1. Electric Counterpoint
Steve Reich

2. Learning Objectives To listen to Electric Counterpoint with the score
To learn about the development of minimalism
To be able to name some minimalist composers
To learn some key words:
Ostinato
Cell
Phasing

3. Listen
Recording on the VLE

4. Discuss What is the mood? How does the music create this mood?
Was the score difficult to follow?
Why?
What are the main features of this piece?

5. 20th Century Music Listen to these 4 extracts
Use of textures (homophonic… etc.)
How complex it is
Tonality (diatonic/chromatic… etc.)
Mood
Put them in chronological order

6. Minimalism Romanticism (Late 19th Century) Tonal harmony Expressive
Expressionism and Serialism (Early 20th Century)
Atonal and dissonant
Extremely detailed and complex
Experimentalism (1930s)
Strange ways of playing instruments
Weird scores Aleatoric
Minimalism (1950s)
Consonant
Highly repetitive Efficient

7. Some minimalist composers
La Monte Young
Terry Riley
Philip Glass
John Cage
Steve Reich

8. Clapping Music: Steve Reich

9. Dictionary
Hypnotic quality
Ostinato
Cells
Phasing

10. Plenary What have I learnt this lesson?
Tell the person next to you what you have learnt.
Pretend they don’t know anything about the subject.
Swap over.