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About Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble: In C Remixed
by John Kelman
It's not only one of minimalism's early classics, but Terry Riley's seminal “In C," composed in 1964, could also be described as an early foundation for the modern concept of remix. 53 musical fragments--as brief as three notes and as long as 18--are performed by an ensemble of no fixed size; the only instructions being to begin with the first and end with the last fragment. How many times each one is repeated by each player, where they place the ...
Continue ReadingGrand Valley State University New Music Ensemble: Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians
by John Kelman
When Steve Reich released Music for 18 Musicians (ECM, 1978), it was a consolidation and major leap forward in the pulse-based music that the minimalist progenitor had been exploring on earlier compositions including “Four Organs" (1969), a piece that relied on nothing more than a six-note chord, yet was a near flat-out sonic assault. 18 Musicians was an altogether more complex and sophisticated work, with a broader textural palette based largely on tuned percussion—piano, vibraphone, marimba and xylophone—but also working ...
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