Music for 18 Musicians

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Music for 18 Musicians
Music album Template: Infobox music album / maintenance / no artby Steve Reich (composer)
Cover

Publication
(s)

since 1978

admission

April 24, 1976 (world premiere)

Label (s) ECM

Format (s)

LP, CD, mp3

Genre (s)

Minimal music , post-minimalism, new music

Title (number)

14th

running time

56:31 (original)

occupation at least 18 instrumentalists

production

Manfred Eichner

Music for 18 Musicians (also shortened to 18! ) Is a modular notation for 18 musicians by the American composer Steve Reich , which he wrote between May 1974 and March 1976. The world premiere took place on April 24, 1976 at The Town Hall in New York City . The European premiere took place at the Metamusik Festival, Berlin in October 1976. It is estimated that over 100,000 records were sold from the first release by ECM Records.

Introduction to composition

General classification

Music for 18 Musicians is considered to be a "major work" of Minimal Music (American Minimalism), which, thanks to its wealth of colors, has an enormous impact. The impact on the new music scene was estimated to be immediate and overwhelming.

The composition is assigned to minimal music, more specifically referred to as a representative of post-minimalist music . The terms "new music" or "avant-garde" are also often used. The composer Steve Reich himself positioned himself against categorization in comments and interviews (Steve Reich: I am interested in doing what really interests me, and that is constantly changing.). From Reich's point of view, the minimalist impression is created by the slowing down of the harmonic rhythm. Some authors prefer the (temporary) classification as 'contemporary music'.

Music for 18 Musicians is also considered to be a trend-setting work for the composer himself: In his two shorter but no less electrifying compositions "Music for a Large Ensemble" and "Octet", Reich continued on the path he had taken, while in "Tehillim" he for the first time musically addressed his Jewish origins for voices and ensemble. In terms of composition, it is somewhat reminiscent of Philip Glass ' "Music in Twelve Parts" (1971–1974) and more distantly the much older " In C " (1964) by Terry Riley . Alex Ross also notes parallels to Morton Feldmann's "Rothko Chapel" (1971).

Factory introduction

The piece is Reich's first work for a larger ensemble. With strings, woodwinds and pianos, supplemented by voices, Reich created a finely coordinated minimalist orchestra. With Music for 18 Musicians, Reich was able to differentiate the phasing process and transfer it to an ensemble: By using several instruments, Steve Reich achieved a highly complex grid of a wide variety of rhythmic structures. The modular structure without a tonal center is a pulsating process music.

The composition consists of a cycle of eleven chords that address the listener with repetitive, iridescent rhythmic patterns that almost burst with nervous activity. The colorful phase shift of individual chord sequences, of high density and complexity, the technique of which the composer gained from studies of psycho-acoustic experiments and influences of complex rhythms from Africa or Bali, the hypnotic time stretching effects, canon technique, superimposing of several musical levels to create a new form of polyphony , characterize the work.

Some sections of the piece have an ABCDCBA arcade structure or in the form of a musical process, such as replacing pauses with beats, that works itself out from start to finish. Steve Reich found that this one work had more harmonic movements in the first five minutes than any other work he had written before. This assessment is based on the principle of polymodality without a tonal center, which can be seen in the tradition of Bartók and Stravinsky . However, the use of canon technique is also an indication of references to the traditions of music of the Middle Ages .

Structure and structure of the composition

Arrangement of instrumentation by Music for 18 Musicians (for London Sinfonietta, Royal Festival Hall, London, April 28, 2008)
Sketch of the arrangement of the instrumentation of Music for 18 Musicians after Steve Reich

General

The performance of the composition takes about an hour. It resembles a rhythmically pulsating, minimalist, constantly changing, kaleidoscopic sound cosmos of harmonies, which seems difficult to assign to a previously existing musical direction. It was often reported that the first listeners asked themselves: What was that?

The US music journalist Robert Christgau described this independence as a "mathematically fading facsimile of the eternal return". The tension between repetition, which is considered to be the main characteristic of “minimalism”, and the formation of variants, which most strongly characterize the structural level of Music for 18 Musicians, is central to the assessment of the work.

The opening cycle with eleven chords for 18 musicians is a kind of pulsating chant for the entire piece. The structure of the Music for 18 Musicians is based on a cycle of eleven chords that are played at the beginning of the piece and repeated at the end. Each chord is held for two breaths, and the next chord is gradually introduced, and so on, until all eleven are played and the ensemble returns to the first chord. The first pulsating chord is then held by two pianos and two marimbas. While this pulsating chord is held for about five minutes, a small piece is built on it. When this piece is completed, the second chord suddenly changes and a second small piece or section is constructed. This means that every chord that took fifteen or twenty seconds in the opening section is stretched out as the basic pulsating melody for a five-minute piece.

A prominent factor in this work is the expansion of the harmonies and melodies and the way they continue to develop this piece. Another important factor is the use of the human breath, expressed in the clarinets and voices. The "breath" helps to structure the piece and to give impulses through crescendo and decrescendo . The player plays the pulsating note for as long as he can hold it as each chord is melodically deconstructed by the ensemble, along with the elevation of the held notes. The metallophone (purely acoustic vibraphone) is used to prompt the ensemble to change patterns or sections. In concrete terms: firstly, the metallophone announces the transition from one section to the other, secondly, it marks the formal processes within the sections, and thirdly, through its rhythmic shape, it indicates which part is coming to an end.

According to Reich, the sections of the Music for 18 Musicians are based on the cycle of chords heard at the beginning, so that the entire work creates a sequence of short pieces that resemble a harmonic expansion and explosion of this cyclical pattern, resulting in a labyrinthine experience . The best way to understand the relationship between the different sections is to look at similarities between family members. Certain traits are shared, but others are unique.

Sound organization

Music for 18 Musicians “ pulsates ” from beginning to end. Leigh describes the sound organization of Music for 18 Musicians in three dimensions according to the principle of stratification: pulses as a measure of time, organization in patterns and processes. A pattern is a series of notes that do not change in their pitch or duration, like a texture. A process is characterized by moments of development.

Rhythmically, two different types of time are used that occur simultaneously. The first is that of a regular rhythmic pulse in the pianos and percussion instruments that continues throughout the piece. The second is the rhythm of the human breath in the voices and wind instruments. The breath is the measure of the duration of their pulsation. This combination of breath after breath, which gradually build up like waves against the constant rhythm of the pianos and percussion instruments.

Harmony

The harmony in Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is based on the diatonic scale ah-cis-de-fis-gis. In addition to these main tones, the tones g and dis also sound.

instrumentation

The composition was written for 18 musicians without virtuosos and all instruments play in a pitch that is comfortable for them. The original instrumentation was: violin, cello, two clarinets (clarinet and bass clarinet), four pianists, four female voices, three marimbas, two xylophones and a metallophone (purely acoustic vibraphone). The instrumentation is designed so that the instruments are mostly used in duplicate. Steve Reich noted that although the work is called Music for 18 Musicians, it does not necessarily need to be performed by so few instrumentalists as the work requires extensive duplication of the notes in the score. 18 is just the minimum number of instrumentalists.

Since the individual sections are strung together seamlessly, the performance represents a kind of marathon for the performers due to the extensive doubling of the tones and the exhaustion of the breathing power for voices and wind instruments. The instrumentation is designed so that the instruments for the most part in Doubling can be used.

structure

Due to the seamless composition (the lack of contrasting sentences and the fading of the modules) one could speak of a one-movement work. Above all, the length speaks for a symphonic dimension. In fact, it is a modular work that is vaguely reminiscent of musical variations of a theme, and a purposeful formal structure: The structure of the work has a short introduction (pulse), a long, varying main part divided into sections and a finale (pulse), reminiscent of a reverberation reverberation. According to the principle of “subtraction”, the instruments are actually faded out one after the other at the end of the work. In the main part there is a circle of eleven chords with sections lasting two to seven minutes. The sections sound sometimes lighter, sometimes darker, which the critic Alex Ross compared with changes in the weather, which he found in Section IX to be sharp, almost expressionistic. The introductory pulse and the final pulse form a mirror-image frame for the cycle, creating the impression of a circular movement. The end of the work seems to translate the dynamic of the sections into a deceleration in which the chords sound like purified air. However, in the transition from section V to section VI, the middle of the structure, there is an unexpected change from D to C sharp, which disruptively changes the soundscape.

The modules (sections) are:

  1. Pulse (intro)
  2. Section I.
  3. Section II
  4. Section IIIA
  5. Section IIIB
  6. Section IV
  7. Section V
  8. Section VI
  9. Section VII
  10. Section VIII
  11. Section IX
  12. Section X
  13. Section XI
  14. Pulse (outro).

The modules are numbered with bar numbers that regulate the chronological order for the entire ensemble.

Sound generation

Although the composition is generated acoustically, the chromatic use of the instruments and, above all, the voices contribute to the fact that the listener can perceive the composition as being electronically generated. The use of electronics is limited to microphones for voices and some instruments.

Reception of the work

The work is considered to be one of the key works of new music, the accessibility of which has often been highlighted in contrast to other contemporary compositions. As a prototype of American Minimalism, for some authors it stands in contrast to the sometimes sterile or academic tradition of Donaueschingen or the Darmstadt School ( Darmstadt Summer Courses ).

AllMusic's Blair Sanderson commented, "The beauty of its pulsing harmonies with added notes and the sustained power and precision of the performance were the standout features of the music; and instead of the sterile, electronic sound normally associated with minimalism, it was the warm response a welcome change in music ... which put him ahead of his competition by giving his music more interest and adaptability. "

Jessie Rothwell commented on Classicalmpr.org of a physical experience by writing: “It can have a bodily effect. I emerged from the theater feeling like I was in a dream-state. It wasn't even that I felt 'relaxed' exactly; I felt like the music had physically entered my body and had hammered everything into stillness. " ("It can have a physical effect. I came out of the theater and felt like I was in a dream state. It wasn't even that I felt exactly relaxed. I felt like the music had physically entered my body and had driven everything into silence. "). In the opening he commented: "Still a near-religious experience." ("A religious experience.")

Alex Ross also described the physical effect of the composition: The supposed standstill of the sounds leads to concentration on insignificant details, in which "the tiniest changes develop earthquake-like force, so that a mere semitone step down in the bass sends a cold chill down your spine." Ross analyzed: "In the masterpiece music for 18 musicians from 1976 pulsating rhythm is balanced by a comparatively refined drama of harmony. The piece is almost symphonic in its narrative arc and goes from light to dark and back to light again. It is based on a cycle of eleven chords, each governing a section two or seven minutes in length. Early on, bass instruments emphasize a low D, which gives the feeling that this is the tonal center and root of the work. But in section V, bass clarinets and clarinets lower that Bottom from D to C sharp - a decisive change in the physical space of the music. The harmony sinks towards C sharp minor, and rugged six figures dig in. A similar change in weather darkens section IX, which is almost expressionistic in its piercing intensity. Only at the end do D and A major chords light up the air. "

David Bowie included Music for 18 Musicians in his list of 25 favorite albums in 2003 and named it " Balinese gamelan music cross-dressing as minimalism." Reich referred to the Balinese gamelan in his compositional introduction .

Music for 18 Musicians experienced numerous extracting, deconstructing reconstructions by contemporary artists of the electronic scene (e.g. by Matt Black and Jonathan More from Coldcut ) up to and including jazz interpretations that are significantly shorter than the original composition.

Regarding the accessibility of the work, it was also noted that listeners, who otherwise rarely attend concerts with classical or new music, can easily get involved with this composition. Music for 18 Musicians is therefore probably one of the most frequently performed compositions of the 20th century today.

Notes from the composer

Steve Reich (2006)

"Music for 18 Musicians is about 55 minutes long (...) Although its steady pulse and rhythmic energy are related to a lot of my previous work, its instrumentation, structure and harmony are new (...) All instruments are acoustic ( ...) In the first five minutes of the music for 18 musicians there are more harmonic movements than in any other of my previous complete works (...) Although the movement from chord to chord is often only a change of tune, an inversion or a relative minor or major change of a previous chord, the harmonic movement within these boundaries plays a more important role in this piece than in any other I've written. "

- Steve Reich (1976)

The complete factory introduction is available from Ictus .

The handwritten score Reich prior to publication read: " Music for 21 Musicians and Singers".

Awards

In 1999 Reich received his second Grammy for the composition " Music for 18 Musicians " .

Recordings

There are now a lot of recordings of the composition, from different ensemble sizes - from the original 18 instrumentalists to small orchestras.

First recording

The first phonogram release is from the world premiere on April 24th, 1976 at The Town Hall in New York City :

  • Steve Reich and Musicians: Music for 18 Musicians (ECM New Series) (vinyl LP; released April 1, 1978) (Duration: 56:30)

The instrumentalists were:

  • Shem Guibbory (violin)
  • Ken Ishii (cello)
  • Elizabeth Arnold (voice)
  • Rebecca Armstrong (voice)
  • Pamela Fraley (voice)
  • Nurit Tilles (piano)
  • Steve Chambers (piano)
  • Larry Karush (piano, maracas)
  • Gary Schall (marimba, maracas)
  • Bob Becker (marimba, xylophone)
  • Russ Hartenberger (marimba, xylophone)
  • Glen Velez (marimba, xylophone)
  • James Preiss (metallophone, piano)
  • Steve Reich (piano, marimba)
  • David Van Tieghem (marimba, xylophone, piano)
  • Virgil Blackwell (clarinet, bass clarinet)
  • Richard Cohen (clarinet, bass clarinet)
  • Jay Clayton (voice, piano)

The sound engineer was Klaus Hiemann.

Selection of follow-up recordings

  • Steve Reich and Musicians: Music for 18 Musicians , 1998, Nonesuch (reference recording , so-called " Nonesuch version ", awarded the Grammy Award 1998) (Duration: 61:09)
  • Ensemble Modern : Music for 18 Musicians , 1999, RCA
  • Grand Valley State University (GVSU) New Music Ensemble with Bill Ryan: Music for 18 Musicians , 2007, Innova Recordings
  • Ensemble Signal with Brad Lubman: Music for 18 Musicians , 2015, harmonia mundi (awarded the Diapason d'or)

Interpretations (selection)

  • Rough Fields: Music for 18 Musicians , (Rough Fields Overdubbed Version) (2014)
  • Coldcut: Music for 18 Musicians , (Remixed) (2014) (Duration: 6:08)
  • Brad Mehldau and Kevin Hays : Music for 18 Musicians , (Jazz-Improvisation) (2011) (Duration: 5:17)

Web links with audio examples

literature

  • John Leigh: Research on Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. Dissertation, TU Berlin, Berlin 2010 tu-berlin.de (PDF).
  • Steve Reich: Writings about Music, Halifax 1974
  • Steve Reich: Writings on Music, New York 2002

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k Steve Reich: On Music for 18 Musicians . In: Boosey & Hawkes (Ed.): Description of the composer's work . Boosey & Hawkes, New York 1976.
  2. a b c d e f g h Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise . 2nd Edition. Piper Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-492-05301-3 , pp. 557 f .
  3. a b Seth Colter Walls: Steve Reich - The ECM Recordings. Pitchfork, October 1, 2016, accessed November 1, 2019 .
  4. ^ A b Blair Sanderson: Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians [1978]. AllMusic, accessed December 1, 2019 .
  5. Steve Reich: Second Interview with Michael Nyman (1976) . In: Steve Reich and Paul Hillie (eds.): Writings on Music 1965–2000 (2004) . Oxford Scholarship, La Rochelle 1976, ISBN 978-0-19-515115-2 .
  6. ^ Steve Reich: Writings on Music . Steve Reich: Writings on Music, New York 2002, pp. 161 .
  7. Thomas Schulz: Steve Reich on CD. BR Klassik, September 30, 2016, accessed December 1, 2019 .
  8. a b c d Tom Service: A guide to Steve Reich's music. In: The Guardian . October 22, 2012, accessed December 1, 2019 .
  9. John Leigh: Investigations into Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 127 f .
  10. Volker Hagedorn: One at the open window. In: https://www.zeit.de/ . Die Zeit, No. 41/2016, October 3, 2016, accessed on November 4, 2019 .
  11. John Leigh: Investigations into Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 10 .
  12. ^ A b c John Leigh: Studies on Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 3 .
  13. John Leigh: Investigations into Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 4 .
  14. John Leigh: Investigations into Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 112 .
  15. ^ A b c John Leigh: Studies on Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 1 .
  16. ^ Rebecca Y. Kim and Steve Reich, From New York to Vermont: Conversation with Steve Reich. In: https://www.stevereich.com/ . 2000, accessed December 4, 2019 .
  17. ^ A b c Jessie Rothwell: Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians: Still a near-religious experience. In: https://www.classicalmpr.org/ . September 10, 2014, accessed December 4, 2019 .
  18. John Leigh: Investigations into Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 208 .
  19. John Leigh: Investigations into Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . Berlin 2010, p. 209 .
  20. John Leigh: Investigations into Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians . In: TU Berlin (Ed.): Dissertation . 2010, p. 25 .
  21. a b E-Werk Freiburg e. V .: Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians. In: http://ewerk-freiburg.de/ . E-Werk Freiburg e. V., 2019, accessed December 4, 2019 .
  22. Alex Ross: Steve Reich. In: https://www.stevereich.com/ . Steve Reich, 2006, accessed December 9, 2019 .
  23. Steve Reich: On Music for 18 Musicians (Liner Notes): boosey.com
  24. Jonathan Hepfer: Steve Reich. In: www.kaleidoscope.media/. Kaleidoscope, July 26, 2019, accessed December 9, 2019 .