Jacob's Ladder (Paperback)

Steve Reich

ISBN 13: 9798350132519

Published by Boosey & Hawkes Inc, 2025

About this Item

Paperback. (Boosey & Hawkes Scores/Books). Jacob's Ladder cries out for commentary. The imagery is compelling yet wide open. William Blake drew it as a winding staircase; you can see ladders all over Bruegel's "Tower of Babel." There are mysterious ladders in late Phillip Guston paintings. There are all kinds of interpretations of ladders. Powerful images originate from everyday objects and radiate out to infinity. When I first approached writing the piece, it seemed that the most obvious musical analogue to a ladder was a scale. (Incidentally, the word 'Sulahm' in Hebrew is used for both 'ladder' and 'scale.') What followed was a lot of wasted time trying to rewrite Hanon and other exercise books. I finally realized, any melodic movement - up, down, or held - can find its analogy on a ladder. Sometimes one only goes up a few rungs to reach something and then descends, or perhaps climbs higher, pauses, and then descends pausing at each rung on the way down. That got me out of the trap of thinking only in terms of scales, and into a frame of mind where everything I composed was totally intuitive, yet still a connection between heaven and earth. There are four short sections - exposition, if you like - on each of the four lines of text I mentioned and then four longer sections elaborating on and developing those first four. What's particularly interesting to me in these much longer sections is that they are mostly instrumental music. The instrumental music interprets the movement of messenger/angels going up, down, or pausing on a ladder (or ladders) between heaven and earth; a musical interpretation without words. Probably as a result of thinking of the 'notes as messengers, ' I ended up with a little more than half the music purely instrumental. The voices return at length, however, in the final section. The constant 16th-note pulse slows to eighths and finally to quarters as the voices and instruments broaden out to a still, held point at the end. -Steve Reich, 2023 Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9798350132519

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Jacob's Ladder (Paperback)
• Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Inc
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798350132519
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A Visionary Composition by Steve Reich for Voices and Chamber Ensemble * Jacobs Ladder by Steve Reich explores profound themes of ascent, descent, and reflection through a uniquely intuitive minimalist language. Scored for voices and chamber ensemble, this full score offers performers a dynamic and thought-provoking work shaped by imagery drawn from sacred texts and visual art. * * Symbolism in Structure and Sound * Inspired by interpretations of the biblical ladder, Reichs composition integrates repeated rhythmic patterns and melodic shifts to symbolize messengers traversing between heaven and earth. With four brief expository sections followed by four expansive instrumental developments, the piece builds gradually, reaching a serene resolution where voice and instrument converge in stillness. * * Essential for Performers, Scholars, and Music Educators * This publication is ideal for contemporary ensembles, university music programs, and fans of minimalist composition. It is not only a compelling performance piece but also a valuable study resource and music teacher resource. A thoughtful gift for pianists, conductors, and composers interested in modern vocal-instrumental repertoire.