What if your life got caught in some sort of endless time loop? What if you were forced to live the same day over and over again?

What if your music got caught in some sort of endless time loop? What if you were forced to play the same measure over and over again?

Steve Reich is an American composer best known for his minimalist compositions – put simply, pieces that use a minimal number of musical resources (especially pitch and rhythm). His Piano Phase remains one of the defining pieces of the movement. Two pianists play a short phrase of music over and over again; one speeds up just a tiny bit, and eventually the two pianists are one note off from each other. The same pianist speeds up again, and then they are two notes apart. And so on. Because the piece is so repetitious, a subtle change becomes a tremendous moment.

A marvelously simple piece, fiendishly difficult to perform. This music can put you in a trance, or drive you crazy, or maybe both. But so would living the same day over and over again.

most performances take over 15 minutes … I was very happy to find this 5-minute version!

I want to say as little as possible about today’s piece, only because I’m afraid that I’ll ruin it. Maybe you should listen first, then read:

Christian Zeal and Activity was written by John Adams, a living American composer. It’s very simple (most classify it as minimalist), but it has the ability to strike deep. This 10-minute piece is ONE verse of the hymn, “Onward, Christian Soldiers“, played excessively slow – about 1/12 of the normal tempo. The voice leading is also out of place – for example, the basses might move to the next note five seconds before the melody note gets there, etc. It feels as though time is standing still (or at least going very slowly). About halfway through, a speaking voice enters the music – it’s a recording of an evangelical preacher. Words, sentences are repeated for no particular purpose. Oddly, it is the speaking voice that becomes the melody (there is a melody present in good public speaking – just listen to any successful auctioneer!) while the hymn remains in pseudo-suspended animation.

I’m not really sure what to call this piece – I can’t exactly call it “sacred”. It’s not something you’d hear in church, even though the two major elements of the piece came right out of the Christian church (a preacher and a hymn.)

When I first heard this piece, it had a profound effect on me. I’d love to hear your response to the piece (please comment!), whether positive or negative (or something in between).