Talk:Steve Reich

Oh Dem Watermelons

Is the music from Oh Dem Watermelons definitely phasing? I've never heard it, but I was under the impression that it wasn't. As far as I can make out, it's a close vocal canon which has many of the same effects as the phasing tape pieces (recognisable words being reduced to a series of abstract sounds), but it doesn't actually phase. Though I could be wrong. --Camembert

No, it isn't a phase work. I don't know about its production, but it sounds strongly like it still is a tape-cut-and-splice style work, though. You are quite right though with its canonic nature, however. Dysprosia 12:37, 13 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Thanks - I guess the article needs a little fiddling with. Has a recording of it been released, by the way? I need to track it down if so... --Camembert

I don't know. I can't remember where I heard it, it was a while ago... Sorry :/ Dysprosia 12:57, 13 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Ah well - thanks anyway. --Camembert

Glad to be of some help, at least :) Dysprosia 13:03, 13 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Pronunciation

How do you pronounce "Reich" -- is it (1) [raItS], (2) [reIk] or (3) something else?
valter 07:36, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I've heard both reissh and reikh (as in loch). I think the latter is more correct. Dysprosia 08:33, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

He pronounces it: reissh. Jimaltieri 07:19, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I've pronounced it Rike for decades and just recently heard an NPR person pronounce it Rishe (the e is to make the i long). It looks like a German name to me. The English language has no sound equivalent to the German "ch".TheScotch 08:12, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

Influence

I think the statement that Reich influenced King Crimson is a subjective statement. I've read where Robert Fripp claims that he had never even heard any of Reich's music prior to KC's eighties trilogy. He goes on to say that both Crimson's music and Reich's were influenced by the Javanese Gamelians(I know that's spelled wrong)207.157.121.50 22:17, 15 October 2005 (UTC)mightyafrowhitey

The Guardian

An article in today's Guardian (http://technology.guardian.co.uk/opinion/story/0,16541,1599325,00.html) has a comment on this entry from Mike Barne of serious new-music magazine The Wire (http://www.thewire.co.uk/about/about.php). Anyone willing to contact him to have him help out? I'm new to all this, and hardly qualified -- don't know how to edit very well myself! 70.80.27.104 01:37, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

We may formulate a response, please see: Wikipedia:Village_pump_(news)#Guardian_article. --bodnotbod 22:24, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

To do

1. Not yet mentioned: Sextet, Octet, Music for a Large Ensemble, probably others.
2. The various "counterpoint" pieces - I finally found a recording of Vermont Counterpoint for flute recently (it has also been set for marimba, as Tokyo/Vermont Counterpoint). I know there's also New York Counterpoint, for clarinet.
3. Some mention of the fact that Reich's work is now entering the repertoire - it's not just Reich who is recording his own works these days.

I saw Reich in concert about twenty years ago, and he gave a talk beforehand. He was enthusiastic about Junior Walker's Shotgun as an early influence - I think because it had a simple bassline which repeated without variation throughout the whole song. He was very dismissive of his work being described as "minimalism", saying there was a trend to name musical developments after contemporary schools of painting and he didn't think the word applied to his music. I've got the programme somewhere, I'll try to find it.

Critical review in the Guardian

A critical review of this article was published in The Guardian (see this external link Can you trust Wikipedia Monday October 24, 2005). The comments can be use as feedback to help to improve the article.

Overall mark: 7/10 by Mike Barnes (interviews Steve Reich in the current edition of Wire.)

--Philip Baird Shearer 09:57, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Here's a start on the points mentioned. Hyacinth 09:17, 15 December 2005 (UTC)

• Was Steve Reich friends with Sol Lewitt and Richard Serra? Do their articles reference him back?
• Discussion of major compositions beside Four Organs.

I attended a recent interview with Reich, in which he mentioned his early art friends & associates with Richard Serra being amoungst them. - John

Sparks

Hi all. I'm doing some work on the Sparks article and while coming up with something on their lyrical style, which on recent albums, Lil Beethoven and Hello Young Lovers, uses repeating lyrical motifs which struck me as being, more than likely, influenced by Reich but I haven't come across any references to this in my research. If anybody has anything on this possible link it would be a great help if you could drop a line on the talk page. Regards KaptKos 09:49, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

Visit to Ghana

I seem to recall reading somewhere that he planned to spend a year in Ghana (having won a Fulbright to do so) but had to return after a few weeks because of contracting malaria. Any confirmation anywhere? Wspencer11 13:28, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

Impact of Stravinsky

Shouldn't there be a note somewhere about how he reacted when he first heard Stravinsky's Rite of Spring? I know I read somewhere that he has said it was crucial to his development as a musician. Wspencer11 13:38, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

Clarification?

This sentence in the article needs clarification: "Human voices are part of the musical pallette in Music for a Large Ensemble but the voices carry no meaning." Does this mean the voices sing using abstract vowel sounds or something like that? Or that they use nonsense words? Or that there are real words but they are used in an abstract way? --Wspencer11 (talk to me...) 13:33, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

They go "...boobooboo..." and "...weeweewee..." and sounds like that. Maybe a short audio clip is in order? —Keenan Pepper 16:13, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

Infobox

Per Wikipedia:WikiProject_Composers#Lead_section and WP:WPO#Infoboxes, consensus exists not to include an infobox opera/composer pages such as this one, unless a contrary consensus exists with respect to the individual article. No such contrary consensus exists here. Fireplace 21:48, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

On the contrary, there has been consensus here to have the infobox since it was first added, in December 2006, and you have not demonstrated any consensus here to remove it. Andy Mabbett 23:05, 12 May 2007 (UTC)