Four Organs

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Four Organs is a work for four electronic organs and maracas by Steve Reich.

The four organs, harmonically expound a dominant eleventh chord (D-E-F#-G#-A-B with an E in the bass), dissecting the chord by playing parts of it sequentially while the chord slowly increases in duration from a single 1/8 note at the beginning to 200 beats at the end. The process of increased augmentation is accomplished first by causing notes to sustain after the chord, and then notes start anticipating the chord. As the piece progresses this "deconstruction" of the chord emphasizes certain harmonies; at the climax of the work each tone sounds almost in sequence.

Reich (Cott 1997) describes the piece as "the longest V-I cadence in the history of Western Music" the V (B-D-F#) and I (E-G#-B) chords being contained within the one chord: "You'll find the chord in Debussy and Thelonious Monk - the tonic on top and the dominant on the bottom." A continuous maraca beat serves as a rhythmic framework.

For performances of the piece, Reich recommended using electronic organs with as plain and simple a timbre as possible, without vibrato, to avoid the sound of the instrument itself distracting from the harmonic and rhythmic aspects of the piece. Reich himself employed four Farfisa "mini compact" models.

In an interview with Terry Gross in her NPR program Fresh Air, Reich recounted the controversial public debut of "Four Organs": its unconventional use of repetition and apparent tonal simplicity caused offense among some; one woman rose from the audience, approached the stage, saying "I confess! I confess!"^[1]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Reich, Steve, Hillier, Paul (Editor) (April 1, 2002). Writings on Music, 1965-2000. USA: Oxford University Press, 272. ISBN 0195111710.
• Steve Reich: Works 1965-1995 (Nonesuch 79451-2, 1997), interview with Jonathan Cott, p.33.

[edit] External links

• SteveReich.com (Reich's official web site)