''Drumming'' (Reich)

Performance by Kroumata of Drumming at Stockholms konserthus, Stockholm, May 2007

Drumming is a piece by minimalist composer Steve Reich, dating from 1970–1971.^[1] Reich began composition of the work after a short visit to Ghana and observing music and musical ensembles there, especially under the Anlo Ewe master drummer Gideon Alorwoyie. His visit was cut short after contracting malaria. K. Robert Schwarz describes the work as "minimalism's first masterpiece."^[2]

Compositional style

Phasing

The piece employs Reich's trademark technique of phasing. Phasing is achieved when two players, or one player and a recording, are playing a single repeated pattern in unison, usually on the same kind of instrument. One player changes tempo slightly, while the other remains constant, and eventually the two players are one or several beats out of sync with each other. They may either stay there, or phase further, depending on the piece.

Other techniques

K. Robert Schwarz characterized Drumming as a "transitional" piece between Reich's early, more austere compositions and his later works that use less strict forms and structure. Schwarz has also noted that Reich made use of three new techniques, for him, in this work:^[3]

1. "the process of gradually substituting beats for rests (or rests for beats) within a constantly repeating rhythmic cycle", or "rhythmic construction" and "rhythmic reduction"
2. combination of instruments of different timbres at the same time
3. incorporation of human voices in imitation of the sounds of the percussion instruments in the ensemble, including whistling effects

Instrumentation and form

In total, the work requires 9 percussionists. With the additional players, the piece can be performed by 12 or 13 players.

The work falls into four parts, with the following instrumentation used in each:^[3]

• Part One: 4 pairs of tuned bongo drums, played with double-ended wooden sticks (and one male voice, according to the original score)
• Part Two: 3 marimbas, 2 or 3 female voices
• Part Three: 3 glockenspiels, whistler, and piccolo
• Part Four: complete ensemble

The length of the piece can vary widely, as the number of repeats taken on any given measure is up to the performers. Recordings of the piece span between 55 and 84 minutes.

The entire piece is structured around a single repeated rhythm, one measure of 12/8 long. This rhythm is built up note by note, in the "substitution of beats for rests" technique found in other of Reich's works such as Music for Pieces of Wood, Octet, Music for 18 Musicians, and others. After the rhythm is completely built up, two of the players phase to where they are playing the same pattern one quarter-note apart from each other, and the other bongo players play resulting patterns that can be heard as a result of the combination of the phased patterns.

The rest of the piece continues to use the techniques of beat/rest substitution, phasing, and resultant patterns through its four movements. The transitions consist as follows:

• Movement 2 begins by three marimba players playing exactly the same repeated pattern as the bongo players, fading in while the bongo players fade out.
• Movement 3 begins similarly; three glockenspiel players begin doubling the marimbas (which by now are playing in their upper ranges), fading in while the marimbas fade out.
• Movement 4 begins after movement 3 reduces its texture to one glockenspiel player, playing a single repeated note from the original pattern. Marimba and bongo players join, and build the pattern up again, note by note, until all nine percussionists are playing. The piece ends abruptly, on cue.

Analysis of phase timings

These videos illustrate the ebb and flow of synchronization as performed in first part of Steve Reich’s Drumming - an example of phase music. The timing for this visualization was taken from a performance given by Russell Hartenberger and Bob Becker, members of the NEXUS percussion ensemble. Hartenberger premiered the piece in 1971 as a member of Steve Reich and Musicians and published a book on Reich’s music in 2016. Chapter nine of that book (Anatomy of a phase) examines what actually happens when attempting the phasing technique core to this composition.

Hartenberger and Becker (who have performed the piece together hundreds of times previously) attempted the phase while playing on multiple sets of bongos fit with specialized triggers capturing the timing of each note built by . This video depicts a visualization of that data, which can be both seen and heard at either the original tempo or faster/slower.

Collaborations

Choreographers such as Laura Dean, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, and Ginette Laurin have collaborated on dance performances with Reich on Drumming.^[4][5]

Recordings

• 1971 - Gary Burke, Steve Chambers, Ben Harms, Russ Hartenberger, Frank Maefsky, Art Murphy, James Ogden, James Preiss (percussion); Jon Gibson (percussion, piccolo); Steve Reich (percussion, voice, whistling); Jay Clayton, Joan LaBarbara, Judy Sherman (voice) (John Gibson + Multiples Inc. 72-750125; a limited edition of 500 signed and numbered copies with printed and signed score, released in 1972). Recorded on December 16, 1971, live at Town Hall, New York. Duration 1:21:35
• 1974 - Bob Becker, Cornelius Cardew, Steve Chambers, Tim Ferchen, Ben Harms, Russ Hartenberger, James Preiss, Glen Velez (percussion); Steve Reich (percussion, whistling); Leslie Scott (piccolo); Jay Clayton, Joan LaBarbara (voice) (Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Classics 474 323; reissued as part of the 20/21 Echo Series in 2003). Duration 1:24:29.
• 1987 - Steve Reich and Musicians (Nonesuch/Elektra 79170; also included on Steve Reich: Works 1965-1995). Duration 56:42.
• 2002 - Ictus Ensemble (Cypres CYP5608). Duration 54:49.
• 2005 - So Percussion; Eric Lesser (piccolo); Rebecca Armstrong, Jay Clayton (voice) (Cantaloupe Music CA21026). Duration 1:14:02.

See also

• Phasing (music)

References

External links

• "Analysis of Steve Reich's Drumming and his use of African polyrhythms", blog entry
• New Music Box, 9 December 1971 article (web publication on 1 April 2003)