STEVE REICH: Tehillim (1981), performed by the Schönberg Ensemble. (Part 2)
Part II: Fast
In Part II, the voices sing in unison, rather than in counterpoint. The voices continue to develop long flowing melodies without much repetition. Also, there is a brief section in which the ensemble plays a melody rather than just its usual accompanying harmonic emphases. The syncopated rhythms of the percussion sound a lot like those in “Clapping Musicâ€.
The melodies in this part don’t have so much of the church sound that is present in Part I. From listening to Early Works, there was no reason to think that Reich might have a gift for melody, but this part shows that he indeed does.