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Steve Reich and Philip Glass - Music of Time

I have chosen to study Philip Glass's 'Music with Changing Parts', alongside Steve Reich's semi-autobiographical 'Different Trains'. Both pieces are substantial minimalist electro-acoustic compositions, which are linked by their theme of the progression of time. Glass's Music with Changing Parts was written in 1973, for a minimum of four amplified instruments, whereas Reich's Different Trains, written in 1988, was written for string quartet, vocal and atmospheric samples, and organ.

Glass and Reich were educated at the Juilliard School of Music, and moved overseas to continue research into composition. Glass chose to research the origin and influence of Indian music, whereas Reich chose to study percussion in Ghana. As a result, their styles of orchestration are in some regards similar to each other, and highly unique from their contemporaries.

Music with Changing Parts is written in an open style, with no specific instruments assigned to each part. It has been known for some performances to continue for over two hours due to its modularised form, giving the player freedom to continue a specific pattern for as long as they like. By comparison, Different Trains is a tightly orchestrated work, relying on exact tempo changes, determined by the speed of the samples.

Glass and Reich were inspired to essentially mimic the characteristics of electronic devices in their acoustic compositions. Though their predecessors, such as Barraqué and Stockhausen, tend to be credited with the conception of the combination of music and technology in contemporary music, it is fair to say that Glass and Reich played a very large part in the development of this musique concrète, especially in terms of the growth in popularity of the genre.

Throughout Music with Changing Parts, Glass uses the force of an organ to provide a continuous moto perpetuo whitewash on which to place brass and other wind instruments, and so setting the musical landscape. Like Reich, Glass is known for his conservative use of variation in rhythm and melody. Yet, his level of creativity is rarely compromised by these limitations in structure.

Music with Changing Parts can be regarded as a cyclic work in which the music is conceived, matures and dies, and must be broken down with the greatest care into any of its more essential elements, for danger of losing its perspective. Different Trains is the same, in so much that it is essentially three snapshots of time: before, during and after the Second World War.

In terms of overall harmonic progression, the transition from one element to the other is extremely slow. But, in terms of timing and the placing of these stresses in melody through time, Glass has managed to create a work which symbolises the creation and evolution of a compositional work, as well as the creation and evolution of music in general.

Music with Changing Parts begins with an extremely simple C minor chord, outlined by the continuous ostinato in the organ, which does not initially provide the listener with much inspiration. Instead of mainly varying the direction of melody, as conventional composers do, Glass expresses his music using the qualities of repetition, imitation and phasing, so as to sustain the concentration of the listener. The work encourages the performer to subtly vary the balance between the acoustic and electronic instruments over an extended period of time. Indeed, the performance notes state that the wind players are expected to improvise, so as to reinforce overtones heard in the psychoacoustic effects of the organ part. These performance directions highlight and reinforce the most powerful aspect of this work, as the mind is fooled into hearing harmonics which are in fact not present.

Having firmly established itself in a tonality of C minor, the organ proceeds to take on the role of leading repeated tonal modulations, through the subtle variation of texture and stress. These modulations lay emphasis on the introduction of Bb against C, as well as Ab against G to suggest potential movement in either direction of C minor. However, in a surprising move, the tonality jumps to Eb major1, which although being the relative major of C minor, is unexpected in the context of gradual, minimal movement from the tonal centre of C minor.

While this brighter theme is introduced, voices begin to accompany the moto perpetuo device in the organ in a sustained manner, which complement the inverted pedals in the brass. This is a milestone in the evolution of the piece, as new instruments are being introduced into the palate. Effectively using suspensions as overtones to the organ and to each other, in an antiphonal manner, the voices play a large role in developing the harmonic variations that are important to the evolution of the work.

The manner in which voices are employed in this section is peculiar in this context, featuring the use of glissandos at the ends of phrases2, as well as the use of gradual variations in pitch3, therefore briefly suggesting other tonalities. This is unusual, considering the style of the piece: strictly defined phrases and logical progressions are the main characteristics of this type of work.

As the brass is used in unison with the organ4, Glass creates a crisp and sharp texture which uses no sustained pedals, therefore suggesting purity and consequently the redevelopment and refinement of thematic material. Indeed, this purity is evidence of the devolution of earlier ideas, as the piece continues to develop to provide a different texture to the listener. The variation in orchestration also acts as a light interlude before Glass reintroduces the suspensions and the brass pedal elements into the texture5. As the development continues, the sustained parts overlap each other more frequently6, therefore heightening tension and increasing the prominence and importance of the pedals. This is especially evident as the organ is left undeveloped for some time, bearing in mind the developments that have been made in the brass.

Suddenly the organ takes on the role of an ever evolving voice, using some of the tonal characteristics from the wind instruments to create a mellower tone. As the wind begin to disappear from the texture completely, the organ reinvents itself dramatically using a series of simple ideas to create another simple, mellow texture. While this reinvention continues, it becomes apparent from around the 37th minute that Glass is imitating the transition that the brass made from a sustained theme onto a more detached theme at, back to one of the more original textures in which the wind can be placed again in a structured, highly refined manner. This entire section from when the wind drop out from around 36' is in effect a reinvention which takes place, using familiar matter to recreate a highly efficient structure7.

As the elements of the piece regenerate, the brass are reinserted into the texture in a manner which sounds more inorganic, yet much more precise. This allows the brass to experiment using more complicated themes without fear of cluttering the texture. They play in unison with the organ again at 45', and continue to accompany the organ until their return to sustained, inverted pedals.

Towards the end of the work, all the instruments are gradually reintroduced using their respective original material, all playing part in this final redevelopment of the texture: a structure which operates as a single, large multi voiced instrument. The ideas presented by the organ continue to evolve at a quicker pace, and as the other instruments begin to fade out of prominence for the final time, they interact with each other in an extremely active manner, continuously imitating each other. Music with Changing Parts ends in an abrupt fashion, a technique used to symbolise the piece's relation to the present.

Much like Music with Changing Parts, Different Trains uses the same thematic material through all movements. Reich uses the appropriate samples to reflect his memories, and the memories of others. Having begun his experimentation in the early 1950's, Reich's tendency was to use phasing in his early compositions, essentially imitating and notating the characteristics of the tape machine. This quality is apparent in Different Trains, as the moto perpetuo device used in the upper strings is used to symbolise the motion of the train.

The first movement uses simple harmony and very simple syncopation; elements which develop very little for the entirety of the movement. The stasis of the rhythmic ostinatos link to the theme of life before the war, where the homorhythmic fashion emphasises the repetitive, tedious work that people would have been doing as part of the war effort.

As well as the basic use of phasing devices in the strings, some of the atmospheric samples used are phased against the pulse of the harmonic alternations. An excellent example of this phasing is evident at the beginning of Different Trains, where a sample of a warning bell is accurately phased against the moto perpetuo device in the strings8. This, combined with the percussive texture of the combination of strings and samples, instantly engages the listener.

Constant changes in tempo and tonality are the work's main features. Having established this changeable nature from the outset, Reich creates an atmosphere of unpredictability, as the modulations are not structured in any specific pattern. Consequently, it is impossible to predict any of the forthcoming materials, and when coupled with the modulations and changes in tempo, Different Trains is easily linked to the war through the divergence of structure.

The second movement continues the main theme that was introduced in the first movement; the simple harmony outlined by the strings, accompanied by the samples of warning sounds. In this case, instead of a train bell, a klaxon sample is used. The previously open sounding and unsubstantial harmonies are gradually replaced by richer, closer and more dissonant harmonies, increasing the harmonic tension. Allied with the generally slower tempo, this highlights the harmonic and rhythmic ostinatos.

Reich imitates the melodic patterns in speech in a unique way. He employs the viola to imitate female voices, and the 'cello to imitate male voices. The muffling of the samples and the complete removal of the ostinato represents decimation9. Solitude links the end of the second movement to the beginning of the third movement, where the introduction of the cello solo represents the rebuilding of original material. The loss of texture represents the overpowering visual sense that one would have felt in such a situation.

Reich symbolises regeneration by discontinuing the original ostinato. A sharp contrast is therefore achieved, by introducing a radically different idea for each sample that is introduced10. In a change of structure, pitch outline is established before the samples. This approach represents the enhancement of people's lifestyles, after the rigorous way of life people had previously led. As the original samples are reintroduced, the original thematic material is reused in the strings, as well as its corresponding sample. However, the harmonic progression is more active, and the voicing of the harmonies richer11. The final uplifting breakdown of the work brings the train ostinato to a delicate stop, concluding in a series of echoes, as if to signify the blurring of memories after the war12.

The way in which each piece gains contrast between elements is fundamentally different. While Music with Changing Parts uses variation in orchestration and articulation to bring about contrast, Different Trains focuses on using changes in tempo and mood. It is fair to conclude that these two works are closely related, since they demonstrate creation and regeneration. However, the immediacy of the Glass is contrasted with the historic nature of the Reich, highlighted by the very different endings.

“Music is not a science any more than poetry is. It is a sublime instinct, like genius of all kinds.”

And it is by this inner instinct that both these works have been created and nourished, standing as perfect representations of conception, evolution and regeneration.

Appendix - Extracts