“Bored with Minimalism”

John Adams’s First Attempt at Convoluting Simplicity

Abstract

John Adams’s “post-minimalist” style was first explored in his self-designated opus one, China Gates for solo piano. An analysis is here conducted of the piece revealing elements of this style including simplicity, repetition and symmetry mixed with variation, tension and resolution, and a measure of unpredictability. Adams’s description of the piece is that of an “almost perfect palindrome,” and this article shows how palindromes are manifest both on the large and small scale, as well as showing their post-minimalist, purposeful imperfection.