Taking Reich's Pulse: Putting New Music Into Context Anja Mileusnic-Plecas
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TAKING REICH’S PULSE: PUTTING NEW MUSIC INTO CONTEXT ANJA MILEUSNIC-PLECAS Thesis submitted to the University of Ottawa in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts (MA) School of Music Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Anja Mileusnic-Plecas, Ottawa, Canada, 2018 ii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 0 Taking Reich’s Pulse: Putting New Music into Context .............................................................................. 1 Chapter 1: Style Separation .......................................................................................................................... 3 Style and Influence ................................................................................................................................... 5 First Period-Phasing and Early Style ........................................................................................................ 9 Phasing, Gradual Processes, and Simple Instrumentation (1965-1973) ............................................... 9 Beginnings of Texture, Expanded Instrumentation, and Harmony (1973-1979) ................................ 13 Second Period-Development of Melody, Motives, Harmonic Structure, and Canons ........................... 16 Vocals, Speech Melodies, and Video (1981-2006) ............................................................................. 16 Counterpoint Series (1982-2003) ........................................................................................................ 20 Instrumental Compositions (1984-2005) ............................................................................................ 22 Third Period-Synthesis and External Genres (2006-present) .................................................................. 26 Harmony and Canons .......................................................................................................................... 26 Tape Works ......................................................................................................................................... 27 Arrangements ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Melody and Rhythm ........................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 2: Comparative Analysis of Pulse ................................................................................................. 32 Terminology Specification ...................................................................................................................... 36 Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 37 Melodic Development Within Movements ......................................................................................... 38 Canons and Chords ............................................................................................................................. 41 Phasing Returns? ................................................................................................................................. 44 The Emergence of an Arch Form through Melodic Treatment ........................................................... 51 Chapter 3: Formal and Instrumentation Analysis ....................................................................................... 57 Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 57 Cycles, Drones, and Melodic Treatment for the Creation of Form..................................................... 58 Pulse and the Counterpoint Series ...................................................................................................... 63 The Arch Form .................................................................................................................................... 65 ABCDCBA ......................................................................................................................................... 67 iii Arch Form within an Arch Form ........................................................................................................ 68 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 70 References ................................................................................................................................................... 73 Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. 76 Appendix A1 ........................................................................................................................................... 76 Appendix A2 ........................................................................................................................................... 77 Appendix A3 ........................................................................................................................................... 78 Appendix B ............................................................................................................................................. 79 Appendix C ............................................................................................................................................. 81 Appendix D ............................................................................................................................................. 82 Appendix E ............................................................................................................................................. 84 Appendix F.............................................................................................................................................. 86 Appendix G ............................................................................................................................................. 87 Appendix H ............................................................................................................................................. 89 Appendix I .............................................................................................................................................. 90 Appendix J .............................................................................................................................................. 91 iv Abstract Premiered on November 1st 2016, Steve Reich’s new work Pulse: For Winds, Strings, Piano and Electric Bass epitomizes 51 years of compositional development. Understandably, no formal or analytical discussions exist of this work, a lacuna that inspires the present research questions: Where does Pulse fall in relation to Reich’s overall style and technique? Is it a logical continuation of his compositional evolution? Does it make use of the techniques that distinguish him or does it venture into new territories? To answer these questions, the thesis combines a historical survey of Reich’s compositional output with an analysis of Pulse that considers current analytic scholarship. An overview of the literature on the composer serves to determine the separate compositional periods of his output in relation to his most employed techniques. This amalgamation allows for a historically and stylistically contextualized analysis of Pulse. The resulting synthesis not only creates a new categorization of Reich’s compositional development, but also shows that Pulse embodies a summation of the composer’s musical technique. 1 Taking Reich’s Pulse: Putting New Music into Context Throughout his career, Steve Reich (b.,-1936) produced a large repertoire of pieces for solo instrument, ensemble, orchestra, voice, and electronic media. Across this varied compositional output, he used many techniques such as chord cycles, melodic construction through fragmentation, contrasting orchestral textures, and rhythmic transformations. The present thesis seeks to give an account of such techniques in his more recent piece, Pulse, for winds, strings, piano and electric bass (premiered November 1st 2016) by situating it in the context of his output. To that end, I analyze the work in relation to the composer’s stylistic evolution. The literature provides relevant tools for studying a piece by establishing the most applicable techniques for analytic emphasis and by allowing the reader to find links as well as reoccurring procedures across the composer’s output. Through an examination of the literature pertaining to a composer’s career, one can also establish style periods. In the case of Reich, his large musical production seems to require separation into three compositional periods for a better understanding of his evolution as a composer. The present thesis is the first to attempt such a periodization of Reich’s compositions. This first chapter creates an instructive compilation explaining Reich’s techniques and progression in compositional direction. The goal of this reflection was to acquire a deeper understanding of the composer, his style, his compositional techniques, and how they evolved, by listening