Steve Reich was a pioneer in the development of minimalist music in the mid- to late 1960s and has had a tremendous influence on the course of modern music. He is frequently said to be one of America's greatest living composers.
Reich was born in New York City in 1936 to a mother who was a Broadway lyricist. As a child, he took piano lessons and also studied percussion. He minored in music at Cornell University and then enrolled at Juilliard. Subsequently, he went to Mills College in Oakland, California, where he studied composition with Luciano Berio and Darius Milhaud.
His 1976 Music for 18 Musicians was his first attempt at writing for larger ensembles. It is based on a cycle of eleven chords, with a short selection of music based on each chord, after which it finally returns to the original cycle.
His 2003 Cello Counterpoint is a three-movement work is scored for eight cellos. It can be performed either as a cello octet or by a solo cello accompanied by a recording of the other cello parts.
Reich's 2008 2×5 has been described as a rock and roll. It can be performed with two pianos, two drum sets, four electric guitars and two bass guitars, or, alternatively, with five musicians accompanied by a recording of the other instruments.
One of his more recent compositions, his 2012 Radio Rewrite, is the first in which he incorporated material from existing popular music. It has five movements, alternating between fast and slow, and is scored for a flute, clarinet, two violins, viola, cello, two vibraphones, two pianos and electric bass.