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Technical Notice
| Classical Composer: | Reich, Steve |
|---|---|
| Work: | Eight Lines |
| Year Composed: | 1983 |
| Instrumentation: | fl, picc, afl, ob, cl/bcl, - perc ,2pf, - str(2vn, 2va, vc, db) |
| Publisher: | Boosey & Hawkes |
| Duration: | 00:16:00 |
| Period: | Contemporary |
| Work Category: | Chamber Music |
Work Information
Available Recording(s)
These 'eight lines' have quite clearly defined roles and are assigned to particular instruments throughout. First there are the two pianos, which repeat an animated pattern, first in unison, then shifted. They are joined selectively by clarinets and flutes, which reinforce individual notes or groups of notes from the piano layer, so forming fresh melodies, which are themselves repeated as a pattern. The eight-part string writing constitutes an independent layer with more sustained chords that are repeated like a pattern and gradually augmented. Building on this basic structure, Reich creates five formal sections in different keys, with the first, third and fifth sections on the one hand and the second and fourth on the other closely resembling one another. Thus, in contrast to Reich's earlier pieces, the form is here no longer simply a result of the underlying process. What is more, Reich here discovers his liking for genuine melody, especially in the patterns that arise in the wind instruments, some of which are quite long. Although these are derived from the central piano-pattern layer, they nevertheless give the impression of being independent and melodically interesting. Reich himself stated that their inspiration lay in traditional Hebrew Psalm cantillation, which he had been studying closely in the years prior to this composition.
Writer: Cornelius Bauer
Translated by: Sue Baxter
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