8/12/2019 Homework 7 Listening

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James Canepa

TH551 Music Since 1950

March 24, 2014

Homework 7 Listening

Philip Glass:Einstein On The Beach (1975)

Einstein On The Beachis a notoriously long opera by the minimalist composer, hilip !lass"

There is no clear story or narrati#e to piece, e$cept associations !lass ma%e to s&etches by his

theatrical pro%ucer, 'obert (ilson")t is not a piece o* music that one can *ollo+ +ithout losing their attention or train o* thought,

nor is it meant to be a piece +here you *ollo+ it completely" s the piece goes, your ear easily

recogni-es that it is in a repetiti#e state, an% you can thin& o* something else because the music is notsaying anything asi%e *rom its repetitions" .nly +hen there are changes, +hether a big change or a

minor one, your ear can pic& up that mo%i*ication an% in*orm you o* the change, bringing you bac& to

reality" This is the un%erlying concept o* Minimalism" The smallest change can be #ery pro*oun% a*ter

really long repetitions"The piece is about 4"5/5 hours long, ouTube #i%eos ha#e it at about 2"5 hours, ) ma%e it

through about 1"5 hours" )t has enoyable moments" or me, ) *in% the opening o* the opera *a#orable3

the slo+ bass line, slo+ harmony in the #oices that count uic&ly, the narrators spea&ing short phraseso#er each other" The counterpoint is most apparent at its most barren moments" These %ainty te$tures

ser#e to tic&le my pre*erences more thoroughly"

Steve Reich:Music for 18 Musicians (197!197")

The %i**erentPulsesin the piece are base% aroun% %i**erent harmonies that come *ull circle to

the beginningPulse. reath is important to the piece, *rom the #oice to the clarinets an% bass clarinets"They are inten%e% to play as long as they ha#e air in their lungs be*ore beginning the ne$t phrase o*

pulses" The *orm o* some o* the songs built aroun% the harmony are in a *orm, C6C, curiously,

in the same manner as the pulses rise an% *all"There is a cerebral uality to this piece in that it is #oi% o* changes the hilip !lass is" More me%itati#e

in that +ay3 you can become more lost in it"

)t is another long piece" Though i* it +ere programme% at a concert, ) +oul% go to see it playe%,) +oul% be sure to mentally, emotionally an% physically prepare *or it"

Steve Reich:Different Trains (19##)

This piece is *or string uartet an% tape, +ritten *or the 7ronos 8uartet" The tape #oices a%%s a

narrati#e to the piece that %ra+s your attention to it" )t is more %i**icult to lose your *ocus on the piece

because the changes in the uartet an% tape narration al+ays grabs your *ocus to+ar% it" The *orm is in parts:America before the War, ;uropeDuring the War, an% After the War"

'eich