Mallet Quartet
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Mallet Quartet
''Mallet Quartet'' is a composition by Steve Reich scored for two marimbas and two vibraphones, or for four marimbas. It was co-commissioned by the Amadinda Quartet in Budapest, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, by Nexus in Toronto, So Percussion in New York, and Synergy Percussion in Australia. It received its world premiere on December 6, 2009, at the Bela Bartók National Concert Hall in Hungary and its US premiere at Stanford University on January 9, 2010. Structure ''Mallet Quartet'' is in three movements, with its entirety lasting around 14 minutes: # ''Fast'' # ''Slow'' # ''Fast'' The second movement, ''slow'', is one of his most thinly textured works with acoustic instrumentation, as admitted by Reich ''Reich'' (; ) is a German language, German noun whose meaning is analogous to the meaning of the English word "realm"; this is not to be confused with the German adjective "reich" which means "rich". The terms ' (literally the "realm of an emp ... himself. Pe ...
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Steve Reich
Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich describes this concept in his essay, "Music as a Gradual Process", by stating, "I am interested in perceptible processes. I want to be able to hear the process happening throughout the sounding music." To do so, his music employs the technique of phase shifting, in which a phrase is slightly altered over time, in a flow that is clearly perceptible to the listener. His innovations include using tape loops to create phasing patterns, as on the early compositions ''It's Gonna Rain'' (1965) and '' Come Out'' (1966), and the use of simple, audible processes, as on ''Pendulum Music'' (1968) and ''Four Organs'' (1970). The 1978 recording ''Music for 18 Musicians'' would help entrench minimalism as a movement. Reich's work took o ...
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Marimba
The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre of the marimba is warmer, deeper, more resonant, and more pure. It also tends to have a lower range than that of a xylophone. Typically, the bars of a marimba are arranged chromatically, like the keys of a piano. The marimba is a type of idiophone. Today, the marimba is used as a solo instrument, or in ensembles like orchestras, marching bands (typically as a part of the front ensemble), percussion ensembles, brass and concert bands, and other traditional ensembles. Etymology and terminology The term ''marimba'' refers to both the traditional version of this instrument and its modern form. Its first documented use in the English language dates back to 1704. The term is of Bantu origin, deriving from the prefix meaning 'many' and ...
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Vibraphone
The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,'' or ''vibist''. The vibraphone resembles the steel marimba, which it superseded. One of the main differences between the vibraphone and other keyboard percussion instruments is that each bar suspends over a resonator tube containing a flat metal disc. These discs are attached together by a common axle and spin when the motor is turned on. This causes the instrument to produce its namesake tremolo or vibrato effect. The vibraphone also has a sustain pedal similar to a piano. When the pedal is up, the bars produce a muted sound; when the pedal is down, the bars sustain for several seconds or until again muted with the pedal. The vibraphone is commonly used in jazz music, in which it often plays a featured role, and was a defining element ...
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Amadinda Percussion Group
Amadinda Percussion Group is a percussion ensemble that was formed in Budapest in 1984 by four musicians, who had just after having graduated from the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music. Since founding the ensemble, their aim has been twofold: to present masterpieces of percussion music unknown to the Hungarian audience, and to perform the music of Hungarian contemporary composers in their country and abroad. One of their principal intentions is to inspire Hungarian and international composers to create new pieces. In recent years, they have also sought to research traditional percussion cultures, to perform original pieces by members of the group, and to transcribe outstanding works for percussion instruments. From the very beginning, Amadinda has cooperated with world-famous artists like John Cage (recording his complete works for percussion), Steve Reich, Bruno Canino, Peter Eötvös, Rosemary Hardy, András Keller, Zoltán Kocsis, György Kurtág, György Ligeti, András Schiff, Z ...
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Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population of 1,752,286 over a land area of about . Budapest, which is both a city and county, forms the centre of the Budapest metropolitan area, which has an area of and a population of 3,303,786; it is a primate city, constituting 33% of the population of Hungary. The history of Budapest began when an early Celtic settlement transformed into the Roman town of Aquincum, the capital of Lower Pannonia. The Hungarians arrived in the territory in the late 9th century, but the area was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241–42. Re-established Buda became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture by the 15th century. The Battle of Mohács, in 1526, was followed by nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule. After the reconquest of Buda in 1686, the ...
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Nexus (percussion Ensemble)
Nexus is a Toronto-based percussion ensemble that performs standard percussion ensemble repertoire, ragtime music, world music, contemporary classical music and as a group, has performed as soloist with some of the top orchestras around the world. The ensemble was originally made up of percussionists Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Robin Engelman, Russell Hartenberger, John Wyre and Michael Craden. Founding member Michael Craden died of liver cancer in 1982. John Wyre died in 2006 and was replaced by long-time professional colleague Garry Kvistad. Robin Engelman resigned from the group in December 2009 due to vision difficulties and died on February 26, 2016. The group formed in 1971 and debuted with a concert of entirely improvised music. In the mid-1970s the group recorded two albums with New Age music pioneer Paul Horn: ''Paul Horn and Nexus'' (1975) and ''Altura Do Sol'' (1976). Nexus played on the soundtrack of the 1974 film '' The Man Who Skied Down Everest'', and appeared in th ...
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So Percussion
Sō Percussion is an American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationally and for their work with composers such as Steve Reich, David Lang, Caroline Shaw, Bryce Dessner, Julia Wolfe, Vijay Iyer, Fred Frith, Angélica Negrón, Nathalie Joachim, Dan Trueman, Tristan Perich, Paul Lansky, Steven Mackey, Shara Nova, Martin Bresnick, Oscar Bettison, Evan Ziporyn, and Arvo Pärt. Originally formed when the members were students of Robert van Sice at the Yale School of Music, the group also continues to play works from the standard repertoire of percussion ensemble music—including works by composers such as John Cage, Julius Eastman, Pauline Oliveros, George Crumb, and Iannis Xenakis. In addition to their work with composers, the members of Sō Percussion produce original music, including large scale evening-length works. ...
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Synergy Percussion
Synergy Percussion is an Australian percussion ensemble A percussion ensemble is a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments. Although the term can be used to describe any such group, it commonly refers to groups of classically trained percussionists performing primarily classical m ... formed as Synergy in Sydney in 1974. They mainly play works composed by others for the group. They marked their 40th year with a performance of a new work by Anthony Pateras, specially commissioned for the occasion. Synergy members have included founders Michael Askill (artistic director for the first 35 years) and Colin Piper. Others include Timothy Constable (artistic director 2009 - 2017), Ian Cleworth (artistic director (2017 -), Rebecca Lagos, Joshua Hill, Bree van Reyk, William Jackson, Mark Robinson, Leah Scholes, Phillip South, Fritz Hauser, Alison Pratt, Jeremy Barnett, Graeme Leak, Alison Eddington, Ian Bloxsom (founder) and Ron Reeves (founder). Discography *''Perc ...
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Bela Bartók National Concert Hall
Bela may refer to: Places Asia *Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India *Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India *Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara * Bela, Dang, in Nepal *Bela, Janakpur, in Nepal *Bela, Pakistan, a town in Balochistan, Pakistan Europe *Bela, Vidin Province, a village in Bulgaria *Bela, Varaždin County, a village in Croatia *Bělá (other), places in the Czech Republic *River Bela, in Cumbria, England *Bela (Epirus), a medieval fortress and bishopric in Epirus, Greece *Bela, a village administered by Pucioasa town, Dâmboviţa County, Romania *Belá (other), places in Slovakia *Bela, Ajdovščina, Slovenia * Bela, Kamnik, Slovenia People *Béla (given name), Hungarian name *Béla of Hungary (other), any of five kings of Hungary to bear that name * Bela (or Belah), the name of three Biblical figures, including ** Bela ben Beor, king of Edom * Bela of Saint Omer (died 1258), Crusa ...
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Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considered among the most prestigious universities in the world. Stanford was founded in 1885 by Leland and Jane Stanford in memory of their only child, Leland Stanford Jr., who had died of typhoid fever at age 15 the previous year. Leland Stanford was a U.S. senator and former governor of California who made his fortune as a railroad tycoon. The school admitted its first students on October 1, 1891, as a coeducational and non-denominational institution. Stanford University struggled financially after the death of Leland Stanford in 1893 and again after much of the campus was damaged by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Following World War II, provost of Stanford Frederick Terman inspired and supported faculty and graduates' entrepreneu ...
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Acoustic Music
Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the advent of electric instruments, such as the electric guitar, electric violin, electric organ and synthesizer. Acoustic string instrumentations had long been a subset of popular music, particularly in folk. It stood in contrast to various other types of music in various eras, including big band music in the pre-rock era, and electric music in the rock era. Music reviewer Craig Conley suggests, "When music is labeled acoustic, unplugged, or unwired, the assumption seems to be that other types of music are ''cluttered'' by technology and overproduction and therefore aren't as ''pure''." Types of acoustic instruments Acoustic instruments can be split into six groups: string instruments, wind instruments, percussion, other instruments, ensemble i ...
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Compositions By Steve Reich
Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include visuals and digital space *Composition (music), an original piece of music and its creation *Composition (visual arts), the plan, placement or arrangement of the elements of art in a work * ''Composition'' (Peeters), a 1921 painting by Jozef Peeters * Composition studies, the professional field of writing instruction * ''Compositions'' (album), an album by Anita Baker * Digital compositing, the practice of digitally piecing together a video Computer science *Function composition (computer science), an act or mechanism to combine simple functions to build more complicated ones *Object composition, combining simpler data types into more complex data types, or function calls into calling functions History *Composition of 1867, Austro-Hungaria ...
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