Steve Reich's Phase Music Reconsidered

Sean Atkinson, University of Texas at Arlington

Considerable amounts of research have been published on the metrical aspects of phasing in Steve Reich's music. Previous work by Warburton (1988), Cohn (1992), and Roeder (2003) detail not only a way to accurately describe the process of phasing, but also describe the effect the phasing has on the listener. Little research, however, has focused primarily on melodic and harmonic concerns in these works. Quinn (1997) applies a "fuzzy" conception of contour theory to phase music, and Woodley (2007) reveals that local voice-leading patterns mimic those of common-practice tonal music. This presentation seeks to build on these studies and reconsider how Reich's use of phasing directly informs the harmonic trajectory of the music. Though the technique of melodic phasing is similar from piece to piece, two distinct ways of engaging with harmony unfold. The first uses melodies and phasing to create a large-scale tonal progression over the course of the work. In Nagoya Marimbas (1994), short melodic patterns suggest local harmonies, which then contribute to a background tonal structure. The second reveals that the melodic phasing is but a single process that interacts with a separate and independent harmonic process, the two of which combine to create a large "counterpoint" of processes. In the first movement of Electric Counterpoint (1987), a harmonic process initiates the music, followed by a melodic process, after which the two combine and end the movement. This meta-process, which governs the smaller melodic and harmonic processes, along with the tonal voice-leading paradigms heard in Nagoya Marimbas, might be fruitful ways of engaging other phase-shifting music by Reich specifically and in phase music more generally.