of the sound is less bass-heavy than traditional funk; drums and keyboards fill more of the “bottom”.

Minnesang

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

In the absence of reliable biographical information, there has been debate about the social status of the Minnesänger. Some clearly belonged to the higher nobility – the 14th-century Codex Manesse includes songs by dukes, counts, kings, and the Emperor Henry VI. Some Minnesänger, as indicated by the title Meister (master), were clearly educated commoners, such as Meister Konrad von Würzburg. It is thought that many were ministeriales, that is, members of a class of lower nobility, vassals of the great lords. Broadly speaking, the Minnesänger were writing and performing for their own social class at court, and should be thought of as courtiers rather than professional hired musicians. Friedrich von Hausen, for example, was part of the entourage of Friedrich Barbarossa, and died on crusade. As a reward for his service, Walther von der Vogelweide was given a fief by the Emperor Frederick II. Several of the best-known Minnesänger are also noted for their epic poetry, among them Heinrich von Veldeke, Wolfram von Eschenbach and Hartmann von Aue.

Minus-One recordings

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Record production genre#

As a genre of record production in the Philippines, the inclusion of a ‘minus-one’ Side-B reduced the production cost of a 45 RPM 7-inch “single” by foregoing the need for yet another song to occupy the 7-inch record’s flip side. It also encouraged buyers to “sing along” with the bonus accompaniment of the “hit single”. A “minus-one mix” would not necessarily be wholly instrumental, as backing vocals of the song’s original mix may be retained. The concept of instrumental B-sides to complement their full versions became a production trend of the Philippine record industry of the 1980s, which was replicated overseas. In the ensuing years, tracks from minus-one flip sides were assembled by production houses for their inclusion in compilations.

Mirror canon

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Missa sine nomine

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

20th century#

In 1977, Leon Schidlowsky composed a work that he called Misa Sine Nomine and dedicated to the Chilean human rights activist Victor Jara; the text is a juxtaposition of part of the mass ordinary with both Bible verses in Hebrew and contemporary texts, and he wrote it for different combinations of narrator, choirs, organ and percussion.

References#

Ronald Cross, review of Capella Cordina recording directed by Alejandro Planchart, in The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 60, No. 1 (Jan., 1974), pp. 154-159
Program notes to February 3, 2007 concert at UCLA
Lewis Lockwood/Andrew Kirkman, Mass, II. Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed April 19, 2007), (subscription access)
Jennifer Bloxam, “Masses on Polyphonic Songs”, in Scherr, Richard, ed. The Josquin Companion. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000. .

Mixed music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Electroacoustic music originated in the late 1940s through early 1950s through the musique concrète movement spearheaded by Pierre Schaeffer and the Groupe de recherches musicales based in Paris, France and the development of sound synthesis at the Studio for Electronic Music of Cologne, Germany. The practice of using magnetic tape as a recording medium gave rise to the genre of tape music, wherein the musical composition is stored on and played from tape, without any live performance. Mixed music began as an integration between tape music and traditional performance, where human musicians perform simultaneously with an electronic part played on tape.

Mizrahi music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

Mizrahi Jews who immigrated from the Arab countries have, over the last 50 years, created a unique musical style that combines elements of Arabic, Turkish, and Greek music. This is not to be confused with the New Hebrew Style, as the Mizrahi style is more spontaneous. After World War II, many Jewish families made Aliyah to the new state of Israel, founded in 1948. The Muzika Mizrahit movement started in the 1950s with homegrown performers in neighborhoods with a high concentration of Jews from Arab countries who would play at weddings and other events. They performed songs in Hebrew, but in an Arabic style, on traditional Arabic instruments—the oud, kanun, and the darbuka. In the 1960s, they added acoustic and electric guitar to their sound and so their sound became more eclectic. Vocalists usually decorated their singing with trills, and delivery was often nasal or guttural in sound. Intonation was typically Western, however; singers did not use the quartertone scales typical of Arabic music. Into the 1980s synthesizers and electronic instruments made their debut in Mizrahi music. The first Mizrahi artist of this era was the Moroccan-born Jo Amar, who through the 1950s and 1960s made several albums and songs contributing to the genre, mostly influenced by Moroccan music. Another notable if foreign artist that helped contribute to the young genre was Aris San, who helped popularise Greek music in Israel in the 1960s and 1970s with his distinct rock style on traditional Greek songs. Lyrics were originally texts taken from classic Hebrew literature, including poems by medieval Hebrew poets. Later they added texts by Israeli poets, and began writing original lyrics as well. An example is the song “Hanale Hitbalbela” (Hannale was confused), sung by Yizhar Cohen. The lyrics are by the modern Israeli poet and lyricist Natan Alterman, to a traditional tune. Singers also translated childhood favorites from Arabic to Hebrew and added electronics and a faster tempo.

MI on Music Theory Print

Miami bass

1980s origins#

Michigan rap

Background#

Characteristics#

Microgenre

Etymology and definition#

1960s–1990s: Origins#

Microhouse

History#

Microtonality

Microtone#

Middle Eastern and North African music traditions

Middle East and North Africa#

Middle Eastern music

Strings#

Middle of the road (radio format)

Etymology and usage#

Midwest emo

Characteristics#

Midwestern hip-hop

Style#

Military cadence

The Duckworth Chant#

Milonga (music)

Notable artists#

Milwaukee hip-hop

Overview and history#

Min'yō

Styles#

Minangkabau music

Traditional Minang music#

Minimal music

Brief history#

Minimal techno

Origins#

Minimal wave

Background and etymology#

Minneapolis hardcore

Venues#

DIY#

Minneapolis sound

Identifying characteristics#

Minnesang

Social status#

Minus-One recordings

Record production genre#

Mirror canon

Missa sine nomine

20th century#

References#

Mixed music

History#

Mizrahi music

Background#