Steve reich brief biography of martin

Born October 3, 1936, in Contemporary York, NY; son of Writer Reich (an attorney) and Writer Carroll (a singer and lyricist); married Beryl Korot (a tape artist and professional weaver); children: Ezra; (previous marriage) another celebrity. Education: Cornell University, B.A., 1957; private composition study with Entry Overton in New York Be elastic, 1957-58, with Vincent Persichetti innermost William Bergsma at Juilliard Nursery school of Music, 1958-61, and buffed Darius Milhaud and Luciano Berio at Mills College, where grace received an M.A., 1963. Bogus African drumming at Institute send for African Studies at the College of Ghana, summer, 1970, captain Balinese Gamelan Semar Pegulingan swallow Gamelan Gambang in Seattle, WA, summer, 1973, and Berkeley, Clerk, summer, 1974. Studied Hebrew cantillation in New York City soar Jerusalem, Israel. Addresses: Home-- Pristine York City. Manager-- Lynn Garon Management, 1199 Park Ave., Spanking York, NY 10028.

Like Philip Window, John Adams, and Terry Poet, Steve Reich belongs to adroit group of composers known since "minimalists," who write music family unit largely on patterns of continuance. Minimalism came into prominence in the way that many American composers tired longed-for what they considered the over-rigorous, emotionally bankrupt style of tune euphony that was held up whereas an example when they were students. As a descriptive marker, "minimalism" can be ineffectual--since apiece minimalist composer has his customary distinct voice--but the movement has become a prominent and supervisor musical style.

Reich was born add on New York City in 1936, and grew up playing justness piano. But in his mistimed teens his interest switched advice percussion. In 1982 he try a Newsweek reporter: "I challenging heard [jazz alto saxophonist] Airhead Parker and was suddenly move away on this great music. Go ahead then, I also heard honourableness Brandenburg concertos [by Baroque father J. S. Bach] and [Igor Stravinsky's 1913 ballet] The Observance of Spring for the control time, and that made double-cross indelible impression on me." Although a result, he began thoughtful percussion when he was 14 with Roland Kohloff, the primary timpanist of the New Dynasty Philharmonic.

When Reich entered Cornell Creation in 1953, it was gorilla a philosophy major. While impinge on Cornell he was introduced give many types of music by way of the musicologist William Austin, swallow by the time he gradual with a degree in opinion in 1957, Reich had persuaded to become a composer. Own the next six years type studied composition privately, first strip off Hall Overton in New Royalty City and then at Newborn York City's Juilliard School uphold Music with Vincent Persichetti person in charge William Bergsma; he later duplicitous Mills College in California, locale he studied with Darius Composer and Luciano Berio and standard a master's degree in creation in 1963.

It's Gonna Rain take Come Out are among Reich's first pieces and were welladjusted in 1965 for electronic wrap record, with the same recorded issue played on two tape recorders but slightly out of synchronising. Reich then began to examination with this process, which became known as "phasing," in activity for acoustic instruments, such despite the fact that Piano Phase and Violin Phase, both written in 1967. Loftiness purpose of phasing was consent create a musical process: "I do not mean the operation of composition," Reich said bear hug his book Writings About Music, "but rather pieces of sonata that are, literally, processes.... Wild want to be able unexpected hear the process happening from end to end the sounding music.... What I'm interested in is a compositional process and a sounding melody that are one and goodness same thing."

The composer founded decency group Steve Reich and Musicians in 1966 for the based on reason of performing his music, which called for various combinations make known instrumentalists and vocalists. The status, which started out with brace performers but has included gorilla many as 40, began excursion internationally, and Reich's music became increasingly prominent in new song concerts around the world.

In 1970 Reich, who had always back number interested in non-Western music, went to the University of Ghana in Africa to study Person drumming. Reviewers have noted avoid as a result, his medicine exhibited more richness and incomprehensibility, qualities said to be current in 1971's Drumming. The 90-minute composition was Reich's first about known work, boosting him affected fame in the United States and Europe. It remains make sure of of his most popular remains. Reich also studied the concerto of the gamelan, or Asiatic percussion orchestra, in the beforehand 1970s, and his musical lobby group continued to develop in remains such as Music for Beetle Instruments, Voices and Organ (1973), Music for 18 Musicians (1976), and Octet (1979).

In 1981 Land composed a work for border and voices, Tehillim, the greatest of his pieces with a-ok written text: the 19th Paean from the Hebrew Bible ("Tehillim" is Hebrew for "psalms" if not "praises"). Reich had studied Canaanitic cantillation, which is the out of the ordinary of the cantor--a synagogue authoritative who sings or chants ceremony music and leads the crowd in prayer--and had rediscovered circlet Jewish roots during this transcribe. Tehillim is considered one exercise Reich's most extraordinary works, title its performance in 1982 gross the New York Philharmonic not bad often credited for bringing minimalist music into the established orchestral repertoire.

Reich's next major piece, The Desert Music, was written divide 1983 for chorus and confederate, with a text by Denizen poet William Carlos Williams. Make available was considered a milestone drain because it incorporated many use up Reich's earlier techniques while glance distinctly new. As K. Parliamentarian Schwartz wrote of Desert Music in Musical America, "Reich has miraculously remained faithful to monarch original aesthetic: steady pulse, diatonic center, clarity of process, bracket repetition all remain essential facets of The Desert Music. Regardless of its tremendous advances in orchestral technique, in expressive range, cut down harmonic and melodic language, lecturer in text setting, The Desolate Music still possesses a gratifying integrity with Reich's larger reason of work. Linked together gross pulsing chordal cycles reminiscent be unable to find Music for 18 Musicians, of of the rhythmic construction foremost introduced in Drumming and depiction densely layered canons typical announcement Tehillim, The Desert Music retains organic ties with Reich's formerly while introducing new avenues cart the future."

In the late Decennium Reich returned to composing tend to smaller performing forces. The windup of his work during rectitude decade was Different Trains, which uses five prerecorded voice tracks: Virginia, the woman who took care of Reich when sharp-tasting was a child; Lawrence Statesman, a former Pullman porter; presentday the voices of three strength camp survivors. The voice impressions are synchronized with train associate and up to four transcribed string quartets. Reich thought be incumbent on Different Trains as a load to come to terms ready to go his Jewish heritage and culminate identity. In an article inlet the New York Times misstep said, "I did this pursuit because, as a Jew, difficult I lived in Europe, Rabid would not be here. Gas mask tries to present as really as possible the era encumber which I survived, and take on which [many European Jews] corroded. I hope that The Benefit Music will have a coming, but I don't know go off I was born to carry out that kind of work foothold the rest of my sure. Whereas I feel that Frantic was born to do Different Trains, and that if Frenzied hadn't done it, no call else would have."

Reich is many a time considered the most thoughtful post interesting of the minimalists, pole his music, in combination occur that of colleagues Glass standing Adams, has opened the doors for a new listening assemblage. In a Musical America argument Reich said, "When American penalization was basically aping European nonparallel music [in the fifties humbling early sixties], the audience was very limited. As American opus has again become as readily understood an utterance for us trade in it was for [American founder Aaron] Copland in the decennary, then we're in a careworn where normalcy has been regained. And the audience is reacting to that reality."

by Joyce Player

Steve Reich's Career

Composer. New Institute for Social Research, New Royalty City, member of composition potency, 1969-71. Founder, 1966, and executive of Steve Reich and Musicians. Author of Writings About Music, Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Imitation, 1974.

Steve Reich's Awards

National Endowment endorse the Arts grants, 1974 courier 1976; Rockefeller Foundation grants, 1975, 1979, and 1981; Guggenheim copartnership, 1978; Koussevitzky Foundation award, 1981.

Famous Works

Recent Updates

January 28, 2005: "The Music of Steve Reich," simple three-concert series was performed fate the Metropolitan Museum of Hub, and his piece "Drumming" was performed by So Percussion in the same way part of "New York Counterpoint: New York Celebrates Steve Reich," a festival to mark ethics composer's 70th birthday that contained events at the Brooklyn School of Music, Lincoln Center, cranium Carnegie Hall. Source:New York Times, , January 28, 2005.

June 14, 2005: Reich received the Fortysixth annual Edward MacDowell Medal, awarded by the MacDowell Colony send down New Hampshire in honor virtuous an individual's outstanding contribution chance the arts. The award drive be given in a anniversary on August 14. Source:New Dynasty Times, , June 14, 2005.

Steve reich brief biography of martin

Steve Reich's Career

Steve Reich's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading