A Window to the Soul: Approaches to Text Setting in Steve Reich’s Tehillim Submitted by John Michael Pymm to the University of London as a thesis for the degree of Master of Philosophy May 2004 University of London School of Advanced Study Institute of United States Studies I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material is included for which a degree has previously been conferred upon me. ProQuest Number: 11010438 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11010438 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT This thesis investigates Steve Reich’s 1981 composition Tehillim, the composer’s first mature setting of a text to music. The title is drawn from Reich’s citation (in his Writings 1965-2000) of Janacek’s aphorism that ‘speech melodies are windows into people’s souls’ since Tehillim itself may be seen as a window to Reich’s own soul (musical and spiritual) at this point. Reich’s study of Biblical Hebrew in the 1970s led to a rediscovery of his Jewish heritage and he has often repeated the claim that the compositional style in Tehillim grows directly from the innate rhythms of the Hebrew text. This thesis considers the extent to which these claims may be justified. Chapter one presents an overview of Reich’s views on language and its significance in his output prior to Tehillim. This focuses particularly on the use of speech extracts in his phase piecesCome Out and I t’s Gonna Rain together with a wider discussion of speech, language and emotion and takes account of the author’s interview with the composer (contained in Appendix 1). Chapters two, three, four and five present in turn an analysis of the four movements of Tehillim. Each chapter includes a comparison between Reich’s use of the Hebrew texts and the rhythms that emerge from readings of these texts by contemporary Jewish readers. This informs the analysis of the musical elements of Tehillim that Reich identifies as being associated with earlier Western musical practice: extended melodies, imitative counterpoint, functional harmony and orchestration. In chapter six, the findings of this analysis are presented. The results of the analysis show that rhythmic considerations are at the heart ofTehillim and that Reich uses the rhythms of the Hebrew text in a creative, rather than a literalistic, manner. These findings support Reich’s perception of his compositional approach in Tehillim. There are two appendices. Appendix 1 contains a transcript of an interview between the author and Steve Reich. Appendix 2 contains Reich’s liner notes from the 1982 Recording of Tehillim (ECM New Series 1215 827 411-2). 3 CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements 8 Chapter 1: The position of Tehillim within Reich’s output 10 Chapter 2: Analysis of Part I 42 Chapter 3: Analysis of Part II 94 Chapter 4: Analysis of Part III 126 Chapter 5: Analysis of Part IV 163 Chapter 6: Findings 199 Appendix 1: Interview with Steve Reich: Huddersfield, 29 November 1998 236 Appendix 2: Liner notes from 1982 Recording of Tehillim 246 Bibliography 249 4 LIST OF TABLES AND MUSICAL EXAMPLES TABLES Page Table A Rhythmic structure of Part I melody 55 Table B Rhythmic organisation of phrases in Part I melody 61 Table C Structural layout of Part I (excluding anacrusis) 68 Table D Relationship between melodic lines and chord structures in 79 Part I Table E Comparison of rhythmic reductions in exposition and 90 recapitulation of Part I Table F Rhythmic structure of Part II melody 104 Table G Rhythmic organisation of phrases in Part II melody 105 Table H Structural layout of Part II 110 Table I Augmentation of melody in Part II 112 Table J Thematic augmentation in Part II 113 Table K Indicative pulse in selected works by Reich in the 1970s 128 Table L Rhythmic organisation of phrases in Part III melody 133 Table M Rhythmic structure of Part III melody 135 Table N Structural layout of Part III with sub-groupings identified 142 Table 0 Use of drones in Part III 143 Table P Rhythmic structure of Part IV melody 174 Table Q Rhythmic sub-groupings in Part IV melody 175 Table R Structural Layout of Part IV 180 MUSICAL EXAMPLES (Unless otherwise indicated, examples are taken from Tehillim) Example 1 Subject from It’s Gonna Rain 20 Example 2 Subject from Come Out 21 Example 3 Subject from Piano Phase 23 Example 4 Subject from Violin Phase 23 Example 5 Part I melody, Section A 44 Example 6 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 1 46 Example 7 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 2 47 Example 8 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 3 48 Example 9 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 4 49 Example 10 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 5 50 Example 11 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 6 51 Example 12 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 7 52 Example 13 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part 1 line 8 53 Example 14 Bela Bartok, Mikrokosmos Volume VI, number 6, bars 1 - 4 57 Example 15 Bela Bartok, Sonata for Piano (1926) Third Movement 58 Example 16 Igor Stravinsky, Les Noces (Opening Tableau) 59 Example 17 Part I melody with phrases (and mid-points) indicated 63 Example 18 Rhythmic drone from opening of Part I 70 Example 19 Basic Unit from Clapping Music 70 Example 20 Music for 18 Musicians, figures 103-104 70 5 Example 21 Part I, Phrase BI: canon at 4 beats with ‘Clapping Music ’ 72 figure beginning the phase Example 22 Part I, Phrase BII: canon at five beats 72 Example 23 Part I, Phrase BII: canon at seven beats 73 Example 24 Part I, Phrase BIV: two short canons at seven beats 74 Example 25 Part I chord sequence - Section D 77 Example 26 Part I 26/1/4 to 28/1/ 2 81 Example 27 Part I, Chords underlying first canon 82 Example 28 Part I, 36/1/2 to 37/1/4 83 Example 29 Part I, Chords underlying second canon 84 Example 30 Part 146/1/1 to 47/1/3 85 Example 31 Part I, Chords underlying the third and fourth canons 86 Example 32 Part I 55/1/1 to 56/1/2 87 Example 33 Chords underlying second statement of melody in 91 Part I recapitulation Example 34 Part II Melody, Section A 95 Example 35 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part II, line 1 96 Example 36 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part II, line 2 97 Example 37 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part II, line 3 99 Example 38 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part II, line 4 100 Example 39 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part II, line 5 101 Example 40 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part II, line 6 102 Example 41 Part II melody with phrases (and mid-points) indicated 108 Example 42 Part II chords - Section B 115 Example 43 Part II chords - Section C 116 Example 44 Part II chords - Section E 119 Example 45 Part II chords - Section F 120 Example 46 Coloratura variation of melody in Part II - Section G 121 Example 47 Part II Chords - Section G 123 Example 48 Part III melody, Section A 127 Example 49 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part III, line 1 130 Example 50 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part III, line 2 131 Example 51 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part III, line 3 132 Example 52 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part III, line 4 132 Example 53 Part III Melody, Section A 137 Example 54 J. S. Bach, Christ lag in Todesbanden (Opening of Versus II) 138 Example 55 Part III chords - Section C 148 Example 56 Section C, chords with superimposed melody 149 Example 57 Part III chords - Section D 151 Example 58 Independent string writing at 181/1/2-182/1/1 152 Example 59 Part III Chords - Section E 155 Example 60 Part III Chords - Section F 158 Example 61 Part III Chords - Section G 161 Example 62 Part III, Section G transitional string chords 161 Example 63 Part IV Melody, Section A 165 Example 64 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part IV, line 1 167 Example 65 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part IV, line 2 168 Example 66 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part IV, line 3 169 Example 67 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part IV, line 4 170 6 Example 68 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part IV, line 5 172 Example 69 Comparison of rhythmic stresses in Part IV, line 6 173 Example 70 Part IV melody, Section A 177 Example 71 Part I melody with shape of Part IV melody indicated 178 Example 72 Part IV Chords - Section A 182 Example 73 Part I, Section D, chord sequence 183 Example 74 Chords underlying first canonic section (Section C-Section F) 186 Example 75 Chords underlying second canonic section (Section G-Section I) 187 Example 76 Chords underlying third canonic section (Section J-Section N) 188 Example 77 Part IV Chords - Section O 190 Example 78 Part IV Chords - Section P 192 Example 79 Part IV Chords - Section R 193 Example 80 Part IV Chords - Section S 197 Example 81 Melodic subject in Piano Phase 202 Example 82 Music for Two or More Pianos - chord structure 214 Example 83 Bela Bartok: Piano Concerto No.