Much of Steve Reich's mature work is conceived in layers, and many of his pieces since the 1980s are composed for live players accompanied by multiple prerecorded parts; for example, in works such as Electric Counterpoint or Vermont Counterpoint, Reich emphasizes the vertical aspect of interlocking parts, rather than linear procedures involving gradually changing ideas over time, as in his earlier minimalist works (e.g., Four Organs or Music for 18 Musicians). The principle of multiplication is apparent in theTriple Quartet ...
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Much of Steve Reich's mature work is conceived in layers, and many of his pieces since the 1980s are composed for live players accompanied by multiple prerecorded parts; for example, in works such as Electric Counterpoint or Vermont Counterpoint, Reich emphasizes the vertical aspect of interlocking parts, rather than linear procedures involving gradually changing ideas over time, as in his earlier minimalist works (e.g., Four Organs or Music for 18 Musicians). The principle of multiplication is apparent in theTriple Quartet. It presents the Smith Quartet in live performance against two separately taped quartets (also by the Smith Quartet) that magnify the group beyond the intimate scale of a chamber ensemble. In concert, these parts have more aural separation, but on disc, the effect is of a small string orchestra, busily occupied with different parts, yet sounding as one because of the homogenous string timbres. The interlocking canons of Duet for two violins, four violas, and four cellos similarly...
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