Authenticity of Utterance Steve Reich’s Works with Voice: An Excerpt By Caroline Mallonée, Ph.D. To set a poem to music is to change it. Steve female-voice Sequenza (1960) and A-Ronne. Each of Reich writes that when, as a student, he first tried these experimental pieces does have a text, and it to set William Carlos Williams’ words to music in is set, however unconventionally; wordless the 1950’s, he “only ‘froze’ its flexible American moments are instances within longer texted vocal speech-derived rhythms.” A decade later, Reich lines. In Reich’s textless vocal writing, the voices turned to the use of recorded speech in Come Out are not soloists, but part of the overall texture of and It’s Gonna Rain, and thereby could use speech the piece. The vocal writing is for the music’s rhythms honestly; in a recording of someone sake, not for the voice’s. speaking, the secondary quality of text setting is avoided. With minimalism’s steady pulse and use of amplifi- cation (there are often parallels drawn between it Reich didn’t use text in his music again until and the rock music of the 1960’s and 70’s) one 1981. However, he did not abandon vocal writing might even argue that Steve Reich’s voices are the in this decade—he included voice parts without equivalent of back-up singers. However, the primary text in several major works composed in the influence that Reich himself names is that of early Recitative 1970’s. His inspiration in such vocal writing is music—Perotin, specifically. Jazz, too, was an enor- often timbral. In Drumming mous influence on Reich as a young (1971), Reich explains: “While man, and the sound of his ensemble Vol. 12 No. 2 | Fall 2006 first playing the drums during the is infused with a jazz flavor: the process of composition, I found vibraphone, the electronic organ, myself sometimes singing with the seventh, ninth and eleventh them, using my voice to imitate chords. It was his interest in jazz the sounds they made… Thus the that led Reich to explore its origins basic assumption about the voices in Africa. Reich names A.M. Jones’s in Drumming was that they would book, Studies in African Music, as a not sing words, but would precise- major influence, and it was after ly imitate the sound of the reading this book that Reich trav- instruments.” In Music for Mallet eled to Ghana to study drumming. Instruments, Voices and Organ, Reich found himself “spontaneous- In a compositional output that has ly singing long held tones” while lasted many decades and is still in creating the marimba patterns. progress, Steve Reich’s work is These long held tones, on the informed by many different vowel “ee,” combine with the approaches to vocalism. It’s Gonna organ to provide a harmonic underpinning to Rain and Come Out, Reich’s first two tape pieces, phasing patterns in the mallet instruments. keep the power and suggestion of words while journeying with the audience into other sound- At other times, the voice’s natural connection to worlds through the use of phasing. What was at breath led Reich towards a gradual music process. first only implicit in these early tape pieces, is in In Music for 18 Musicians, “The voices and Different Trains made explicit: “if one could present winds… take a full breath and sing or play pulses that speech without altering its pitch or timbre, of particular notes for as long as their breath will one would keep the original emotional power that comfortably sustain them. The breath is the meas- speech has while intensifying its melody and ure of the duration of their pulsing. This meaning through repetition and rhythm.” By the combination of one breath after another gradually time he does set text again, retaining his trade- washing up like waves against the constant mark blend of voices and instruments, his rhythm of the pianos and mallet instruments is experiments with voices as timbre alone have made something I have not heard before...” their mark in his mind: now the message of the words becomes music with a message. Reich’s non-texted vocal writing exists in a larger cultural context. Used in Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe Caroline Mallonée received her Ph.D. from Duke (1909–1912), as well as Scriabin’s Prometheus University this year; this article is an excerpt of her dis- (1910), Gustav Holst’s The Planets (1917), and sertation Authenticity of Utterance: Steve Reich’s Debussy’s Nocturnes (1900), the “ahs” of the chorus Works with Voice, which can be read in its entirety Beacon in the Fog...................... page 2 provide an ethereal tapestry under which the music at www.handoverhand.org. She also holds degrees hovers. The third movement of Debussy’s Nocturnes from Harvard University and the Yale School of Music. Message from the Board Chair .. page 2 is subtitled “Sirènes.” The sirens, of course, were In 2004, she was a Fulbright Scholar in the Where Are They Now? women in Greek mythology who lived on a rocky Netherlands. She has been teaching at The Walden Kate Beletic (WS ’98–02) ........ page 3 island and would lure sailors to their death “on the School for 9 years. rocks” with their beautiful singing. These female PRISM Quartet/Walden School voices sing on “ah,” and oscillate between pitches Student Commission ................ page 3 Carrie’s Recommended Reich Reading or move in a scalar fashion. and Listening Teacher Training 2006 .............. page 4 Non-texted voice is a tool of the modernists and All works mentioned in article, plus: Molly’s Kitchen ........................ page 4 experimentalists as well. George Crumb, in Writings on Music (book) JCC Corner................................ page 4 Ancient Voices of Children (1970), calls for many vocal timbres, exploring the ambiguities between Piano Phase News and Goods ...................... page 5 comprehensible words and incomprehensible sonic Violin Phase Pendulum Music Contributors to gestures. In A-Ronne (1975), Berio divides lan- Clapping Music The Walden School .......... pages 6 & 7 guage into its constituent sounds, removing the meaning from the language. Reich is not using Tehillim Donor Spotlight: these experimental techniques in his music, how- www.npr.org/templates/story/ Karen and Peter Rabins ............ page 8 ever. Missing is the muttering, whispering, story.php?storyId=4862344 Walden Auction........................ page 8 speaking and screaming found in Berio’s solo Beacon in the Fog By Seth Brenzel community combine in a magical way and act 2007 APPLICATIONS Somewhere in Nebraska, 35,000 feet above the as a beacon for musicians the world over. earth… In my role as Executive Director for The Throughout the year, as I travel about, I witness READY NOW! Walden School, and in my other professional this beacon that is Walden as I speak with Look for application forms and info about career managing a sales team for a software com- alumni, musicians, parents, teachers, and sup- Walden’s programs at www.waldenschool.org pany, I travel a lot and spend a porters about Walden’s role in lot of time on airplanes, as I’m their lives. In August, a group doing right now. And each of Walden students and teach- $250,000 toward the annual fund. We raised summer, I travel via airplane ers in San Francisco went to see more money for scholarships than we had ever from my home in San Francisco Snakes on a Plane. While the in the past. Walden’s artist residency program to my other home, in Dublin, movie choice might seem odd, demonstrated the amazing and diverse talents of New Hampshire, where I have we had a great time getting the Fantasy Duo, Cyrus Chestnut, the Del Sol the privilege of living among together and reliving memories String Quartet, and The Walden School Players, some of the most talented and from the summer. In our outstanding ensemble-in-residence. The creative people around. September former board mem- Teacher Training Institute welcomed 33 enthu- siastic music teachers from around the world for During bygone eras, travelers did not speed ber David Ruschke and the inimitable Leo Wanenchak hosted their annual party in another successful intensive; we’re already look- about the globe in large metal tubes miles ing forward to the August 2007 workshop. above the earth. Instead people traveled great Baltimore in support of Walden’s distances by boat. Where I come from, fog is scholarship fund. This yearly fête is 2007 promises to be another great nearly omnipresent, and for many of those mar- graced by the wonderful culinary cre- year. We have expanded our Board of itime travelers from previous eras, an important ations of board member Laura Directors to 13 members, and we way for travelers to navigate their way safely to Mehiel, ably assisted by her mother have made great strides in our strate- their destination—especially through that and longtime Walden supporter gic planning process. Our 35th fog—was by lighthouse. Gloria Mehiel. And in October in Anniversary Season is already taking New York City, Walden hosted a shape. I hope many of you (alumni, In California, there existed an extensive system pizza party that was attended by teachers and artists) will follow the of lighthouses along the coast; several beautiful more than 40 Walden faithful. Walden beacon to Dublin, New and historic lighthouses are still in existence. While our programs may lie dormant Hampshire for the Alumni Reunion Upon a recent visit to the Pigeon Point (June 22-24, 2007), to recreate your Lighthouse south of San Francisco, I reflected in the off-season, the able and dedicated work of the Board of Directors and year-round adminis- own Walden and JCC connections.