Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In the mid-1960s, Steve Reich radically renewed the musical landscape with a back-to-basics sound that came to be called Minimalism. These early works, characterized by a relentless pulse and static harmony, focused single-mindedly on the process of gradual rhythmic change. Throughout his career, Reich has continued to reinvigorate the music world, drawing from a wide array of classical, popular, sacred, and non-western idioms. His works reflect the steady evolution of an original musical mind. Writings on Music documents the creative journey of this thoughtful, groundbreaking composer. These 64 short pieces include Reich's 1968 essay "Music as a Gradual Process," widely considered one of the most influential pieces of music theory in the second half of the 20th century. Subsequent essays, articles, and interviews treat Reich's early work with tape and phase shifting, showing its development into more recent work with speech melody and instrumental music. Other essays recount his exposure to non-western music -- African drumming, Balinese gamelan, Hebrew cantillation -- and the influence of these musics as structures and not as sounds. The writings include Reich's reactions to and appreciations of the works of his contemporaries (John Cage, Luciano Berio, Morton Feldman, Gyorgy Ligeti) and older influences (Kurt Weill, Schoenberg). Each major work of the composer's career is also explored through notes written for performances and recordings. Paul Hillier, himself a respected figure in the early music and new music worlds, has revisited these texts, working with the author to clarify their central narrative: the aesthetic and intellectual development of an influential composer. For long-time listeners and young musicians recently introduced to his work, this book provides an opportunity to get to know Reich's music in greater depth and perspective.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Writings on Music
• Author's Preface (p. vii)
• Editor's Preface (p. xi)
• Introduction (p. 3)
• 1 Early Works (1965-68) (p. 19)
• 2a Excerpts from an Interview in Art Forum (p. 33)
• 2b Music as a Gradual Process (1968) (p. 34)
• 3 Wavelength by Michael Snow (1968) (p. 36)
• 4 The Phase Shifting Pulse Gate-four Organs-phase Patterns-an End to Electronics (1968-70) (p. 38)
• 5 Some Optimistic Predictions (1970) About the Future of Music (p. 51)
• 6 First Interview with Michael Nyman (1970) (p. 52)
• 7 Gahu-a Dance of the Ewe Tribe in Ghana (1971) (p. 55)
• 8 Drumming (1971) (p. 63)
• 9 Clapping Music (1972) (p. 68)
• 10 Postscript to a Brief Study of Balinese and African Music (1973) (p. 69)
• 11 Notes on Music and Dance (1973) (p. 71)
• 12 Six Pianos (1973) (p. 73)
• 13 Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ (1973) (p. 77)
• 15 Steve Reich and Musicans (1973) (p. 78)
• 16 Music and Performance (1969-74; 1993) (p. 81)
• 17a Videotape and a Composer (1968) (p. 82)
• 17b Dachau, 1974 by Beryl Korot (p. 85)
• 18 Music for 18 Musicians (1976) (p. 87)
• 19 Second Interview with Michael Nyman (1976) (p. 91)
• 20 Music for a Large Ensemble (1978) (p. 97)
• 21 Octet (1979) (p. 98)
• 22 Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards (1979) (p. 99)
• 23 Tehillim (1981) (p. 100)
• 24 Hebrew Cantillation as an Influence on Composition (1982) (p. 105)
• 25 Vermont Counterpoint (1982) (p. 119)
• 26 Eight Lines (1983) (p. 119)
• 27 The Desert Music (1984) (p. 120)
• 28 The Desert Music-steve Reich in Conversation with Jonathan Cott (1984) (p. 127)
• 29 Sextet (1985) (p. 131)
• 30 New York Counterpoint (1985) (p. 135)
• 31 Three Movements (1986) (p. 136)
• 33 Tenney (1986) (p. 137)
• 34 Texture-space-survival (1987) (p. 139)
• 35 The Four Sections (1987) (p. 144)
• 36 Electric Counterpoint (1987) (p. 145)
• 37 Non-Western Music and the Western Composer (1988) (p. 147)
• 38 Different Trains (1988) (p. 151)
• 39 Chamber Music-an Expanded View (1989) (p. 156)
• 40 Questionnaire (1989) (p. 158)
• 41 On the Size and Seating of an Orchestra (1990) (p. 162)
• 42 Aaron Copland (1990) (p. 164)
• 43 John Cage (1992) (p. 165)
• 44 Kurt Weill, the Orchestra, and Vocal Style-an Interview with K. Robert Schwarz (1992) (p. 166)
• 45 The Cave (p. 168)
• 46 Jonathan Cott Interviews Beryl Korot and Steve Reich on the Cave (1993) (p. 171)
• 47 Thoughts About the Madness in Abraham's Cave (1994) Steve Reich and Beryl Korot (p. 178)
• 48 Answers to Questions About Different Trains (1994) (p. 180)
• 49 Duet (1994) (p. 183)
• 50 Nagoya Marimbas (1994) (p. 184)
• 51 The Future of Music for the Next 150 Years (1994) (p. 184)
• 52 Beautiful /ugly (1994) (p. 185)
• 53 Schönberg (1995) (p. 186)
• 54 City Life (1995) (p. 187)
• 55 Proverb (1995) (p. 191)
• 56 Music and Language (1996) (p. 193)
• 57 Feldman (1997) (p. 202)
• 58 Berio (1997) (p. 203)
• 59 Three Tales (1998-2002) Steve Reich and Beryl Korot (p. 204)
• 60 Triple Quartet (1999) (p. 208)
• 61 Know What is Above You (1999) (p. 211)
• 62 Two Questions About Opera (1999) (p. 211)
• 63 Ligeti (2000) (p. 212)
• 64 De Keersmaeker, Kylian, and European Dance (2000) (p. 213)
• 65 Steve Reich in Conversation with Paul Hillier (2000) (p. 216)
• Text Credits (p. 242)
• Bibliography (p. 243)
• Index (p. 247)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Like many acclaimed artists, composer Reich is a virtual unknown outside of devotees of avant-garde or experimental music ( la John Cage minimalism). This book is a collection of his writings about this specialized area of music, made by and for music academics and "serious" artists. Reading about sounds is always a dry experience, but these 64 short pieces (some only a paragraph) may be essentially indecipherable for those without an academic musical background, owing to the heavy use of music terminology despite Reich's generally conversational tone. The pieces, including Reich's best-known "Music as a Gradual Process," are primarily concerned with Reich's own compositions and reflect his changing preoccupations through time: tape loops and phasing in the Sixties, African drumming in the early Seventies, and so on. In fact, this book might have been better titled Thoughts on Music, as most of the writing comes across as extemporaneous rather than studied and includes a number of interviews, which one is hardpressed to describe as "writings." Recommended for academic libraries or specialized collections only. David Valencia, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Seattle (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.