The document discusses the history and key figures of the minimalist art and music movements from the 1960s onward. It began as a rejection of abstract expressionism in New York art galleries and spread to other mediums like architecture, design, fashion and music. Key musical figures mentioned are La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams, who helped pioneer the minimalist style of repetitive, trance-like compositions focusing on patterns with little variation. The movement aimed to portray extreme simplicity and literal meaning.