“A late evening in Brussels, 1972, Steve Reich attends an ill-performed night of flamenco in a cheap nightclub. He and his ensemble deride the playing, grimace through the singing but are suddenly struck by a moment of epiphany as the dancers bring hands together in the corrillo for a section of Palmas.
Walking out into the streets, Reich and crew began clapping, immediately attempting the phasing strategy that had brought the composer such focused attention in the period. A score for the body was written, a piece without need for amplification or any of the accoutrement of percussive performance.”… and the clapping music was born.