Steve Reich- Electric Counterpoint Flashcards
Date and genre
1987
Minimalism
The melodies are made up of…
Cells/ motifs which are repeated and played on top of each other
Melody: The live guitar plays ….
The resultant melody which is the melody that come about when different melodies are played at the same time
Melody: Motifs grow slowly through….
Note addition
Melody: a new melodic idea is introduced using…
Strummed chords
The harmony is…
Diatonic and uses the aeolian mode
Tonality: the tonality at the beginning is…
Ambiguous
Bar 33 defines the key as….
E minor
Tonality: the tonality changes between…
E minor and C minor
Tonality: the music can be regarded as…
Modal
Tonality: chord sequences are introduce which are…
C Bm E5, C D Em and C D Bm
The texture is…
Contrapuntal
Texture: it is … at the beginning
Monophonic
Structure: the sections are divided by…
Changes in key and texture
Why could it be considered ternary form?
Ends with a coda which returns the first motif
Rhythm: the metre changes from…
3/2 to 12/8 in the B section
Rhythmically complex with…
Much syncopation
Melody (5)
Melody made up of motif with are repeated and layered on top of each other
The motifs grow through note addition
The live guitar plays the resultant melody
There is a 4 part guitar canon
A new melodic idea is introduced using strummed chords
Tonality (4)
The tonality at the beginning is ambiguous until bar 33 when it is defined as Em minor
There are frequent changes between Eminor and Cminor
It can be regarded as modal
Chord sequences are introduce - C Bm E5m, C D Em, C D Bm
Texture (4)
The texture is contrapuntal
Built up in layers starting monophonic at the beginning
Use of interlocking/ interweaving rhythms
Texture thins out at the end of the piece
Structure (3)
2 main section with each divided into 4 smaller sections
The sections are defined by the changes in key and texture
Could be considered as ternary form as it ends with a coda which returns to the original key and first motif
Rhythm (4)
Changes in metre between 3/2 and 12/8
Rhythmically complex with much syncspation
Rhythmic counterpoint
Displaced accents
