Steve Reich's 6 favorite books
The American composer recommends works by Igor Stravinsky, Herman Melville, and more.

Steve Reich, a pioneer of the minimalist movement in contemporary classical music, has been widely described as America's greatest living composer. In his new book, Conversations, he revisits his career in dialogue with friends and collaborators.
Poetics of Music by Igor Stravinsky (1942).
I read this when I was 17 and totally taken with Stravinsky's music. He clarifies his admiration for structure and clarity in the work of Bach and Haydn, and his reservations about Wagner. Perhaps most provocative are his views on artistic freedom: "The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one's self of the chains that shackle the spirit." Buy it here.
Conversations With Igor Stravinsky by Robert Craft (1959).
Craft's questions to Stravinsky are answered energetically, with detail about his relationships with Debussy, Ravel, Nijinsky, and others. I found these conversations a real education about the world in which the music I love was created. Buy it here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The New Bach Reader by Hans T. David et al. (1998).
A marvelous book, full of anecdotes in original letters and other family papers of Bach and his contemporaries. Requests for more musicians, firewood, and money indicate some practical realities in the life of perhaps the greatest composer in all of Western music. Buy it here.
Culture and Value by Ludwig Wittgenstein (1980).
A collection of remarks on subjects that range widely: religion, art, music, being Jewish, the nature of science, and more. I've periodically been absorbed in Wittgenstein since I was 17 and have set two of his remarks to music: "How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life" and "Explanations come to an end somewhere." Buy it here.
The Desert Music by William Carlos Williams (1954).
I bought my first William Carlos Williams book when I was 16 and continued reading one book after the other. For me, his greatest poetry was written during his last 10 years, including poems in this collection. I've set several of them for chorus and orchestra. Buy it here.
'Bartleby the Scrivener' by Herman Melville (1853).
Not musical, but set in my Lower Manhattan neighborhood. Melville writes here about Wall Street. A legal scribe decides he would "prefer not to" work, but never leaves the office until he is finally removed and gently put in prison, and slowly wastes away. Mysterious and unforgettable. Buy it here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
-
Another name for the Gulf of Mexico | May 17 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons feature a new Air Force One, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and 'undocumented' immigrants.
-
5 jumbo-sized political cartoons about Qatar's 'gift' to Trump
Cartoons Editorial cartoons feature artists' takes on Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East.
-
Broccoli and cashew stir-fry recipe
The Week Recommends This nutty dish is a satisfying vegetarian option
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more
-
Laurence Leamer's 6 favorite books that took courage to write
Feature The author recommends works by George Orwell, Truman Capote and more
-
Amor Towles' 6 favorite books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Vladimir Nabokov, Jack Kerouac, and more
-
Susan Page's 6 favorite books about historical figures who stood up to authority
Feature The USA Today's Washington bureau chief recommends works by Catherine Clinton, Alexei Navalny, and more
-
Ione Skye's 6 favorite books about love and loss
Feature The actress recommends works by James Baldwin, Nora Ephron, and more
-
Colum McCann's 6 favorite books that take place at sea
Feature The National Book Award-winning author recommends works by Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville, and more
-
Max Allan Collins’ 6 favorite books that feature private detectives
Feature The mystery writer recommends works by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and more
-
John McWhorter’s 6 favorite books that are rooted in history
Feature The Columbia University professor recommends works by Lyla Sage, Sally Thorne, and more