Definition

Proper noun * Steve Reich: An American composer, born in 1936, known as a pioneering and influential figure in the development of minimal music (minimalism). His work is characterized by the use of repetitive phrases, steady pulse, and slow harmonic change, often drawing inspiration from non-Western musical structures, jazz, and speech patterns.

Examples of Usage

• Proper noun:
  • The music of Steve Reich is frequently performed by major orchestras and ensembles worldwide.
  • In my music history class, we studied how Steve Reich used phasing techniques in his early compositions.
  • The festival will feature a concert dedicated to the works of Steve Reich.

Advanced Usage

• Reichian (adj): Pertaining to or characteristic of the musical style of Steve Reich.
  • The piece has a distinctly Reichian use of rhythmic patterns and phase shifting.

Variants and Related Words

• Minimalism (n): A major 20th-century musical style characterized by repetition and gradual change, with which Steve Reich is closely associated.
• Phase music (n): A compositional technique, pioneered by Reich, where two identical repeating patterns are played at slightly different speeds, causing them to go "in and out of phase."

Synonyms

• Composer
• Minimalist composer

Related Idioms and Phrases

• In the style of Reich: Describing music that employs repetitive structures and phasing techniques reminiscent of Steve Reich's work.
  • The young composer wrote a piece very much in the style of Reich.

Noun

1. United States composer (born in 1936)