Steve Reich

Steve Reich (Stephen Michael Reich), 1936-, American composer, b. New York City. A well-known exponent of minimalism , he attended Cornell (B.A., 1957), the Julliard School of Music (1958-61), and Mills College (M.A., 1963), where he studied with Darius Milhaud and Luciano Berio . Also influenced by John Cage , he began to create experimental works in the 1960s, showing an interest in electronic and tape-recorded elements. By the late 1960s, he was composing works based on the almost hypnotic repetition of short modular units of minutely changing chords, tonal progressions, chiming timbres, and steady rhythms. He also founded his own ensemble in 1966. Having studied drumming in childhood, he has retained an interest in percussion and has incorporated such instruments as the Balinese gamelan and Ghanian tribal drums into his compositions. Voice is also an important component of many of his works. Critics have noted that over the years his works have become both more intimate, freer, and more expansive. Reich's compositions include the film score for Plastic Haircut (1963), Drumming (1971), Music for 18 Musicians (1974-76), Tehillim (1981), Different Trains (1988), City Life (1994), Proverb (1995), Triple Quartet (1999), Three Tales (2002), and Daniel Variations (2006).

Reich, Steve (1936– ) US composer. His works are characterized by shifting musical patterns. Many of his compositions were written for his percussion ensemble, Steve Reich and Musicians, who achieved fame with Drumming (1971).

http://www.stevereich.com

Reich, Steve [Stephen] (Michael) (b NY, 1936). Amer. composer; one of the minimalists. Worked with S. Francisco tape mus. centre 1963–5, then est. own EMS in NY and formed own ens., Steve Reich and Musicians, 1966, with which he achieved internat. fame and success. Though influenced to some degree by African and Asian mus., his works deal exclusively with very gradual changes in time. Prin. comps.:DANCE: Impact (1985).MUSIC THEATRE: The Cave (1989–93).ORCH.: Pendulum Music, 3 or more microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and perf. (1968); Music for a Large Ensemble (1978); Variations, winds, str., kbd. (1979, rev. 1980); Eight Lines (rev. of Octet) (1979, rev. 1983); Three Movements (1986); The Four Sections (1987).VOICES & ORCH.: Tehillim, vv., ens. (1981), vv., chamber orch. (1982); The Desert Music, 27 amp. vv., orch. (1982–4), 10 amp. vv., orch. (1985).PERC./KEYBOARD ENS.: Piano Phase, 2 pf. or 2 marimbas (1967); Phase Patterns, 4 elec. org. (1970); Four Organs, 4 elec. org., maracas (1970); Drumming, 4 pairs of tuned bongos, 3 marimbas, 3 glockenspiels, 2 female vv., whistling, picc. (1971, in 4 parts each of which may be perf. separately); Music for Pieces of Wood, 5 pairs of tuned claves (1973); Six Pianos (1973); Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ (1973); Music for 18 Musicians, with 4 wordless female vv. (1976); Sextet (1984, rev. 1985); Six Marimbas (version of Six Pianos) (1986); City Life, 17 players (1995).SOLO INSTR(S). or SMALL ENS.: Reed Phase, sop. sax, tape (1966); Violin Phase vn., tape or 4 vns. (1967); Clapping Music, 2 perf. clapping (1972); Vermont Counterpoint, fl. (picc., alto fl.), tape (1982); New York Counterpoint, cl., tape (1985), ens. version for 9 cl. (1987); Electric Counterpoint, elec. gui., tape (1987), ens. version for 11 elec. gui., 2 elec./bass gui. (1989); Different Trains, str. qt., tape (1988).TAPE: It's gonna rain (1965); Melodica (1966); Come Out (1966).