Holy minimalism

Holy minimalism, mystic minimalism, spiritual minimalism, or sacred minimalism are terms used to refer to a number of late twentieth century composers of Western classical music, whose works are distinguished by a minimalist compositional aesthetic and a distinctly religious or mystical subject focus.

With the growing popularity of minimalist music in the 1960s and 1970s, which often broke sharply with prevailing musical aesthetics of serialism and aleatory music, many composers, building off the work of such minimalists as Terry Riley, Philip Glass and Steve Reich, began to work with more traditional notions of simple melody and harmony in a radically simplified framework. This transition was seen variously as an aspect of musical post-modernism or as neo-romanticism, i.e. a return to the lyricism of the nineteenth century.

In the 1970s and continuing in the 1980s and 1990s, several composers, many of whom had previously worked in serial or experimental milieux, began working with similar aesthetic ideals - radically simplified compositional materials, a strong foundation in tonality or modality, and the use of simple, repetitive melodies - but included with them an explicitly religious orientation. Many of these composers looked to Renaissance or medieval music for inspiration, or to the music of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, some of which used only a cappella music in their services. Examples include:

• Arvo Pärt (an Estonian Orthodox)
• John Tavener (a British composer who converted to Russian Orthodoxy)
• Henryk Górecki (a Polish Catholic)
• Alan Hovhaness (the earliest mystic minimalist)
• Hans Otte
• Peteris Vasks
• Giya Kancheli
• Sofia Gubaidulina
• Vladimir Godár

Despite being grouped together, the composers tend to dislike the term, and are by no means a "school" of closely-knit associates. Their widely differing nationalities, religious backgrounds, and compositional inspirations make the term problematic, but it is nonetheless in widespread use, sometimes critically, among musicologists and music critics, primarily because of the lack of a better term. "Neo-Contemplative Music" is one example of a suitable alternative.

Recordings have played a major role in the popularization of the term, as all three of the most well-known "holy minimalists" have had significant success with CD sales. A 1992 recording of Górecki's 1976 piece, Symphony No. 3, went on to sell over a million copies. John Tavener has had several recordings of his works nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and Pärt has a long-term contract with ECM Records, ensuring consistent and wide distribution of recordings of his works.