Steve Reich applied lessons learned from studying West African drumming at the University of Ghana to his work "Drumming."
Compositional Technique
In "Different Trains," Steve Reich used recorded speech to create melodic lines, stemming from his childhood train journeys and the reflection that his fate as a Jew in 1940s Europe would have been different.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Steve Reich's music is described as dealing with the profound secrets of how music comes into being, making listeners actively aware of their own listening experience.
Composition History
Steve Reich's early tape piece, "It's Gonna Rain," was inspired by a happy accident in 1965 when two identical tapes of a preacher's voice went out of phase.
Cultural Impact
Steve Reich's influence extends beyond classical composition to jazz, rock, pop, electronic music, and hip-hop, with his patterns often heard in commercials and dance clubs.
Composer Biography
Steve Reich's parents separated when he was a baby, and he spent much of his childhood riding trains between New York and Los Angeles, which he later said helped shape his rhythmic sense.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Steve Reich found a rigorous solution to restore stable harmony and a steady pulse in contemporary music, doing so in a modern way that was not nostalgic.
