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Voice, Technē, and Jouissance in Music for 18 Musicians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2016

MARCELLE PIERSON
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Abstract

In this article, I propose that Steve Reich takes on the voice as a problem, and that his solutions to this problem are manifold, informing – perhaps driving – works from across his oeuvre. A close reading of his music and commentary indicates that he is motivated by reinvigorating what I call the ‘vocal imaginary’ of Western classical music, or the connection between melody, voice, and human presence. My argument unfolds in four parts. First, I read closely Reich's writings and interviews that illuminate this problem. Second, I turn an analytic lens on two works composed before and after Music for 18 Musicians, respectively – It's Gonna Rain and Tehillim – to see how it plays out in music. Third, I focus on a close reading of Music for 18 Musicians. Finally, I close with some thoughts about how Reich's relationship with the voice might complicate his professed relationship with modernism, calling into question his adversarial stance vis-à-vis modernist practice.

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Articles
Information
Twentieth-Century Music , Volume 13 , Issue 1: Voice , March 2016 , pp. 25 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2016 

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