Celebrating minimalist composer Steve Reich

October 2, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Steve Reich turns 90, and Fresh Air marks the occasion by revisiting a 1999 interview in which the composer walked Terry Gross through the key ideas and accidents that shaped his music. Reich is often called a father of minimalism, but the conversation makes clear that his vocabulary emerged less from a theoretical program than from intuition, a drummer’s ear, and a willingness to follow accidents into new territory.

The tape-loop accident that started it

Reich’s first breakthrough piece, It’s Gonna Rain (1965), began with a found sound: a Black Pentecostal preacher called Brother Walter, recorded in San Francisco’s Union Square, delivering a sermon about Noah and the flood. Reich was struck by how the preacher’s speech “hovered between singing and speaking.” Working with tape loops—spliced bits of tape that repeat endlessly—he took a short phrase (“it’s gonna rain”) and set two copies of the loop running in unison, then let one drift slightly ahead of the other by pressing his thumb on the reel. The result was a gradual “phasing” effect: the two voices slid out of sync, creating a shimmering, reverberant texture that kept intensifying the meaning of the words rather than obscuring them.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of Fresh Air

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Introduction & Episode Setup** - Host David B. Cully introduces composer Steve Reich on the occasion of his 90th birthday, noting his influence across classical, electronic, jazz, and pop music.
2 (02:04) **Early Work: "It's Gonna Rain" (1965)** - Reich explains the origin of his first major tape-manipulation piece, rooted in the voice of a Black Pentecostal preacher.
3 (04:36) **"It's Gonna Rain" Clip Played** - The excerpt demonstrates the phasing effect, where the repeated phrase "it's gonna rain" dissolves into a rich, rhythmic texture.
4 (05:32) **Intuition vs. Intellect in Composition** - Terry Gross asks whether Reich's early work was driven by intellectual curiosity or aesthetic excitement.
5 (06:23) **"Drumming" (1971) and African Influence** - Reich discusses his groundbreaking percussion piece, which was inspired by his study of Ghanaian drumming and Balinese gamelan.
6 (09:26) **"Drumming" Second Movement Clip** - An excerpt of "Drumming" is played, featuring marimbas and women's voices.
7 (12:17) **How Long is Long Enough?** - Gross asks how Reich determines the appropriate length for his repetitive, non-narrative pieces.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Terry Gross

Show Notes

Often called one of the fathers of minimalist music, Reich created a vocabulary that has influenced nearly every form of music: Classical, electronic, jazz, and pop. To commemorate his 90th birthday, there are worldwide performances and festivals in his honor, including an upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall. Reich spoke with Terry Gross in 1989 and 1999. We’ll listen back to his compositions, and hear about the sounds that have influenced him – from the rhythms of speech, to African drumming, Jewish cantorial singing and the sound of trains.

Also, Justin Chang reviews the documentary NAZA.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy