The Desert Music is a work of music for voices and orchestra composed by the minimalist composer Steve Reich. It is based on texts by William Carlos Williams and takes its title from the poetry anthology "The Desert Music and Other Poems". The composition consists of five movements, with a duration of about 46 minutes, and in both its tempi and arrangement of thematic material, the piece is in a characteristic arch form (ABCBA). The piece was composed in 1983 and had its world premiere on 17 March 1984 in Cologne, Germany.