Structure of "Music for 18 Musicians" by Steve Reich (visualization)
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- Опубліковано 2 лип 2023
- Small Dots Ensemble plays "Music for 18 Musicians" composed by Steve Reich in 1976.
Although I used my own interpretation on this visualization, I referred heavily to the analysis of the famous dissertation by Marc Mellits.
Hope you enjoy the differences between each sections.
The text quoted at the ending is a part of "Hojoki, Visions of a Torn World" by Kamo-no Chomei (1155-1216), Japanese Buddhist monk contemporary with Pérotin who Reich mentions in the composer's note for Music for 18 Musicians. I was constantly reminded of this sentence while creating this video.
#SteveReich
#MusicFor18Musicians
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You should be paid for this, this is culturally important no bullshit.
I can’t tell you how much easier it is to understand what’s going on, I’m more of a visual person and having every note appear on time and laying that harmonically on each others makes me appreciate the effort put into creating and performing this masterpiece so much more.
And it’s so visually pleasing
Thank you so much. Your comment cheered me up.
@@smalldotsensemble2058 i wondered if you ever work with outside composers-this is like its own cross-disciplinary artform in its own right
@@stvp68 I had several offers, but they did not materialize due to cost. It takes too long to make.
This rules so hard.
0:00 Title
0:10 Parts and instrument setup
0:30 Pulses I
5:22 Section I
9:04 Section II
12:48 Section IIIA
16:17 Section IIIB
19:43 Section IV
24:56 Section V
29:34 Section VI
34:05 Section VII
37:47 Section VIII
41:25 Section IX
45:39 Section X
46:39 Section XI
51:08 Pulses II
54:23 Quote from "Hojoki, Visions of a Torn World" by Kamo-no Chomei
55:30 End
This feels like a shortcut to the synesthesia I wrought inside my brain through countless hours of bus commuting with this piece, and I’m glad for it, better chance more folks can experience the beauty of it-it’s like a Holodeck Program, a whole pocket universe with its own physical laws and natural beauty and weather patterns.
Thanks for the nice comment!😊
Having loved this music for many years, I can’t tell you how much this meant to me. I was lucky enough to see Steve in London performing this at the Royal Festival Hall, years ago with my late mother. Superb composer. I could listen to part V on a loop forever.
The creator of this video deserves a ticket to Saturn. I only hope that Steve Reich himself know about this extraordinary work. Congrats!
Thank you so much! I hope so, too.
It's awesome how much more understandable and accessible this piece becomes after watching this video
Thanks for making this, I feel like I understand this piece way more now. I'd kill to see a visualizer for Electric Counterpoint
Thanks for watching.
Electric Counterpoint is in the making and I want to finish it.
That's some godlike work, take my like!
I certainly took your like. Thanks!
Finally, you've done it!
I think there is still room for improvement, though...
Please give me your opinion.
Excellent work - you clearly have a depth of understanding of this magnificent piece of music!
Thank you for watching!
This is amazing!!! Thank you so much for doing this piece. You have made me so very happy.
Thank you for watching!
I’m glad to listen to and watch your high-quality video again! (from Japan)
Thanks always for watching!
this is a blessing from God. You have brought me great joy through your efforts!
Thank you so much!
This is absolutely mesmerizing. Feels like I’m hurtling through the Star Gate.
Thank you for watching!
welcome back!
Thanks! I'm back.
This video is a gem!
Thanks!
Hi there! I want to congratulate on this excellent electronic rendition of "18"! I've been hearing this work since 2016 when I discovered it (that's 8 years now!). The visualization helps a lot on what's going on and kudos for that! Having said that, I found a few things in this version:
1. Section 9: Piano 4 player 1 was playing the pattern an octave higher, when it should be lower (bass clef). On Section 10 is when it goes higher
2. Section 1: On the clarinets pulses in mid section ("Pulse A B A B"), I would've let the pulses a little bit longer to make the swelling more effective (a perfect example of this is on the original ECM recording). This also can be applied on all instruments that pulses in mid sections during these Sections.
3. Section 8: You nailed the atmospherical/ethereal sound in this section! Most electronic versions don’t arrive at this type of sound, but you did! 👏👏👏 (this section sounded very similar as Ensemble Modern with Synergy Vocals’ performance in Tokyo, Japan on 2008)
These are my observations based on your interpretation/rendition. Once again, bravo on this rendition of “18”! I hope to see more of Steve Reich in this channel! You have my subscription! 😄
- A fellow Steve Reich fan 🙂
P.S.: the maracas on Sections 6-8 sounds phenomenal! 👌
Thanks for your candid feedback.
I did not notice the mistake in Section IX. I regret it!
I hope you enjoy the other pieces on my channel.
@@smalldotsensemble2058No worries my friend! You did the best you could! After all, transcribing a non stop hour long piece is VERY daunting 😅 Hopefully to see your full rendition of Drumming! 👍🙂
Thank you so much!
Spellbinding! When I start watching this video I just can't stop ':P
YOU'RE BACK!! AYYY
Thanks!
listening / watching while sick is a very nice experience
This is so freaking beautiful.
Thank you!
thank you from the universe
Masterpiece ✨✨✨ thank you so much ❤❤❤
Thank you for watching!
Your videos are absolutely amazing! Thanks so much for sharing them. I’ll be enjoying these for years 😊
Thank you so much!
Congratulations on this interpretation. 😊
Amazing work!!! :)
Merci beaucoup!
This is similar to how I experience sound to shape synesthesia.
pure gold
thanks!
Fantastic! 🙏🏼
Thank you for watching!
What a joy, and such insights! This is just so lovely.
Thanks!
How beautiful it is, amazing！
Thanks! ありがとうございます！
Beautiful as always. I am so pleased to see you're back!
The way you laid out the arch-forms, in particular, is really a blessing!
Thanks always. I had a hard time visualizing the structure of the piece.
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
I can’t believe only this little amount of views for such a great effort of visualisation
Thanks. I don't know how to get more views. Give me some advises if you have.
@@smalldotsensemble2058Change the title to “Composer DESTROYS minimalism”. 😆
Jk but sincerely great video and rendition Ty.
Oh my. Amazing, and also I was going to request you also do Eight Lines, only to see that you already have! Ty!!
Thank you for watching! Eight Lines is my first visualization work.
This is extraordinary - i came across this piece on a BBC documentary - Tones Drones and Arpeggios The Magic of Minimalism ( Charles Hazlewood ) and it led me here and it's magnificent - is this what synesthesia is like ?
Synesthesia is when your brain routes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses, causing you to experience more than one sense simultaneously. Some examples include tasting words or linking colors to numbers and letters.
It's like a whirlpool that draws you in deeper and deeper and then gently lets you go......
Thank you for coming and watching this video.
I will check the BBC docmentary.
Small dots ensembleが帰って来たぞ！
Hey ! That's litterally incredible, It really helps to understand what's going on ! I love it !
How do you make these (the visualization part) ?
Thank you for enjoying!
I made this with the music score, Adobe AfterEffects and a bit of passion.😊
@@smalldotsensemble2058 That's amazing that you're posting these for free, I feel like I should have paid to see this. Don't stop, that's amazingly good !
thank you so much for this. i'm curious, how did you get a hold of that dissertation? i've always been fascinated by this piece and would love to read more analysis of it
I don't remember the url, but I found it through a Google search.
@@smalldotsensemble2058 thanks! i actually just found it through another comment you responded to previously 😅
Put this on the next Golden Record for Voyager
I love this! So cool. As a huge fan of Reich, this being one of my favorites, how could I get a copy of that dissertation you mentioned? As a visual artist working in photography/video, I'd love to read it myself. Any help in this is greatly appreciated!
Thank you for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed.
The dissertation I mentioned is here.
ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/13529
The second half of this dissertation is a discussion of "Music for 18 musicians".
@@smalldotsensemble2058 Thanks so much.
I have been liste it to this piece for over 15 years and as a classically trained composer and musician who studied at the Conservatorium or music in Sydney I have never in my days come across something this detail on the piece. To be honest this goes on in my head because I can hear each instrument due to my training but for other people this is a great help.
Did you do this from a midi file? If so can you message me please. I need to source a midi version for a project. Thank you for this masterpiece.
Thank you for watching!
I'm afraid that I didn't use a midi file for this piece. Every single sound is assigned to each dot to adjust the timing.
@@smalldotsensemble2058 thanks for replying :) so was it a live recording? Or was it imported to a specific program for audio like pro tool or logic? I ask because the instruments sound a bit different to live recordings. Would love to know as I need the individual parts for réorchestration I’m working on.
I use the following method of creation.
First, I prepare sound files for all pitches of each instrument used in the piece such as pf-c4.aif, vn-f#5.aif...
Then, when I create the animation using Adobe AfterEffects, the sound files are applied to every single dot.
See figure.
ibb.co/LpnfMKZ
The beige in the upper half is the dot and the blue in the lower half is the sound.
This way, the dot and the sound are perfectly synchronized.
In my visualization of Double Sextet and Well-Tempered Clavier, I used live recordings by professional performers, but with this method, I have to adjust the timing of each dot to the recording.
You may find some unsynchronized dots in Well-Tempered Clavier.
It is a dilemma because the musical quality will be poor and cannot please your ears with my method.
Pardon my bad English.
@@smalldotsensemble2058 heheh English is perfect! No worries. I’m just not sure how to extract the individual instruments into aif files individually
I use an open-source MIDI sequencer like Aria Maestosa, sometimes sampling from CD's. The maracas sounds in Music for 18 Musicians are from Four Organs.
uau!
Obrigado!
Amazing. Is the music on the video your own performance or did you use a pre-existing recording for this?
Thank you for watching. The music is my own composition. Pardon that it is not so good musically. ;-)
@@smalldotsensemble2058 I'm sorry, do you mean your own performance/interpretation? because "composition" it's supposed to be Steve Reich's. I wonder what it would have sounded like if synthetic, purely electronic sounds had been used instead of sampled instruments. Very interesting visualization, anyway
@@ClaudioCaldini Pardon my English.
Steve Reich composed this and I played it using dots that have each sound.
Very cool! How did you record/create this version of the music? MIDI?
Thank you for watching!
No MIDI used in this piece.
Each sound is assigned to each dot note by note to synchronize with the appearance of the dots.
@@smalldotsensemble2058 Interesting, thanks for responding. Do you mean that you use software specifically designed to do that?
First, I prepare audio files for all pitches used in the piece, using the common MIDI sequencer.
Then, imported them into the motion graphics software Adobe AfterEffects.
brain massage
Drozdovsky train.
Took me a while to figure out the Roman numerals aren’t key areas 😅😅
Perhaps I should have added the word "section".
@@smalldotsensemble2058 It’s a really great visualization-once I understood all your notations onscreen, the structure of the piece became much easier to understand and appreciate! Thank you for this!
Thanks for watching too!
I want to "see" Music For A Large Ensemble......
Thanks for watching.
Music for a Large Ensemble is on my to-do list, so please look forward to it.
Who in this day and age has an attention span long enough for music like this?
I do.
@@johanneskepler873 how old are you?😆
I’m of grandpa age.
@@hermask815 I do too, I'm 16.
jesus that's insane
C'est FOU.
Merci d'avoir regardé !
Oh dear. Where is the music in this farrago ? Horrible
I am sorry I could not show you the music as you wish.
Give me some advise.
@@smalldotsensemble2058nah bro’s just hating. Keep grinding we love your shit
deserves more views
Thanks!