Download Edexcel GCSE Music - AOS2 - Schoenberg - Study

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SET WORK SUMMARY
rd
3 Movement (Fast) from Electric Counterpoint - Reich
PART 1 - Placing the Set Work in its Musical, Social and Historical Context
About the Composer ± Placing the Set Work in a Social and Historical Context
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Steve Reich ± born in New York (1936 ± present)
Started playing piano when he was young and drums when he was 14.
His music is influenced by Jazz, Gamelan and African Music
A key minimalist composer, he likes TONAL music (as opposed to Serialism which is Atonal)
2WKHUIDPRXVZRUNVLQFOXGH³'LIIHUHQW7UDLQV´³&ODSSLQJ0XVLF´DSKDVHshifting piece) and
YDULRXV³WDSHG´PXVLFXVLQJUHFRUGHGVDPSOHVRIHYHU\GD\VRXQGVDQGORRSLQJWKHPWRFUHDWHD
constant repeated pattern (New York Counterpoint)
Related composers ± La Monte Young; Terry Riley; Philip Glass; Michael Nyman
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About the Set Work ± Placing the Set Work in a Musical Context
Electric Counterpoint was written for the jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. Metheny would record all the parts
himself (12 guitars and 2 bass guitars). He would then play the recording (called a µEDFNLQJWUDFN¶and
would play the ³OLYH´SDUWRYer the top. The piece uses tape loops where each part is pre-recorded onto a
tape loop to allow overdubbing (recording over the top). The movements within Electric Counterpoint GRQ¶W
have titles, just tempo markings. The third movement (fast) is 140 bars long and lasts four and a half
minutes.
Music is an example of MINIMALISM GHYHORSHGLQ¶V¶V± features of minimalist music
include:
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Builds music out of loops ± constantly repeated patterns ± short and simple; lack of a clear melody
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Harmonies made by layering patterns on top of each other ± gradually unfolding over a long period
of time
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A reduced style e.g. little dynamic contrast, constant tempo
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Repetition ± ideas repeated several times gradually changing ± gives the music a hypnotic quality
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MINIMALIST TECHNIQUES ± Phasing, Additive Melody, Metamorphosis, Layering, Drones,
Ostinati/Loops, Note addition, Note Subtraction, Rhythmic Displacement, Augmentation,
Diminution, Static Harmony
Use of Music Technology ± old tapes cut and pasted together, multi-track recording to layer sounds, live performances
often use recorded backing tracks to build up the layers
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PART 2 ± Musical Elements, Instrumentation & Musical Features
Time Signature
to
to
Rhythm & Tempo
Made up of rhythmic
LAYERED OSTINATI
which are PHASE
SHIFTED and
DISPLACED.
Constant tempo
throughout.
Tonality & Harmony
Reich uses TONAL AMBIGUITY ± keeps
the listening guessing as to what key the
piece is in. The bass guitars confirm E
minor when they enter, but actually in the
AEOLIAN MODE
Changes to C minor in ³%´6HFWLRQ for
contrast.
Piece finishes on an E5 chord giving an
³RSHQ´DQG³VSDUVH´VRXQG
Dynamics
Not many changes in dynamics ± mainly
in solo part fading in and out.
Four ensemble parts playing the first riff
remain mf all the time. Other parts have
dim. finishing with a crescendo to ff for
the solo part at the end.
Pitch &
Melody
Guitar 3 uses
ADDITIVE
MELODY where 2
or 3 notes keep
being added until
the whole riff is
heard. Texture
A multi-OD\HUHGWH[WXUHLVDFKLHYHGE\HDFKWUDFNEHLQJ³PXOWL-WUDFNHG´WRDOORZOLYHSHUIRUPDQFHRYHU
the top
Made up of short patterns/riffs/motits/ostinati that are repeated. ,W¶VUHpetitive making it sound hypnotic
Four of the ensemble parts play the same riff throughout the piece. Others join in one by one.
Once all the parts have been introduced, the texture remains fairly constant but with use of PANNING
(bass guitars are panned one to the left and one to the right) and INTERVIEWING RHYTHMS, the
texture always seems to be shifting.
Form & Structure
The piece is divided into TWO main sections (A) and (B) with a CODA. The main sections are then subdivided into four smaller
sections, each of which is defined by changes of key and texture.
Instrumentation - 7 electric and 2 bass guitars
The guitar parts enter in the following order: 1. Guitar 1; 2. Live Guitar; 3. Guitar 2; 4. Guitar 3; 5. Guitar 4 6. Bass Guitars 1 and 2;
7. Guitar 5; 8. Guitar 6; 9. Guitar 7
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