Steve Reich and Musicians

Steve Reich and Musicians, sometimes

credited as the Steve Reich Ensemble, is a
musical ensemble founded and led by the
American composer Steve Reich (born
1936).[1][2] The group has premiered and
performed many of Reich's works both
nationally and internationally.[1] In 1999, Reich
received a Grammy Award for "Best Small
Ensemble Performance (With or Without
Conductor)" for the ensemble's performance of
Music for 18 Musicians.[1]
Steve Reich Ensemble playing Different Trains (from
left to right) Liz Lim-Dutton, violin, Todd Reynolds,

Contents violin, Jeanne LeBlanc, cello, Scott Rawls, viola,

Russ Hartenberger at the back
History
Early history (1966–1979)
Recent history (1980–present)
Influence
Size and instrumentation
Members
Discography
Steve Reich and Musicians
Steve Reich Ensemble
References
External links

History

Early history (1966–1979)

In 1966, Steve Reich founded his own ensemble of four musicians.[3] Original members
included Steve Chambers (pianist), Arthur Murphy (pianist), Jon Gibson (reed player), and
Reich himself.[3] John Hartenberger joined shortly after as the first percussionist, and
introduced Reich to Bob Becker.[3] James (Jim) Preiss from the Manhattan School of Music
joined the ensemble around that same time.[1][3] The addition of trained percussionists to the
ensemble was instrumental to the creation and premiere of Drumming in 1971, the first piece by
Reich to employ percussion.[3] Through Priess, Reich was introduced to more percussionists,
including Glen Velez and Gary Schall.[3] Garry Kvistad, a current member of Nexus, joined the
group in 1980.

As the scope of Reich's compositions grew, so too did the size of his ensemble and the number
of instruments utilized.[1][3] In 1973, moving on from the "phase shifting" technique he had
pioneered in previous works, Reich wrote Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ
(1973), and Six Pianos (1973), which were more elaborate in compositional technique and
performance. Both were premiered by Steve Reich and Musicians at the John Weber Gallery in
New York City in 1973.[4] In 1974, Reich began work on Music for 18 Musicians, which was his
first attempt at writing for a larger ensemble. The group premiered this piece at The Town Hall
in New York City in 1976, and made the premier recording of it on ECM Records in 1978.[5] This
piece is considered a pivotal point in Reich's career, marking a distinct shift toward harmony
being brought to the forefront ahead of the rhythmically based style of his previous works.[6]

During this period, the group usually gave private performances of pieces they were rehearsing
in lofts and small galleries in New York City prior to the public premieres.[7] The invited
audiences for these small concerts often included artists like Sol LeWitt and Richard Serra, as
well as other musicians and composers such as Philip Glass, Morton Feldman, and John
Cage.[7] The public premieres took place at venues around New York City, including the Town
Hall (New York City), the Museum of Modern Art, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center.[1][3]

Recent history (1980–present)

The ensemble was featured at the Percussive
Arts Society International Convention in 1982
in Dallas, featuring Reich, Bob Becker, Russell
Hartenberger, and Glen Velez.[1] They played
Drumming, Parts I and III, Clapping Music,
Marimba Phase, and Music for Pieces of
Wood.[1] In 1999, Reich received a Grammy
Award for "Best Small Ensemble Performance
(With or Without Conductor)" for the group's
performance of the piece.[8] Bob Becker,
Russell Hartenberger, and Garry Kvistad all Steve Reich Ensemble rehearsing Sextet, Le Havre,
played on the award-winning recording.[1] France. From Left, Garry Kvistad, Bob Becker,
Edmund Niemann, Thad Wheeler, Russell
After the success of Music for 18 Musicians, the Hartenberger, and Nurit Tilles
group began touring nationally and
[1]
internationally. They premiered many works
overseas as well as in the United States. In 1993, they premiered The Cave (opera) in Vienna,
conducted by Paul Hillier. The piece has now been presented on four continents.[9] In 2006–
2007, Reich's 70th birthday was honored with a series of multiple concerts held at Carnegie
Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[6] These concerts featured not only
Reich's ensemble, but the Kronos Quartet and Pat Metheny, who referred to the event as "one of
[his] most memorable concerts.".[1] Steve Reich and Musicians gave multiple performances of
pieces like Music for 18 Musicians and Drumming, as well as the U.S premiere of Daniel
Variations.[6] In recent years, although more premieres are now given by ensembles that
commission works by Reich, the Steve Reich Ensemble is still performing and touring
internationally, with Reich himself occasionally performing alongside his ensemble.[10]

Influence
By organizing an ensemble of his own with which to perform his works, Reich, like fellow
minimalist composer Philip Glass with his group, altered the traditional route by which classical
composers sought to have their music disseminated. The composer-led ensemble became a new
model which was to be highly influential on the creation of groups such as Bang on a Can.

Size and instrumentation

From 1966 until Reich composed Music for 18 Musicians, the ensemble's size steadily increased
from 4 to 18 players.[1] Since then, the size of the ensemble has fluctuated depending on the
works to be performed, with the aforementioned 18 musicians being approximately the upper
limit.[6][1] However, many works such as Piano Phase or Clapping Music use only a pair of
musicians.[11][12]

The ensemble's instrumentation varies according to the piece being performed. Many
compositions consist primarily of tuned percussion (marimbas, vibraphones, glockenspiels) and
voices, as well as bowed string instruments, bass clarinets, and electronic organs. Other
ensembles feature more original instrumentation, or only the human body as in the case of
pieces like Clapping Music.[11]

Members
Steve Reich – percussion (tuned drums, marimba), piano, whistling
Pamela Wood Ambush – vocals
Rebecca Armstrong – vocals (soprano)
Marion Beckenstein – vocals (soprano)
Steve Chambers – piano – original member
Arthur Murphy – piano – original member
Jon Gibson – flute, saxophone – original member
Bob Becker – percussion (tuned drums, marimba, xylophone) – original member – member
of the Nexus percussion group
Phillip Bush – piano
Jay Clayton – vocals (alto), piano
Tim Ferchen – percussion (marimba, xylophone)
Ben Harms – percussion (tuned drums, marimba)
Russell Hartenberger – percussion (tuned drums, marimba, xylophone) – original member –
member of the Nexus percussion group
Garry Kvistad – percussion (glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone), piano
Jeanne LeBlanc – cello
Richard Rood – violin
Elizabeth Lim – violin
 Edmund Niemann – piano
James Preiss – percussion (tuned drums), vibraphone, piano
Joseph Rasmussen – percussion
Scott Rawls – viola
Todd Reynolds – violin – former member of Ethel
Cheryl Bensman Rowe – vocals (soprano)
Gary Schall – percussion (tuned drums)
Leslie Scott – clarinet, bass clarinet
Mort Silver – piccolo
Nurit Tilles – piano, electric organ
David Van Tieghem – percussion (glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone, tuned drums, claves),
piano
Glen Velez – percussion (tuned drums)
Thad Wheeler – percussion (tuned drums, glockenspiel, marimba, maracas)
Evan Ziporyn – clarinet, bass clarinet

Discography

Steve Reich and Musicians

The Desert Music – with Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by
Michael Tilson Thomas – Nonesuch Records 79101
Drumming – Nonesuch Records 79170
Drumming, Music for Mallets, Voices and Organ, Six Pianos – Deutsche Grammophon DG
427 428-2
Drumming – Deutsche Grammophon DG 474 323-2
Music for a Large Ensemble, Octet, Violin Phase – ECM New Series 78118-21168
Music for 18 Musicians – ECM New Series 78118-21129
Music for 18 Musicians – Nonesuch Records 79448
Sextet, Six Marimbas – Nonesuch Records 79138
Six Pianos, Pendulum Music, Violin Phase, Music for Pieces of Wood, Drumming Part Four
– live at The Kitchen 1977 – Orange Mountain Music 0018
Tehillim – ECM New Series 21215
Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards – with San Francisco Symphony, conducted by
Edo de Waart – Deutsche Grammophon 20/21 Series DG 471 591-2

Steve Reich Ensemble

The Cave – Nonesuch Records 79327
City Life, Nagoya Marimbas, Proverb – Nonesuch Records 79430
Three Tales – with Synergy Vocals, conducted by Bradley Lubman – Nonesuch Records
79662

References
1. Weiss, Lauren (August 2007). "Steve Reich". Percussive Notes.
 1. Weiss, Lauren (August 2007). "Steve Reich". Percussive Notes.
2. Schwarz, K. Robert (Summer 1981). "Steve Reich: Music as a Gradual Process: Part 1".
Perspectives of New Music. 19 (1/2): 374–387. JSTOR 832600 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/
832600).
3. Tones, Daniel (August 2007). "The Music of Steve Reich: An Interview with Russell
Hartenberger" (http://publications.pas.org/New%20Music-Research/0708.23-29.pdf#search
=%22steve%20reich%20and%20musicians%22) (PDF). Percussive Notes.
4. "Steve Reich – Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ" (https://www.boosey.com/p
ages/cr/catalogue/cat_detail?musicid=6361). Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
5. "Steve Reich – Music for 18 Musicians" (https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Steve-Reich-Mus
ic-for-18-Musicians/548). Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
6. "New York Celebrates Steve Reich @70" (https://www.stevereich.com/images/Reich@70.pd
f) (PDF). Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center. October 3, 2006.
7. Hartenberger, Russell (September 2012). "Encounters with John Cage" (http://publications.p
as.org/New%20Music-Research/1209.16-19.pdf#search=%22steve%20reich%20and%20m
usicians%22) (PDF). Percussive Notes.
8. "Steve Reich" (https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/steve-reich/15206).
GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
9. "Steve Reich: Biography" (https://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/composer/composer_main?co
mposerid=2781&ttype=BIOGRAPHY). Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
10. "Steve Reich Full Tour Schedule 2021 & 2022, Tour Dates & Concerts – Songkick" (https://w
ww.songkick.com/artists/274401-steve-reich/calendar). www.songkick.com. Retrieved
May 17, 2021.
11. "Steve Reich – Clapping Music" (https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Steve-Reich-Clapping-M
usic/102358). Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
12. "Steve Reich – Piano Phase" (https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Steve-Reich-Piano-Phase/
102359). Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved May 19, 2021.

External links
Steve Reich official website (http://www.stevereich.com/)
Portrait (https://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/composer/composer_main?composerid=2781),
Boosey & Hawkes

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