6 essential essays by avant-garde critic Tom Johnson

The acclaimed critic of Downtown New York’s avant-garde, Tom Johnson, has died aged 85. His wife announced his death on 5 January.

Johnson was a columnist for The Village Voice in New York City from 1971 to 1983, during which time he championed American avant-garde artists such as Philip Glass, John Cage, Brian Eno and Laurie Anderson. His essays and reviews for The Village Voice were collated into a 1989 book, The Voice of New Music. 

Johnson was also a composer in his own right. He was one of the first writers to use the word ‘minimalist’ to describe his own and others’ work, first using the term in his 1974 essay, The Minimal Slow-Motion Approach. His experimental compositions sought inspiration from mathematicians and philosophers. After leaving The Village Voice, he continued to write books and compose music. In the late 2010s, he created an educational YouTube series called Illustrated Music.

In the wake of his passing, we’re revisiting some of Johnson’s finest works for The Village Voice. The full collected works are available in a PDF that Johnson donated to public domain. Here are six pieces from the critic who became known among composers as ‘Saint Tom’, exploring the state of avant-garde music, the concept of artistic greatness and defining minimalist sound.