Steve Reich Research Paper
Wayne Holder
Professor Klepacki
10/23/15
Paper 2: Modern Composer
My personal philosophy on the relationship between music and individual sounds is that they are interrelated. Sound encompasses such a vast range of things that it encompasses music too. Music is created by sounds carrying emotion. Similar to my belief Steve Reich has said “…you get a car crash, you record it on tape…But a car crash is a chilling, emotionally loaded event”(Reich). To me when Reich says this it implies that all sounds whether it is a car crash or as mentioned by Reich in this interview a modulated version of any sound, carries emotion. Reich’s philosophy of music include minimalism or simplicity and the importance of sound.
Steve Reich is an important modern composer
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Repetition is used so frequently in popular music today as a way to add depth to a song, and or give it drive. Although Reich is not the sole provider of this stylistic feature, it is still reflected in the music of today. He also has implemented electronic elements into his music for aesthetic effects “…they think they’re sort of electronic frogs or something. It’s bass clarinets played very rasping with a microphone shoved way down into the bell…” (Reich, American Mavericks). The combination of electronic instruments and electronics with classical instruments may not have begun with Reich, but he did use it thoroughly with his music. After Reich’s beginnings with electronic components they have been used consistently in music today. For instance, this previous years Drum Coors International troop The Blue Devils implemented the use of layering very similar to that off Reich in their marching show …show more content…
Although his music does not always fit the “classical” sound like pieces created by famous composers like Bach or Beethoven, that does not mean his music is not classical. His philosophy on music has been developed over many years due to his studies at numerous post-secondary institutions both national and international. His use of a diverse knowledge base is evident in his works such as: Sextet, It’s Gonna Rain, and Music for 18 Musicians, and more.
Works Cited
Reich, Steve. "American Mavericks: An Interview with Steve Reich." Interview by Gabrielle Zuckerman. American Mavericks: An Interview with Steve Reich. American Public Media, July 2002. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. .
"Steve Reich - It's Gonna Rain." YouTube. YouTube, 5 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
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