Steve Reich utilized phasing to provide a clear representation of polyphony. In the first section of “Piano Phase”, both sets of pianos utilize the same six note figure (which forms a fourth inversion of a b minor chord) over and over again; this figure establishes the first form as being a section of a polyphonic piece that starts off as heterophonic. However, over the course of the first form, the second piano constantly raises the tempo of the piece until the melody aligns itself with the first piano one note ahead.
Figure 2
As shown in Figure 2, the second piano speeds up the initial melody until the second note of the melody lines up with the first line of the first piano’s melody. By accomplishing this feat, Reich is able to create polyphony out of a heterophonic first section. In addition to the creation of polyphony out of heterphony, Reich also utilizes the actual shifting occuring during the second piano’s accelerando to create sub-patterns from the two melodies at different tempos – in other words, Reich creates polyphony from a heterophonic section. However, due to the nature of the sheet music, one requires an audio recording of the piece in order to truly understand how the transition from measure to measure produces polyphony. The second and third forms (shown in Figures 3 and 4) start out as polyphonic and continue to remain polyphonic throughout the remainder of the piece. However, the two sections are not polyphonic in a traditional sense. Instead of playing different rhythms, each piano part plays an identical sixteenth note figure that is layered on top of each other to create complexity from simplicity.
As shown in Figure 2, the second piano speeds up the initial melody until the second note of the melody lines up with the first line of the first piano’s melody. By accomplishing this feat, Reich is able to create polyphony out of a heterophonic first section. In addition to the creation of polyphony out of heterphony, Reich also utilizes the actual shifting occuring during the second piano’s accelerando to create sub-patterns from the two melodies at different tempos – in other words, Reich creates polyphony from a heterophonic section. However, due to the nature of the sheet music, one requires an audio recording of the piece in order to truly understand how the transition from measure to measure produces polyphony. The second and third forms (shown in Figures 3 and 4) start out as polyphonic and continue to remain polyphonic throughout the remainder of the piece. However, the two sections are not polyphonic in a traditional sense. Instead of playing different rhythms, each piano part plays an identical sixteenth note figure that is layered on top of each other to create complexity from simplicity.
Figure 3
Figure 4
In addition to the polyphony, the layered melodic figures stacked on top of each other produces a muddy texture. This is mainly because of the pianos playing their parts simultaneously and in a cyclical manner. Furthermore, the overlaying fluctuation of each part creates various sub-patterns – rhythms which are produced by two parts with different tempos. As a result, it becomes almost impossible to pick out which player is maintaining a constant tempo and which is slowly accelerating.
In “Manuk Rawa”, the piece repeated utilizes both heterophony and polyphony to demonstrate the cyclical nature of the music. Gamelan gong kebyar is well-known for its cyclical approach to creating music and its lack of chords. At the very beginning of the piece, the first melody and its variations are stated and expanded on throughout the first section of the gamelan – known as the kawitan. In the beginning, the metallophones regress into heterophony in the melodic line while at the beginning of the first melody line, the metallophones play parts that truly represent the cyclical nature of the piece. However, the remainder of the melodic section remains polyphonic, similar to Piano Phase’s mostly polyphonic texture.
Furthermore, the instrumentation of the gong kebyar ensemble also plays a key role in the development of texture in “Manuk Rawa”. The main metallophone section – which consists of various metallophones known as gangsa – serves as the main melody of the piece. Due to the sheer amount of gangsa present in the ensemble, the section is responsible for the interlocking present in the piece. The drummers are mainly used to serve as a constant beat while the suling – a bamboo aerophone – provides additional ornamentation to the melody.
In addition to the polyphony, the layered melodic figures stacked on top of each other produces a muddy texture. This is mainly because of the pianos playing their parts simultaneously and in a cyclical manner. Furthermore, the overlaying fluctuation of each part creates various sub-patterns – rhythms which are produced by two parts with different tempos. As a result, it becomes almost impossible to pick out which player is maintaining a constant tempo and which is slowly accelerating.
In “Manuk Rawa”, the piece repeated utilizes both heterophony and polyphony to demonstrate the cyclical nature of the music. Gamelan gong kebyar is well-known for its cyclical approach to creating music and its lack of chords. At the very beginning of the piece, the first melody and its variations are stated and expanded on throughout the first section of the gamelan – known as the kawitan. In the beginning, the metallophones regress into heterophony in the melodic line while at the beginning of the first melody line, the metallophones play parts that truly represent the cyclical nature of the piece. However, the remainder of the melodic section remains polyphonic, similar to Piano Phase’s mostly polyphonic texture.
Furthermore, the instrumentation of the gong kebyar ensemble also plays a key role in the development of texture in “Manuk Rawa”. The main metallophone section – which consists of various metallophones known as gangsa – serves as the main melody of the piece. Due to the sheer amount of gangsa present in the ensemble, the section is responsible for the interlocking present in the piece. The drummers are mainly used to serve as a constant beat while the suling – a bamboo aerophone – provides additional ornamentation to the melody.