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Julius Eastman

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The Steve Reich piece we listened to last week reminded me of Julius Eastman, another minimalist composer, though much less successful than Reich, possibly for being black and gay.  Like Reich, he uses repetition and gradual evolution of motifs, though I think that in Eastman’s pieces theres more of a palpable sense of pain/tension than in Reich’s.  ‘Stay on it’ is one of my favourites, it’s very upbeat, but the refrains gradually get interrupted and eventually breakdown into a beautiful mess. To me it’s about one’s focused attention by anxiety, outside forces.


Stay on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X3j_76VBvI

Also an interview where he talks about his composition and use of racial slurs in titles, which upset some white people

Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2XtFZMpwm0&t=172s

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