Writings on Music, 1965-2000

Steve Reich

Oxford University Press, 2002 - Music - 254 pages

In the mid-1960s, Steve Reich radically renewed the musical landscape with a back-to-basics sound that came to be called Minimalism. These early works, characterized by a relentless pulse and static harmony, focused single-mindedly on the process of gradual rhythmic change. Throughout his career, Reich has continued to reinvigorate the music world, drawing from a wide array of classical, popular, sacred, and non-western idioms. His works reflect the steady evolution of an original musical mind.

Writings on Music documents the creative journey of this thoughtful, groundbreaking composer. These 64 short pieces include Reich's 1968 essay "Music as a Gradual Process," widely considered one of the most influential pieces of music theory in the second half of the 20th century. Subsequent essays, articles, and interviews treat Reich's early work with tape and phase shifting, showing its development into more recent work with speech melody and instrumental music. Other essays recount his exposure to non-western music -- African drumming, Balinese gamelan, Hebrew cantillation -- and the influence of these musics as structures and not as sounds. The writings include Reich's reactions to and appreciations of the works of his contemporaries (John Cage, Luciano Berio, Morton Feldman, Gyorgy Ligeti) and older influences (Kurt Weill, Schoenberg). Each major work of the composer's career is also explored through notes written for performances and recordings.

Paul Hillier, himself a respected figure in the early music and new music worlds, has revisited these texts, working with the author to clarify their central narrative: the aesthetic and intellectual development of an influential composer. For long-time listeners and young musicians recently introduced to his work, this book provides an opportunity to get to know Reich's music in greater depth and perspective.

Contents

• INTRODUCTION: 3
• 1 EARLY WORKS 196568: 19
• EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW IN ART FORUM: 33
• MUSIC AS A GRADUAL PROCESS 1968: 34
• 3 WAVELENGTH BY MICHAEL SNOW 1968: 36
• 4 THE PHASE SHIFTING PULSE GATEFOUR ORGANS PHASE PATTERNS AN END TO ELECTRONICS 196870: 38
• 5 SOME OPTIMISTIC PREDICTIONS 1970 ABOUT THE FUTURE OF MUSIC: 51
• 6 FIRST INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL NYMAN 1970: 52
• 7 GAHUA DANCE OF THE EWE TRIBE IN GHANA 1971: 55
• 8 DRUMMING 1971: 63
• 9 CLAPPING MUSIC 1972: 68
• 10 POSTSCRIPT TO A BRIEF STUDY OF BALINESE AND AFRICAN MUSIC 1973: 69
• 11 NOTES ON MUSIC AND DANCE 1973: 71
• 12 SIX PIANOS 1973: 73
• 13 MUSIC FOR MALLET INSTRUMENTS VOICES AND ORGAN 1973: 76
• 14 MUSIC FOR PIECES OF WOOD 1973: 78
• 16 MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE 196974 1993: 81
• VIDEOTAPE AND A COMPOSER 1975: 82
• DACHAU 1974 BY BERYL KOROT: 85
• 18 MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS 1976: 87
• 19 SECOND INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL NYMAN 1976: 91
• 20 MUSIC FOR A LARGE ENSEMBLE 1978: 97
• 21 OCTET 1979: 98
• 22 VARIATIONS FOR WINDS STRINGS AND KEYBOARDS 1979: 99
• 23 TEHILLIM 1981: 100
• 24 HEBREW CANTILLATION AS AN INFLUENCE ON COMPOSITION 1982: 105
• 25 VERMONT COUNTERPOINT 1982: 119
• 27 THE DESERT MUSIC 1984: 120
• 28 THE DESERT MUSIC STEVE REICH IN CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN COTT 1984: 127
• 29 SEXTET 1985: 131
• 30 NEW YORK COUNTERPOINT 1985: 135
• 31 THREE MOVEMENTS 1986: 136
• 32 SIX MARIMBAS 1986: 137
• 34 TEXTURESPACESURVIVAL 1987: 139
• 35 THE FOUR SECTIONS 1987: 144
• 36 ELECTRIC COUNTERPOINT 1987: 145
• 37 NONWESTERN MUSIC AND THE WESTERN COMPOSER 1988: 147
• 38 DIFFERENT TRAINS 1988: 151
• 39 CHAMBER MUSICAN EXPANDED VIEW 1989: 156
• 40 QUESTIONNAIRE 1989: 158
• 41 ON THE SIZE AND SEATING OF AN ORCHESTRA 1990: 162
• 42 AARON COPLAND 1990: 164
• 43 JOHN CAGE 1992: 165
• 44 KURT WEILL THE ORCHESTRA AND VOCAL STYLE AN INTERVIEW WITH K ROBERT SCHWARZ 1992: 166
• A NEW TYPE OF MUSIC THEATER WITH BERYL KOROT SYNOPSIS: 168
• 46 JONATHAN COTT INTERVIEWS BERYL KOROT AND STEVE REICH ON THE CAVE 1993: 171
• 47 THOUGHTS ABOUT THE MADNESS IN ABRAHAMS CAVE 1994 WITH BERYL KOROT: 178
• 48 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT TRAINS 1994: 180
• 49 DUET 1994: 183
• 50 NAGOYA MARIMBAS 1994: 184
• 52 BEAUTIFULUGLY 1994: 185
• 53 SCHÖNBERG 1995: 186
• 54 CITY LIFE 1995: 187
• 55 PROVERB 1995: 191
• 56 MUSIC AND LANGUAGE 1996: 193
• 57 FELDMAN 1997: 202
• 58 BERIO 1997: 203
• 59 THREE TALES 19982002 WITH BERYL KOROT: 204
• 60 TRIPLE QUARTET 1999: 208
• 61 KNOW WHAT IS ABOVE YOU 1999: 211
• 63 LIGETI 2000: 212
• 64 DE KEERSMAEKER KYLIAN AND EUROPEAN DANCE 2000: 213
• 65 STEVE REICH IN CONVERSATION WITH PAUL HILLIER 2000: 216
• TEXT CREDITS: 242
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 243
• INDEX: 247

Bibliographic information

• Title: Writings on Music, 1965-2000; Cápsulas Fuentes. Arte + Tecnosfera + Investigación
• Author: Steve Reich
• Editor: Paul Hillier
• Contributor: Paul Hillier
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2002
• ISBN: 0195151151, 9780195151152
• Length: 254 pages
• Subjects: Music / Ethnomusicology; Music / Genres & Styles / Classical; Music / Instruction & Study / Theory