Home → Steve Reich → Music for 18 Musicians
Music for 18 Musicians
Classical · 1998 · 14 tracks · 1h 7m

Music for 18 Musicians

Steve Reich

A fifty-five minute cycle of interlocking pianos and marimbas. Shimmering, mathematical, and deeply human, it defines the peak of American minimalism.

March 31, 1998 · Nonesuch

Find on Amazon

A shimmering, mathematical serenity that feels both mechanical and deeply human.

Moments Worth Listening For
The initial transition from the opening Pulses into Section I where the steady marimbas first lock into their groove.
The way the female voices swell and fade in Section VI, mimicking the natural rise and fall of a deep breath.
The final return to the opening harmonic cycle in the closing Pulses, providing a sense of mathematical and emotional resolution.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Music for 18 Musicians sound next to the rest of Steve Reich's catalogue?

Breathy+2.9σ

The vocals lean far further into breathy than the rest of the catalogue.

Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →