I listened to Clapping Music by Steve Reich (YouTube, 2015). There are two performers in this piece who are repeatedly clapping the following rhythm:

The instrument choice is very interesting as it brings the listener back to the beginning of music history, where people used the simplest tools to create music. I can hear the original motif clearly in spite of the interference from the other player.

This music has a polyrhythmic effect. It began as a unison where the two performers clapping the same rhythm. After several repeats, one player advances by a quaver and repeats the process until eventually the two rhythms coincide again. When the pattern shifts, a series of interlocking rhythms emerge, creating great variety. Furthermore, there is a sense of balance in the whole piece, between the resulting variations, as they create and release rhythmic tension. The other performer remains playing the pattern without shifting.

This piece does not lack musical interest. First, Clapping Music constitutes a synthesis and a refinement of Reich’s ideas through a piece with very few elements, but very well combined. Secondly, it enjoys a profound metrical ambiguity (something very common to Reich’s pieces) as well as a great deal of interlocking rhythmic patterns.

References

Your Bibliography: YouTube. (2015). Steve Reich & Wolfram Winkel – Clapping Music (Scrolling). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH1j06bMHDQ [Accessed 16 Aug. 2019].