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Minimalism retained an especially prominent position in the Baltic States, changing the compositional palette of the nations' music in the second half of the 20th century. Its main elements were the intonation cell, folklore motif and those relevant principles of dramatic composition which follow from this: monotony of rhythm, evolutionary processuality, repetitive techniques, persistent variations and a cyclical (spiral) swelling of form - wherein continuous increments of sound culminate in a moment of apocalypse. It also brought the dimension of infinity into Baltic thought, inaugurated a style of myth and ritualization and unclosed new layers of time. This embodiment of the universe and eternity in the form of music is manifest in the philosophical dramatic nature of Baltic minimalism. Consequently, this folklore intonation cell - the grain of the national style - is able to develop into a historical evolution, one that is both witness to historical upheavals and a measure of the society's ever changing reality. Such intentions, so characteristic of the Baltic Minimalist style, have not actually changed up to the present day, as they touched on one of the most important sources of musical development, namely the factors of inception and infinity. This enabled two or three generations of composers to create works that were in sync with the most important national needs. Hence, several genres full of the candour of historical experience were formed. Their foundations lay in processuality, the evolution of the intonation cell and its dramatic historicism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]