Reich

 

Steve Reich's "It's Gonna Rain" is a minimalist composition that was first performed in 1965. The piece is centered around a short fragment of a recorded speech by a Pentecostal preacher that Reich found while walking in the streets of San Francisco. The preacher is heard shouting the phrase "It's gonna rain" repeatedly, and Reich uses this fragment as the basis for the entire piece.

The composition is divided into two parts, each featuring different treatments of the original recording. In the first part, Reich loops the preacher's voice, creating a dense, layered texture that gradually builds in intensity. The preacher's words become obscured and abstracted as they are repeated and layered on top of one another. In the second part, Reich isolates a single phrase from the recording and manipulates it using tape delay and other effects. This creates a hypnotic, trance-like effect, as the phrase is echoed and repeated over and over again.

To me, "It's Gonna Rain" feels like a meditation on repetition and rhythm. The looping of the preacher's voice creates a sense of endless repetition, like a mantra that never ends. The gradual layering of the loops creates a hypnotic effect that draws the listener in and makes it hard to focus on anything else. The use of delay and other effects in the second part of the piece adds to this sense of hypnotic repetition, as the same phrase is echoed and repeated in a never-ending cycle.

The composition also has a mechanical quality to it that reminds me of the sound of a washing machine or other repetitive household appliance. The insistent rhythm and repetitive nature of the piece feels like the relentless ticking of a clock or the steady whirring of a machine. The loops and repetitions create a sense of predictability and routine, which is both soothing and unsettling at the same time.

Finally, "It's Gonna Rain" is an interesting and hypnotic composition that explores the power of repetition and rhythm. While the piece may not be to everyone's taste, it is an excellent example of minimalist music and the creative possibilities of using found sounds in composition. The piece challenges the listener to focus on the nuances of sound and rhythm, and rewards close attention with a mesmerizing and immersive listening experience.