A visit to New York is a multi-sensory experience like no other, which is probably why so many comtemporary composers have taken inspiration from its sights, smells and sounds. Here are five of the best pieces of music inspired by New York.
PHOTO: Dllu
1. Steve Reich: “City Life”
This 1995 piece for ensemble and pre-recorded tape uses sampled sounds from New York City, including car horns, door slams, and street chatter, woven into Reich’s signature minimalist style. Reich created “City Life” as a response to the increasingly noisy and chaotic environment of New York City, explaining, in an interview with SoundonSound that: “I go out on the streets with ear plugs now, because the street noises are so loud that I feel that my hearing is adversely affected by them. With all that going on, I thought, ‘hang on, why not bring it into a piece of music?”
2. Julia Wolfe: “Big Beautiful Dark and Scary”
Wolfe wrote this 2002 piece in response to her experience as a witness to the 9/11 tragedy in New York City. She was standing with her young children just two blocks away from the World Trade Center when the events unfolded, and this profound experience deeply influenced the creation of the work. It’s a piece for amplified ensemble, capturing feelings of anxiety and resilience in the aftermath of the attacks.
3. Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story
Next on our list of music inspired by New York is this classic by Leonard Bernstein. Is this the most iconic piece of music inspired by New York? This 1957 musical set in New York’s Upper West Side continues to be widely performed and has influenced many modern composers. Its jazz-influenced orchestrations and Latin rhythms reflect the city’s diverse musical heritage.
4. Christopher Cerrone: “High Windows”
Although the immediate inspiration for this 2013 chamber work came from a poem by Philip Larkin, which reflects on the tumult of youth, it was written for the reverberant space of St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn.This setting not only influenced the acoustical qualities of the piece but also ties the work to the New York area, where Cerrone is based, and evokes imagery of high windows that symbolize both clarity and the vastness of the New York sky.
5. David Lang: “Crowd Out”
David Lang was inspired by the powerful communal singing he observed at an Arsenal F.C. football match, leading him, in 2013, to create this piece for 1000 voices that reflects the collective human voice in various forms—spoken, sung, and shouted. While it is not directly inspired by New York, its themes of urban anonymity and connection resonate in urban settings like New York City, where Lang is based.