Tower Of Song

Tehillim (ECM, 1982) is a piece of music by American composer Steve Reich, written in 1981 and recorded by his own ensemble. The title comes from the Hebrew word for "psalms", and the work was the first major composition by Reich to reference explicitly his new-found interest in his Jewish heritage, and his Judaism as such. Typically, Reich's music is characterised by a steady pulse and the repetition of a comparatively small amount of melodic material emanating from a clear tonal centre (a style of writing which is called 'minimalist'). Quotes taken from the liner notes written by the composer, Steve Reich, include: 'The use of extended melodies, imitative counterpoint, functional harmony and full orchestration may well suggest renewed interest in Classical, or more accurately Baroque, and earlier Western musical practice. The non-vibrato, non-operatic vocal production will also remind listeners a singing style derived from outside the tradition of 'Western Art Music'. (...) Tehillim may thus be heard as traditional and new at the same time'