Musical Minimalism: Steve Reich and Electric Counterpoint

In the Post-War era, there were a number of musicians exploring radically new techniques to push the boundaries of musical thought, and produced strikingly original new genres. In the world of classical music, a new genre spawned in the 1960s that would prove to have lasting cultural impact. This genre is known as Minimalism.

Minimalist music can be described as a work that relies on taking a somewhat short musical idea and repeating it. That idea is then gradually changed over time, and new elements are very slowly introduced. The result can be mesmerizing, like the musical equivalent of looking through a kaleidoscope, watching an ever-changing symmetrical pattern of light and color.

Minimalist music comes into being alongside the proliferation of magnetic tape technology, which became increasingly cost-effective through the 1950s. In music studios, composers experimented with clipping recorded samples and creating loops. They also played with the idea of gradually changing the play speed of those tapes, which would shift the musical samples in and out of alignment. Steve Reich’s “Piano Phase” is an interesting example of this technique.

Some of these pieces might better be described as “sound experiments” rather than music, as they were not always very pleasant. In fact, some could be quite maddening (I’ve never been a fan of Terry Riley’s “In C,” for example). Some would unfold over an extremely long time, in excess of twenty of thirty minutes. One composer named John Cage, known for his frankly ridiculous musical novelty, composed a piece called “Organ2/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible),” which is written to last 639 years. A special mechanical organ was constructed to play the piece in Halberstadt, Germany, and actually began the piece in 2001. The last change in the piece occurred in 2024.

One of the more engaging pieces, however, is a work called Electric Counterpoint (1987) by Steve Reich. Counterpoint is a musical technique in which at least two distinct parts are performed simultaneously and interact with each other. It is a technique made famous in the 18^th century by composers like J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel, although the technique has been around since at least the 15^th century. Electric Counterpoint is performed with a live guitarist and up to fourteen prerecorded tracks. In the third movement, a short musical idea is introduced alone and then additional layers are gradually introduced. The layering effect creates an entrancing musical environment that lasts about four and a half minutes.

Minimalist techniques continued to evolve in the classical music world, exploring unique applications in melody, rhythm, harmony, and technology. Some are exceptionally beautiful; others might make your ears bleed. They also spread throughout popular genres, especially in the world of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). With today’s music production technologies, creating your own kaleidoscope of musical experience has never been easier, and it’s a great way to explore the space without necessarily needing a strong background in music theory or performance.