Skip to main content

Reich

 Steve Reich

“Different Trains“

 This piece of music was packed with emotions. For me, this was out of all the pieces we listened to during the course the one that stuck with me. I don’t really know how to start. I have to say that I found it very hard to really grasp all of the emotions and to differentiate especially between the first and the second “train“ as the transitions were very seamless. However, I felt that the piece started off happy and light, maybe a bit hectic and I asked myself if I felt a glimpse of fear coming through. I was very thankful for the voices as they, in a way, guided me through the history and through the music piece first and foremost. I was wondering if the melody was composed around the voices and the sounds of the train of if it was the other way around. The voices themselves sounded very serious and sad, sometimes even fearful and in a way melodic: “one of the fastest trains“, “from Chicago to New York“, or “the war was over“. The voices were repeated and I felt like that made them more intimidating and kinda felt like a warning.

            When the piece continues to the second “train“ I felt that the melody gets more dramatic, more fearful, and impressive. Tension is built and it feels very dark to me. I even got goosebumps at some point. The train horns almost sounded like screams to me and I thought I recognized some sirens?

            The last part in a way sounded hopeful to me. However, there was a feeling of loss due to the voice that said: “there was a girl that had a beautiful voice“. I found interesting that the ending sounded like it was repeating the beginning of the piece with the same melody and the same voices. I was wondering what that should imply.

            I felt that there was a certain sadness to the whole piece.  I know that it is a political pice of music and I would argue that one is definitely able to feel and experience that.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops III

  The Disintegration Loops is a quartet of albums published in 2002 and 2003 by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. The pieces are made up of tape loop recordings that were played over time, with noise and crackles rising as the tape deteriorated. Basinski noticed this effect when attempting to convert his older recordings to digital format. The completion of the recordings coincided with the September 11, 2001 events, which Basinski witnessed and adds a deeper meaning to the composition. The composition is fascinating in many ways and makes the listener lose track of time. The tape loop recording had a very calming effect on me and put me in a trance-like state when I listened to it in its entirety. The tape loop is really soothing, so much so that I didn't even notice the loss of quality when I first listened to it. It makes you forget about time and allows you to really get into the piece capturing the calmness it exudes. You forget or don't really notice how i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pierre Schaeffer - Étude pathétique

  Pierre Schaefer begins the piece with sounds produced by drums and similar percussion instruments. One hears the sound of an object spinning and then coming to a stop. I assume it is a circular object, like a cymbal or hi-hat of a drum kit, that spins until it comes to a stop. Sounds of a locomotive follow, continuing with a mixture of drums and spinning objects as well as voices. There are slight parallels here with another piece by Schaeffer, "etude aux chemins de fer," in which he has the musical piece consist of sounds of trains and locomotives. I also recognize an accordion and a violin playing rapidly, accompanied by human sounds that are not really decipherable. By combining all these background sounds and using human voices, Schaeffer creates an exciting atmosphere while listening to the piece, and the listener's auditory senses are constantly challenged to decipher all the details of the sounds. At times one could be reminded of a scene from a scary movie, at l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pauline Oliveros – The Goddard in the Dan Harpole Cistern

  After watching Dan Harpole's film of Goddard in the Cistern, one is struck by how creepy the location appears and feels. In the light, you can just make out a lengthy ladder leading down into a concrete-walled area. It's absolutely dark, with only the top hatch and a small lamp providing lighting. This sequence accounts for a significant portion of the plot. Three persons are seen climbing up and down the ladder, which might be regarded the music piece's official start. Additionally, while the name "Dan Harpole Cistern" suggests a vast space, it appears to be a homemade video. A hum and other vocal noises travel across the room, bouncing off the walls. The women's voices generate a hum that contributes to the room's unique feel. The beautiful singing is interrupted by metal fragments falling on the floor. One would ask how much thought went into the sounds, given that the majority of them appear to be chosen at random. The emphasis is not on making sound...
Post a Comment
Read more