Paul Sacher Foundation Acquires Steve Reich Collection

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(December 2008)

The Paul Sacher Foundation has entered into an agreement with the American composer Steve Reich (b. 1936) to take over his musical archive. The working papers of this internationally renowned artist will shortly be made accessible to scholars at the Foundation's premises in Basel.

The Steve Reich Collection at the Paul Sacher Foundation covers the composer's entire oeuvre, from his dodecaphonic early works to his very latest creations, such as Daniel Variations (2006) and Double Sextet (2007). In addition to letters, sound recordings, manuscripts from various stages in the creative process, and other documents, special importance attaches to his many audio and program files, which capture various working layers in the music of a composer to whom computers, synthesizers, and samplers have long been standard compositional tools.

Born in New York, Reich took lessons in piano and drums at an early age and studied philosophy and music at Cornell University from 1953 to 1957. He continued his musical training by studying privately with Hall Overton and enrolling in the composition program at Juilliard (1959-61), where one of his teachers was Vincent Persichetti. In 1961 he transferred to Mills College in Oakland, CA, to complete his studies with Luciano Berio. During the 1960s, he and others developed a tonally centered musical language that stood in stark contrast to the then prevalent serial music, but was wholly original in character and fabric. This language made history under the label of minimalism, and its impact can still be felt today.

Reich's early experiments with tape loops and phase shifts led him to work with repeating rhythmic-melodic cells ("patterns"), which were developed and modified in a "gradual process." Repeating elements and contrapuntal processes were a feature of his early work. Starting in 1966 he formed his own ensemble, Steve Reich and Musicians, with which he has toured the world. His early influences included Stravinsky, Bartók, Perotin, J.S.Bach, African rhythms, Balinese Gamelan, Hebrew chant, Miles Davis, drummer Kenny Clark, John Coltrane and others. Over the years his music has significantly expanded harmonically and in terms of instrumentation. Recently, he and his collaborator, the video artist Beryl Korot, have created music and digital video works that open new possibilities for music/media theater.

Further information on the Paul Sacher Foundation:
www.paul-sacher-stiftung.ch

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