In the 1970s, acclaimed minimalist composer Steve Reich began feeling an urge to understand his ethnic and religious heritage more deeply. He traveled to Israel, where he recorded the singing of Sephardic Jews from various regions in the Middle East, Africa, and India. His explorations eventually culminated in this, one of the most joyful of his compositions. It focuses on passages of praise from the Book of Psalms, and is written for four female voices and a large ensemble of winds, strings, keyboards, and percussion. This 1982 performance by his own ensemble is stunning.