Steve Reich - Piano Phase (1967)
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Piano Phase
Nerd stuff
So you aren't confused, I'll explain what phasing is right off the bat. There are two or more distinct parts in a phasing piece (in this case two). One part holds a steady tempo while the other slowly increase speed. This idea may sound similar to the concept of a round or a canon, but his form is different. In cannon, one part plays a specific line and another part plays the same line but starts after the first. The aspect of a cannon that interests the listener on a technical level is how the overlap "works". The one thing that a phase adds is the transition. Instead of just starting later than the first part, the second part starts at the same point and then speeds up.
The making of the piece (nerd stuff pt. 2)
This is Steve Reich's first attempt to use phasing in a live performance with two musicians. Previously, he used one live performer with a tape loop. Us young folks don't know too much about actual tape recorders, but there is literally a physical piece of magnetic tape inside of them. A tape loop is the old fashion repeat forever. It involves attaching one end of the tape to the other to create an actual physical infinite loop. It takes an incredible amount of concentration and years of hard dedicated practice to play perfectly in time with another musician. It is significantly harder to play a part fractionally faster for one player and equally difficult to hold a steady tempo as the other player. Performing phasing music live is some of the most impressive performing that I have ever seen.
GRACE (Graphical Realtime Algorithmic Composition Environment) (nerd stuff pt. 3)
I first stumbled across this piece in a computer program called Common Music or GRACE. This program allows the user to write code that produces or modifies sounds. One of the introductory tutorials is creating the first section from Steve Reich's piano phase. After plenty of failed attempts, I managed to get something that roughly resembled the actual piano phase. The magical part of the phase is what happens between when the parts line up. When one part slowly emerges as dissonant and then fades back into consonance there is a unique feeling that is created. I don't often find entirely new ways to think about music and so this piece rocked my world. The piece is perfectly composed. As soon as you become comfortable with a certain alignment, it begins to move again. The texture that is created is truly something magical.
Score and performance notes for Piano Phase
Some more phasing pieces by Reich to listen to
Violin Phase (1967)
Clapping Music (1972)
So you aren't confused, I'll explain what phasing is right off the bat. There are two or more distinct parts in a phasing piece (in this case two). One part holds a steady tempo while the other slowly increase speed. This idea may sound similar to the concept of a round or a canon, but his form is different. In cannon, one part plays a specific line and another part plays the same line but starts after the first. The aspect of a cannon that interests the listener on a technical level is how the overlap "works". The one thing that a phase adds is the transition. Instead of just starting later than the first part, the second part starts at the same point and then speeds up.
The making of the piece (nerd stuff pt. 2)
This is Steve Reich's first attempt to use phasing in a live performance with two musicians. Previously, he used one live performer with a tape loop. Us young folks don't know too much about actual tape recorders, but there is literally a physical piece of magnetic tape inside of them. A tape loop is the old fashion repeat forever. It involves attaching one end of the tape to the other to create an actual physical infinite loop. It takes an incredible amount of concentration and years of hard dedicated practice to play perfectly in time with another musician. It is significantly harder to play a part fractionally faster for one player and equally difficult to hold a steady tempo as the other player. Performing phasing music live is some of the most impressive performing that I have ever seen.
GRACE (Graphical Realtime Algorithmic Composition Environment) (nerd stuff pt. 3)
I first stumbled across this piece in a computer program called Common Music or GRACE. This program allows the user to write code that produces or modifies sounds. One of the introductory tutorials is creating the first section from Steve Reich's piano phase. After plenty of failed attempts, I managed to get something that roughly resembled the actual piano phase. The magical part of the phase is what happens between when the parts line up. When one part slowly emerges as dissonant and then fades back into consonance there is a unique feeling that is created. I don't often find entirely new ways to think about music and so this piece rocked my world. The piece is perfectly composed. As soon as you become comfortable with a certain alignment, it begins to move again. The texture that is created is truly something magical.
Score and performance notes for Piano Phase
Some more phasing pieces by Reich to listen to
Violin Phase (1967)
Clapping Music (1972)
I am so impressed by the performers of this piece. To speed up just the right amount, and then keep that acceleration constant - that's a very difficult task! And the composer's task is no easier, as in each measure the harmony has to have some meaning and not just sound like jumbled noise.
ReplyDeleteThe part about electronic simulation of this piece caught my interest. This is the first time I've heard of GRACE but the idea is one I've wanted to play around with for a long time. I think I'll check it out!
http://commonmusic.sourceforge.net/
DeleteHere is a link to the website to download the program. I would strongly recommend using the Sal language for coding. Once you open the program check under the "Help" tab for really nice Examples and Tutorials. The first one under the Examples tab should be the Reich if I remember correctly. Let me know if there is anything I can help with! :)