Steve Reich
American composer and pioneer of minimal music.
Steve Reich is an American composer, born in New York City in 1936 to Jewish parents. His early life was divided between New York and California following his parents’ divorce. After studying drums to play jazz, he earned a degree in philosophy from Cornell University, writing his thesis on Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose texts he would later set to music. He studied composition privately with Hall Overton, then at Juilliard with William Bergsma and Vincent Persichetti, and later at Mills College with Luciano Berio and Darius Milhaud. At the San Francisco Tape Music Center, he worked alongside Pauline Oliveros, Morton Subotnick, and Terry Riley, and was involved in the premiere of Riley’s *In C*, for which he suggested the eighth-note pulse now standard in performances.
Reich is best known as a pioneer of minimal music from the mid-to-late 1960s. His work is characterized by repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. He described his approach in the essay “Music as a Gradual Process,” stating that he is interested in perceptible processes that can be heard unfolding throughout the music. Early works experimented with phase shifting, where repeated phrases play at slightly different speeds, creating new patterns. His innovations include using tape loops for phasing, as in *It’s Gonna Rain* (1965) and *Come Out* (1966). *It’s Gonna Rain* uses a recorded sermon fragment, while *Come Out* manipulates a spoken line from one of the falsely accused Harlem Six. Later works like *Pendulum Music* (1968) and *Four Organs* (1970) employ simple, audible processes. Landmark pieces such as *Drumming* (1971) and *Music for 18 Musicians* (1976) helped entrench minimalism as a movement and influenced experimental music, rock, and electronic music. In the 1980s, his work took on a darker character, introducing historical themes and his Jewish heritage, notably in *Different Trains* (1988). Critic Andrew Clements has suggested Reich is among a handful of living composers who have altered the direction of musical history.
- field
- Composer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Pioneer of minimal music, phase shifting, tape loop compositions
Verified Timeline
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1936-10-03
- Birth Place
- New York City, New York, U.S.
- Era
- Contemporary
- Notable Works
- Piano Phase / Clapping Music / Drumming / Music for 18 Musicians / Different Trains / Three Tales / WTC 9/11
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Stephen Michael Reich, born October 3, 1936, is an American composer recognized as a pioneer of minimal music from the mid to late 1960s. His compositions are defined by repetitive figures, a slow harmonic rhythm, and the use of canons. Reich’s own essay “Music as a Gradual Process” articulates his interest in perceptible processes, aiming for the listener to hear the process unfold throughout the sounding music. A key early technique was phase shifting, where one or more repeated phrases plays at a slightly different speed from others, causing them to drift out of sync and generate new musical patterns in a perceptible flow. His innovations began with tape loops to create phasing patterns, as heard in *It’s Gonna Rain* (1965) and *Come Out* (1966), and extended to simple, audible processes in works like *Pendulum Music* (1968) and *Four Organs* (1970). Landmark pieces such as *Drumming* (1971) and *Music for 18 Musicians* (1976) are considered cornerstones of minimalism and have deeply influenced experimental music, rock, and contemporary electronic music. In the 1980s, Reich’s work adopted a darker character, incorporating historical themes and elements of his Jewish heritage, notably in *Different Trains* (1988). His compositional style has shaped many contemporary composers and groups, particularly in the United States and Great Britain. Critic Andrew Clements has described Reich as one of a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history.
Reader's Guide
Reich's significance lies in his development of minimal music through perceptible processes, such as phase shifting, where repeated phrases gradually move out of sync. Pieces such as Drumming and Music for 18 Musicians helped entrench minimalism as a movement and influenced experimental music, rock, and contemporary electronic music. The Colin Currie Group specializes in performing and recording Reich's music, and in 2014, the Southbank Centre presented Metal Wood Skin, a percussion festival dedicated to Currie, which included the world premiere of Reich's Quartet for two vibraphones and two pianos. Currie and members of the Colin Currie Group have also performed works by Reich at festivals like The Rest is Noise in autumn 2013, where their performance was praised by The Guardian. Currie's recording of Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, though Reich's own works remain a core focus of Currie's ensemble.
Did You Know?
- Colin Currie founded the Colin Currie Group specifically to specialize in performing and recording the music of Steve Reich.
- The world premiere of Reich's Quartet for two vibraphones and two pianos took place at the Southbank Centre in 2014 as part of the Metal Wood Skin percussion festival dedicated to Currie.
- Currie and members of the Colin Currie Group performed works by Reich at the Southbank Centre's 2013 festival The Rest is Noise, which The Guardian praised as 'technically impeccable and musically overwhelming'.
- Currie has made 14 appearances at the BBC Proms, his first in 2000 performing Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, aged 22.
Frequently Asked Questions
What techniques is Steve Reich most associated with?
He is best known for his use of tape loops to create phasing patterns, layered canons, and slowly shifting harmonic progressions built from short repeating figures.
What is Steve Reich's core compositional philosophy?
Reich articulated his approach in his essay 'Music as a Gradual Process,' emphasizing that music should unfold through small, audible changes rather than sudden dramatic shifts.
Why is Steve Reich important to music history?
His phase-shifting and repetitive structures opened new pathways for experimental composition and left a lasting imprint on rock, electronic, and contemporary classical music.
What genre or field does Steve Reich belong to?
He is an American composer working primarily in the realm of minimalism, though his influence stretches well beyond the classical concert hall into popular and electronic genres.
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