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{{Short description|American composer and performing musician (born 1935)}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2010}}
{{For|the British deaf rights activist and broadcaster|Terry Riley (broadcaster)}}
{{Infobox classical composer
{{Distinguish|Teddy Riley}}
| name = Terry Riley
{{Infobox musical artist
| image =Terry Riley.jpg
| birth_name = Terrence Mitchell Riley | name = Terry Riley
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1935|6|24}} | image = Terry Riley, Tokyo 8 Nov 2017 (cropped).jpg
| birth_place = ], USA | caption = Riley in 2017
| birth_name = Terrence Mitchell Riley
| era = ]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1935|6|24}}
| birth_place = ], US
| years_active = 1950s–present
| instruments = ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
| genre = ], ], ], ], ], ]
| past_member_of = ]
| website = {{Official URL}}
}} }}


'''Terrence Mitchell Riley'''<ref></ref> (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician<ref name="Hooper">{{cite journal|last=Hooper|first=Greg|date=June-July 2006|title=Hear and now: Terry Riley in Australia|journal=RealTime|location=Australia|issue=73|page=33|url=http://www.realtimearts.net/article/73/8136}}</ref><ref name="Examiner">{{cite web|url=<!--blacklisted URL commented out pending whitelisting http://www.examiner.com/article/terry-riley-s-benefit-performance-for-old-first-concerts-->|title=Terry Riley's benefit performance for Old First Concerts|date=2012-03-24|work=Examiner.com|accessdate=23 April 2012}}</ref> intrinsically associated with the ] school of ] and was a pioneer of the movement. His work has been deeply influenced by both ] and ]. '''Terrence Mitchell "Terry" Riley''' (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician<ref name="Hooper">{{cite journal|last=Hooper|first=Greg|date=June–July 2006|title=Hear and now: Terry Riley in Australia|journal=RealTime|location=Australia|issue=73|page=33|url=http://www.realtimearts.net/article/73/8136}}</ref> best known as a pioneer of the ] school of composition.<ref name="AllMusic"/> Influenced by ] and ], his work became notable for its innovative use of ], ] techniques, ], and ]s.<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|last1=Ankeny|first1=Jason|title=Biography|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/terry-riley-mn0000750519|website=]|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref> His best known works are the 1964 composition '']'' and the 1969 album '']'', both considered landmarks of minimalism and important influences on ], ], and contemporary ].<ref name="AllMusic"/> Subsequent works such as '']'' (1980) explored ].<ref name="AllMusic"/>

Raised in Redding, California, Riley began studying ] and performing solo piano in the 1950s. He befriended and collaborated with composer ], and later became involved with both the ] and Young's New York collective, the ]. A three-record deal with ] in the late 1960s brought his work to wider audiences. In 1970, he began intensive studies under ] singer ], whom he often accompanied in performance. He has collaborated frequently throughout his career, most extensively with ] the ] and his son, guitarist ].<ref name="AllMusic"/>


==Life== ==Life==
Riley was born in ] on June 24, 1935,<ref name="AllMusic"/> and grew up in ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Christman |first1=Laura |title=Back to his roots: Music pioneer Terry Riley returns for Redding concert |url=https://archive.redding.com/news/back-to-his-roots-music-pioneer-terry-riley-returns-for-redding-concert-ep-299576668-353858821.html/ |website=] |access-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903215201/https://archive.redding.com/news/back-to-his-roots-music-pioneer-terry-riley-returns-for-redding-concert-ep-299576668-353858821.html/ |archive-date=September 3, 2023 |language=en |date=June 19, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1950s, he began performing as a solo pianist and studied composition at ], the ], and the ], studying with ] and ]. He befriended composer ], whose earliest ] compositions using sustained tones were an influence; together, Young and Riley performed Riley's improvisatory composition ''Concert for Two Pianists and Tape Recorders'' in 1959–60.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=La Monte |title=Notes on The Theatre of Eternal Music and The Tortoise, His Dreams and Journeys |url=http://www.melafoundation.org/theatre.pdf |website=MELA Foundation |access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref> Riley later became involved in the experimental ], working with ], ], ], and ]. Throughout the 1960s, he also traveled frequently in Europe, taking in musical influences and supporting himself by playing in ]s. He also performed briefly with the ] in New York in 1965-1966.
]
Born in ], Riley studied at ], ], and the ] before earning an MA in composition at the ], studying with ] and ]. He was involved in the experimental ] working with ], ], ], and ]. His most influential teacher, however, was ] (1918–1996), a master of Indian classical voice, who also taught ] and ]. Riley made numerous trips to India over the course of their association to study and to accompany him on ], ], and voice. Throughout the 1960s he traveled frequently around Europe as well, taking in musical influences and supporting himself by playing in ]s, until he joined the ] faculty in 1971 to teach Indian classical music. Riley was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Music at ] in 2007.


Riley also cites ] and "the really great chamber music groups of ] and ], ], ], and ]" as influences on his work,<ref>""</ref> demonstrating how he pulled together strands of Eastern music, the Western avant-garde, and jazz. His most influential teacher was ] (1918–1996), a master of Indian classical voice who also taught La Monte Young, ], and ]. Riley made numerous trips to India over the course of their association to study and accompany him on ], ], and voice. In 1971 he joined the ] faculty to teach Indian classical music. Riley also cites ] and "the really great ] groups of ] and ], ], ], and ]" as influences on his work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluefat.com/0912/Terry_Riley2.htm |title=Like a Rainbow in Curved Air: Terry Riley|website=Bluefat.com}}</ref> He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Music at ] in 2007.


Riley began his long-lasting association with the ] when he met founder ] while at Mills. Over the course of his career, Riley composed 13 ]s for the ensemble, in addition to other works. He wrote his first orchestral piece, ''Jade Palace'', in 1991, and has continued to pursue that avenue, with several commissioned orchestral compositions following. Riley is also currently performing and teaching both as an Indian ] vocalist and as a solo pianist. He is married to Anne Riley.<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/1993-01-10/entertainment/ca-1353_1_minimalist-terry-riley</ref> Around 1980, Riley began his long-lasting association with the ] when he met their founder ] while at Mills. Throughout his career, Riley composed 13 ]s for the ensemble, in addition to other works. He wrote his first orchestral piece, ''Jade Palace'', in 1991, and has continued to pursue that avenue, with several commissioned orchestral compositions following. He is also currently performing and teaching both as an Indian ] vocalist and as a solo pianist.


He has a son named Gyan Riley, who is a guitarist.<ref>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104061137</ref> Riley still performs live. He was chosen by ] to perform at the ] festival in May 2011{{Update-small|date=April 2012}}.<ref></ref> Riley continues to perform live, and was part of the ] festival in May 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spin.com/2011/05/10-best-moments-all-tomorrows-parties/|title=The 10 Best Moments Of All Tomorrow's Parties|newspaper=Spin |date=16 May 2011}}</ref>
], San Francisco, 1985]]


==Techniques== ==Techniques==
Riley's music is usually based on improvising through a series of ] figures of ], such as in ''In C'' (1964) and the ''Keyboard Studies''. The first performance of ''In C'' was given by ], ], ], and ]. Its form was an innovation: The piece consists of 53 separate modules of roughly one measure apiece, each containing a different musical pattern but each, as the title implies, in the key of C. One performer beats a steady pulse of ''C''s on the piano to keep tempo. The others, in any number and on any instrument, perform these musical modules following a few loose guidelines, with the different musical modules interlocking in various ways as time goes on. Riley's music is usually based on improvising through a series of ] figures of ]. Works such as '']'' (1964) and the ''Keyboard Studies'' (1964–1966) demonstrate this technique. The first performance of ''In C'' was given by ], ], ] and ]. Its form was an innovation: The piece consists of 53 separate modules of roughly one measure apiece, each containing a different musical pattern but each, as the title implies, in the key of C.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Honigmann|first1=David|title=In C, Barbican, London – review|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/8959b73a-2f30-11e3-ae87-00144feab7de.html |newspaper=]|access-date=28 August 2016}}</ref> One performer beats a steady pulse of ''C''s on the piano to keep tempo. The others, in any number and on any instrument, perform these musical modules following a few loose guidelines, with the different musical modules interlocking in various ways as time goes on.


In the 1950s he was already working with ]s, a technology then in its infancy, and he has continued manipulating tapes to musical effect, both in the studio and in live performance, throughout his career. An early tape loop piece titled ''The Gift'' (1963) featured the trumpet playing of ]. Riley has composed in ] as well as ] pieces. <ref name="holmes" > Holmes, Thomas B. ''Electronic and Experimental Music'', Taylor & Francis (2008) p. 132, 362 ISBN 978-0-415-95781-6 </ref> In the 1950s Riley was already working with ]s, a technology still in its infancy at the time; he would later, with the help of a sound engineer, create what he called a "time-lag accumulator".<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=A History of Video Art|last=Meigh-Andrews|first=Chris|publisher=Berg (Oxford International Publishers)|year=2006|isbn=978-1-84520-219-4|location=New York, NY and Oxford, UK|pages=|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofvideoar0000meig/page/94}}</ref> He has continued manipulating tapes to musical effect, in the studio and in live performances throughout his career. An early tape loop piece titled ''Music for the Gift'' (1963) featured the trumpet playing of ]. It was during Riley's time in Paris, while composing this piece, that he conceived of and created the time-lag accumulator technique.<ref name=":0" /> Premiered in 1968 in the Magic Theatre Exhibition at the Nelson Atkins Gallery in ],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Geoff |last2=Walker-Smith |first2=Nicola |last3=Ward |first3=Phil |date=March 1993 |title=20th Century Americans - Terry Riley (MT Mar 1993) |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/20th-century-americans-terry-riley/2458 |journal=Music Technology |issue=Mar 1993 |pages=78–84}}</ref> a new version of the installation was commissioned three decades later by ]-] and purchased by the ]. A third version was built and presented by the Schauspielhaus in ] in 2019. He has composed using ] as well as ].<ref name="holmes" >Holmes, Thomas B. ''Electronic and Experimental Music'', Taylor & Francis (2008). pp. 132, 362. {{ISBN|978-0-415-95781-6}}.</ref> In New York City in the mid-1960s he played with his longtime friend La Monte Young, as well as with ] and tabla player ], who were founding members of ]. Riley is credited as inspiring Cale's keyboard part on ]'s composition "]", which was sung by German actress ] and included on the album '']'', recorded in 1966.


Riley's famous overdubbed electronic album '']'' (recorded 1968, released 1969) inspired many later developments in electronic music. These include ]'s ] parts on ]'s "]" and "]", the latter named in tribute to Riley as well as to ].<ref>This album also produced the name of psychedelic band ].
Riley's collaborators have included the ], ], the ], and, as mentioned, the ].
{{cite AV media notes

Riley's famous overdubbed electronic album '']'' (recorded 1968, released 1969) inspired many later developments in electronic music, including ]'s ] parts on ]'s "]" and "]", the latter named in tribute to Riley as well as to ].<ref>
{{cite album-notes
|title = The Who: The Ultimate Collection |title = The Who: The Ultimate Collection
|albumlink = The Ultimate_Collection (The_Who_album) |title-link = The Ultimate_Collection (The_Who_album)
|bandname = The Who |author = The Who
|year = 2002 |year = 2002
|notestitle =
|url =
|first =
|last =
|pages = 12 |pages = 12
|publisher = MCA Records |publisher = MCA Records
}}</ref> ], in his BBC documentary on Minimalism (Part 1) suggests that the album ']' by ] was also inspired by Riley's example.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hazlewood|first1=Charles|title=Tones, Drones and Arpeggios: The Magic of Minimalism|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09tbh10/tones-drones-and-arpeggios-the-magic-of-minimalism-series-1-1-california|website=BBC Website|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref> The English progressive rock group Curved Air, formed in 1970, took its name from the album.
}}</ref>


]
Riley's 1995 ''Lisbon Concert'' recording features him in a solo piano format, improvising on his own works. In the liner notes Riley cites ], ], and ] as his piano "heroes," illustrating the central importance of jazz to his conceptions, and his playing bears some notable similarities to that of ]{{Or|date=April 2012}}. (The album title invites this comparison.)

Riley's collaborators have included the ], ], the ], and, as mentioned, the Kronos Quartet. His 1995 ''Lisbon Concert'' recording features him in a solo piano format, improvising on his own works. In the liner notes Riley cites ], ] and ] as his piano "heroes", illustrating the importance of jazz to his conceptions.

==Personal life==
He has three children: one daughter, Colleen,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://larecord.com/interviews/2009/11/19/terry-riley-interview-droning-dark-darkness |title=Terry Riley: Droning Dark Darkness |publisher=] |date=November 19, 2009|first=Dan|last=Collins}}</ref> and two sons, ], who is a guitarist, and Shahn.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2009/05/12/104061137/terry-and-gyan-riley-together-in-c|title=Terry And Gyan Riley: Together IN C|website=Npr.org}}</ref> He was married to Ann Riley until her death in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-10-ca-1353-story.html|title=A Composer on the Edge : Minimalist Terry Riley, on a journey of spiritual and artistic discovery, is deeply moved by the concept of artist-as-madman|first=Howard|last=Hersh|date=10 January 1993|via=LA Times}}</ref>


==Discography== ==Discography==
*1963: '']'' * 1963: ''Music for The Gift'' (Organ of Corti 1, 1963)
* 1965: ''Reed Streams'', Mass Art Inc. M-131
*1964: '']''
* 1967: ''You're No Good'', recorded in 1967 but unreleased until 2000<ref>{{cite web|last1=O'Neal|first1=Sean|title=Terry Riley turns an R&B ditty into 20 minutes of madness|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/terry-riley-turns-rb-ditty-20-minutes-madness-223628|website=Avclub.com|date=12 August 2015 |access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref> (Cortical Foundation / Organ of Corti, 2000)<ref>{{cite web|title=Terry Riley Discography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/terry-riley-mn0000750519/discography|website=AllMusic|access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref>
*1965: '']''
* 1968: ''Germ'', with ] & Martine Joste (Spalax CD 14542, 1998). Includes a ] track.
*1968: '']''
*1970: '']'', with ] * 1968: '']'', Columbia MS7178
*1972: '']'' * 1969: '']'', CBS 64564
*1975: '']'', Kuckucku Records * 1971: '']'', with ] (CBS)
* 1972: ''Happy Ending'' (soundtrack to ]'s film {{lang|fr|Les Yeux Fermés}}), Warner Bros. Records France 46125; {{lang|fr|Les Yeux Fermés}} & Lifespan, for solo electric organ; two soundtracks (2007 reissue)
*1978: '']'' for solo electronic organ tuned in just intonation and modified by digital delay
* 1972: '']'', Shanti 83502
*1984: '']'', a collaboration with the Kronos Quartet
* 1975: {{lang|fr|Le Secret de la Vie}} (''Lifespan'' film soundtrack), Philips France 9120 037
*1985: ''No Man's Land''
* 1975: ''Descending Moonshine Dervishes'', Kuckuck Records
*1986: ''The Harp of New Albion'', for piano tuned in ]
* 1980: '']'', CBS Masterworks M3519, for solo electronic organ tuned in just intonation and modified by digital delay<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/shri-camel-mw0000897951|title=Shri Camel – Terry Riley &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
*1987: '']'', with ] in just intonation
* 1983: ''Songs for the Ten Voices of the Two Prophets'', for two Prophet 5 synthesisers, Kuckuck Records
*1989: '']'' for the ]
* 1984: '']'', a collaboration with the ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/terry-riley-cadenza-on-the-night-plain-mw0000634232|title=Terry Riley: Cadenza on the Night Plain – Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
*1998: Piano Music of John Adams and Terry Riley, performed by ]
* 1984: ''Terry Riley and Krishna Bhatt: Terry Riley and Krishna Bhatt Duo'', a collaboration with ]
*2002: '']'' for the ]
* 1985: ''No Man's Land''
*2004: '']'', with the ], composed for his seventieth birthday, an ode to the rite of ] Eve
* 1986: ''The Harp of New Albion'', for piano tuned in ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-harp-of-new-albion-mw0000086815|title=The Harp of New Albion – Terry Riley &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
*2008: '']'', piano concerto with ] Ensemble
* 1987: '']'', with ] in just intonation<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/terry-riley-chanting-the-light-of-foresight-mw0001812715|title=Terry Riley: Chanting the Light of Foresight – Rova Saxophone Quartet &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
*2010: '']'', the first-ever recordings of two of Riley's early compositions, performed by the Calder Quartet
* 1989: '']'', for the Kronos Quartet<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/salome-dances-for-peace-mw0000680041|title=Salome Dances for Peace – Kronos Quartet &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
*2012: '']''
* 1995: ''In C – 25th Anniversary Concert'', version featuring Riley as one of four vocalists, recorded live January 14, 1990, San Francisco, New Albion Records
* 1995: ''Lisbon Concert'', solo piano concert, recorded live July 16, 1995 Festival dos Capuchos, Teatro São Luis, Lisbon, Portugal., New Albion Records
* 1997: '']'', experimental album recorded with contrabassist ].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.stefanoscodanibbio.com/discography/13.htm |title = Stefano Scodanibbio – Discography}}</ref>
* 1998: Piano Music of John Adams and Terry Riley, performed by ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/piano-music-of-john-adams-terry-riley-mw0001939606|title=Piano Music of John Adams & Terry Riley – Gloria Cheng &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
* 1999: The Book of Abbeyozzud
* 2001: ''] Solo Piano Concert'', recording of a live performance on 18 April 2000
* 2001: '']'', with Riley's tribute to the son of ] performed by the Kronos quartet, and a solo piano improvisation by Riley
* 2002: ''Atlantis Nath'', hand-numbered signed edition of 1000 copies<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/atlantis-nath-mw0000979895|title=Atlantis Nath – Terry Riley &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
* 2003: ''Cantos Desiertos'' (Naxos)
* 2004: ''I Like Your Eyes Liberty'', duets with Terry Riley, piano and ], poetry (Sri Moonshine Music)
* 2004: '']'', with the ], composed for his seventieth birthday, an ode to the rite of ] Eve<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-cusp-of-magic-mw0000583160|title=The Cusp of Magic – Kronos Quartet &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
* 2005: ''Diamond Fiddle Language'' duets with Stefano Scodanibbio, bass (])
* 2005: ''Assassin Reverie'', Arte Quartett, saxophone qt. (])
* 2008: ''Banana Humberto'', piano concerto with ] Ensemble<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/banana-humberto-mw0002109093|title=Banana Humberto – Terry Riley &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
* 2008: ''The Last Camel in Paris'', live solo electric organ performance in Paris, 1978<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/terry-riley-the-last-camel-in-paris-mw0001861476|title=Terry Riley: The Last Camel in Paris – Terry Riley &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
* 2010: ''Two Early Works'', the first-ever recordings of two of Riley's early compositions, performed by the Calder Quartet
* 2010: ''Autodreamographical Tales'' (])
* 2011: ''Keyboard Studies Nos. 1 and 2 / Tread on the Trail'' (])
* 2012: ''Aleph'' (])
* 2015: ''ZOFO Plays Terry Riley'', ZOFO piano duo (Sono Luminus)
* 2015: ''One Earth, One People, One Love: Kronos Plays Terry Riley'', Kronos Quartet (])
* 2015: ''Music Of Terry Riley – Sunrise Of The Planetary Dream Collector'', Kronos Quartet (])
* 2019: ''Sun Rings'', Kronos Quartet (])
* 2019: ''The Lion's Throne'', with singer Amelia Cuni, recorded live (Sri Moonshine Music, SMM008)
* 2019: ''Archangels'', with conductor Julian Wachner, Trinity Choir, Novus Cellos (National Sawdust Tracks)
* 2021: ''Zephyr'', Francesco D'Orazio, violin
* 2022: ''Autodreamographical Tales'', transcriptions and arrangements for the Bang on a Can All-Stars (])
* 2022: ''Keyboard Studies'', ] (])
* 2022: ''Organum for Stefano'', Terry Riley pipe organ, voice. Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi, Bologna, Italy, May 7, 2013. (i dischi di angelica)
* 2022: ''The Sands'', James Feddeck, Cleveland Orchestra (CMA Recorded Archive Editions)
* 2023: ''Standard(S)and: Kobuchizawa Sessions #1'' (Star/Rainbow Records)


==Filmography== ==Filmography==
*1970 - ''Corridor''. Film by ]. * 1970: ''Corridor''. Film by ].
* 1975: ]. Film by Alexander Whitelaw feat. Klaus Kinski, Tina Aumont and Hiram Keller. Soundtrack released as ''Le secret de la vie'' in France, on Philips LP 9120 037 (1975).
*1976 - ]. Film by ].
*1976 - ]. Film by ]. Soundtrack released as ''Le secret de la vie'' in France, on Philips LP 9120 037 (1975). * 1976: ]. Film by ].
*1976 - ''Music With Roots in the Aether: Opera for Television''. Tape 6: Terry Riley. Produced and directed by ]. New York, New York: Lovely Music. * 1976: ''Music with Roots in the Aether: Opera for Television''. Tape 6: Terry Riley. Produced and directed by ]. New York, New York: Lovely Music.
*1986 - ''In Between the Notes...a Portrait of Pandit Pran Nath, Master Indian Musician''. Produced by ], directed by ]. * 1986: ''In Between the Notes...a Portrait of Pandit Pran Nath, Master Indian Musician''. Produced by ], directed by ].
*1995 - ''Musical Outsiders: An American Legacy - Harry Partch, Lou Harrison, and Terry Riley''. Directed by Michael Blackwood. * 1995: ''Musical Outsiders: An American Legacy – Harry Partch, Lou Harrison, and Terry Riley''. Directed by Michael Blackwood.
*2008 - "A Rainbow In Curved Air" features in the in-game soundtrack of ''Grand Theft Auto IV''. It can be found when listening to the fictional radio station, "The Journey". * 2008: "A Rainbow in Curved Air" features in the in-game soundtrack of '']''. It can be found when listening to the fictional radio station, "The Journey".
* 2017: '']''. Film by François Girard.


==Notes== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==References== ==Further reading==
* (2002). Album notes for ''The Who: The Ultimate Collection by The Who'', 12. MCA Records. * (2002). Album notes for ''The Who: The Ultimate Collection by The Who'', 12. MCA Records.
* ]. 2009. ''Terry Riley's in C''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-532528-7}}
*Potter, Keith (2000). ''Four Musical Minimalists: La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass. Music in the Twentieth Century series. Cambridge, UK; New York, New York: Cambridge University Press.
* ] (1995). ''Talking Music''. New York: Schirmer Books. {{ISBN|0-02-870823-7}}
*Edward Strickland, "Terry Riley". ] Online .
* Gagne, Cole (1993). ''Soundpieces 2: Interviews with American Composers''. Metuchen, N.J.: The Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|0-8108-2710-7}}
* Meigh-Andrews, Chris, 2006. ''A History of Video Art''.
* Potter, Keith (2000). ''Four Musical Minimalists: La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass''. Music in the Twentieth Century series. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
* Strickland, Edward. "Terry Riley". ] Online ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041031/http://www.grovemusic.com/ |date=2008-05-16 }}).


==External links== ==External links==
{{Toomanylinks|section|date=February 2023}}
{{Commons category}} {{Commons category}}
* * {{Official website}}
*
*
*{{Discogs artist}} * {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p3049}}
* {{Discogs artist}}
* (audio and video)
* {{IMSLP|id=Riley%2C_Terry|cname=Terry Riley|license=cc}}
*Davidson, Robert. "." 1999.
* {{IMDb name}}
*, Riley's management and CD label
*, featuring the Kronos Quartet . * (audio and video)
* Davidson, Robert. "." 1999.
* featuring tracks from ''The Book of Abbeyozzud'' and ''The Light of Foresight'' (with ])
* , Riley's management and CD label
* ''In C'' (1964)
* , featuring the Kronos Quartet .
*{{IMSLP|id=Riley%2C_Terry|cname=Terry Riley|license=cc}}
* featuring tracks from ''The Book of Abbeyozzud'' and ''The Light of Foresight'' (with ])
*Golden, Barbara. "Conversation with Terry Riley." (April 2010). Montréal: ].
* ''In C'' (1964)
*Leopizzi, Marco. "." Interview from 1 June 2008. Musicaround.net. {{it}}
* Golden, Barbara. "Conversation with Terry Riley." (April 2010). Montréal: ].
*Oteri, Frank J. "." Interview from 16 February 2001 (includes video). ''NewMusicBox — People & Ideas in Profile'', 1 June 2001.
* Leopizzi, Marco. "" ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304124757/http://www.musicaround.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50:-terry-riley-il-guru-del-minimalismo-intervista-&catid=40:interviste&Itemid=56 |date=2012-03-04 }}). Interview from 1 June 2008. Musicaround.net. {{in lang|it}}
*.
* {{NewMusicBox|id=terry-riley-obsessed-and-passionate-about-all-music|title=Obsessed and Passionate About All Music|composer=Terry Riley|author=]|conducted=16 February 2001|published=1 June 2001}} (Includes video.)
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* {{YouTube|5PNbEfLIEDs|Terry Riley – "A Rainbow in Curved Air" (18:47)}}

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{{Minimal music}}
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Latest revision as of 08:34, 3 December 2024

American composer and performing musician (born 1935) For the British deaf rights activist and broadcaster, see Terry Riley (broadcaster). Not to be confused with Teddy Riley.
Terry Riley
Riley in 2017Riley in 2017
Background information
Birth nameTerrence Mitchell Riley
Born (1935-06-24) June 24, 1935 (age 89)
Colfax, California, US
GenresMinimalism, avant-garde, tape, electronic, microtonal, classical
InstrumentsElectric organ, tape machine, saxophone, keyboards, synthesizer, piano, tambura
Years active1950s–present
Formerly ofTheatre of Eternal Music
Websiteterryriley.net Edit this at Wikidata
Musical artist

Terrence Mitchell "Terry" Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his work became notable for its innovative use of repetition, tape music techniques, improvisation, and delay systems. His best known works are the 1964 composition In C and the 1969 album A Rainbow in Curved Air, both considered landmarks of minimalism and important influences on experimental music, rock, and contemporary electronic music. Subsequent works such as Shri Camel (1980) explored just intonation.

Raised in Redding, California, Riley began studying composition and performing solo piano in the 1950s. He befriended and collaborated with composer La Monte Young, and later became involved with both the San Francisco Tape Music Center and Young's New York collective, the Theatre of Eternal Music. A three-record deal with CBS in the late 1960s brought his work to wider audiences. In 1970, he began intensive studies under Hindustani singer Pandit Pran Nath, whom he often accompanied in performance. He has collaborated frequently throughout his career, most extensively with chamber ensemble the Kronos Quartet and his son, guitarist Gyan Riley.

Life

Riley was born in Colfax, California on June 24, 1935, and grew up in Redding, California. In the 1950s, he began performing as a solo pianist and studied composition at San Francisco State University, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the University of California, Berkeley, studying with Seymour Shifrin and Robert Erickson. He befriended composer La Monte Young, whose earliest minimalist compositions using sustained tones were an influence; together, Young and Riley performed Riley's improvisatory composition Concert for Two Pianists and Tape Recorders in 1959–60. Riley later became involved in the experimental San Francisco Tape Music Center, working with Morton Subotnick, Steve Reich, Pauline Oliveros, and Ramon Sender. Throughout the 1960s, he also traveled frequently in Europe, taking in musical influences and supporting himself by playing in piano bars. He also performed briefly with the Theatre of Eternal Music in New York in 1965-1966.

His most influential teacher was Pandit Pran Nath (1918–1996), a master of Indian classical voice who also taught La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, and Michael Harrison. Riley made numerous trips to India over the course of their association to study and accompany him on tabla, tambura, and voice. In 1971 he joined the Mills College faculty to teach Indian classical music. Riley also cites John Cage and "the really great chamber music groups of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Bill Evans, and Gil Evans" as influences on his work. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Music at Chapman University in 2007.

Around 1980, Riley began his long-lasting association with the Kronos Quartet when he met their founder David Harrington while at Mills. Throughout his career, Riley composed 13 string quartets for the ensemble, in addition to other works. He wrote his first orchestral piece, Jade Palace, in 1991, and has continued to pursue that avenue, with several commissioned orchestral compositions following. He is also currently performing and teaching both as an Indian raga vocalist and as a solo pianist.

Riley continues to perform live, and was part of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2011.

Riley at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, 1985

Techniques

Riley's music is usually based on improvising through a series of modal figures of different lengths. Works such as In C (1964) and the Keyboard Studies (1964–1966) demonstrate this technique. The first performance of In C was given by Steve Reich, Jon Gibson, Pauline Oliveros and Morton Subotnick. Its form was an innovation: The piece consists of 53 separate modules of roughly one measure apiece, each containing a different musical pattern but each, as the title implies, in the key of C. One performer beats a steady pulse of Cs on the piano to keep tempo. The others, in any number and on any instrument, perform these musical modules following a few loose guidelines, with the different musical modules interlocking in various ways as time goes on.

In the 1950s Riley was already working with tape loops, a technology still in its infancy at the time; he would later, with the help of a sound engineer, create what he called a "time-lag accumulator". He has continued manipulating tapes to musical effect, in the studio and in live performances throughout his career. An early tape loop piece titled Music for the Gift (1963) featured the trumpet playing of Chet Baker. It was during Riley's time in Paris, while composing this piece, that he conceived of and created the time-lag accumulator technique. Premiered in 1968 in the Magic Theatre Exhibition at the Nelson Atkins Gallery in Kansas City, a new version of the installation was commissioned three decades later by Lille 2004-European Capital of Culture and purchased by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon. A third version was built and presented by the Schauspielhaus in Bochum in 2019. He has composed using just intonation as well as microtones. In New York City in the mid-1960s he played with his longtime friend La Monte Young, as well as with John Cale and tabla player Angus MacLise, who were founding members of The Velvet Underground. Riley is credited as inspiring Cale's keyboard part on Lou Reed's composition "All Tomorrow's Parties", which was sung by German actress Nico and included on the album The Velvet Underground and Nico, recorded in 1966.

Riley's famous overdubbed electronic album A Rainbow in Curved Air (recorded 1968, released 1969) inspired many later developments in electronic music. These include Pete Townshend's organ parts on The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley", the latter named in tribute to Riley as well as to Meher Baba. Charles Hazlewood, in his BBC documentary on Minimalism (Part 1) suggests that the album 'Tubular Bells' by Mike Oldfield was also inspired by Riley's example. The English progressive rock group Curved Air, formed in 1970, took its name from the album.

Riley performing in 2018

Riley's collaborators have included the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Pauline Oliveros, the ARTE Quartett, and, as mentioned, the Kronos Quartet. His 1995 Lisbon Concert recording features him in a solo piano format, improvising on his own works. In the liner notes Riley cites Art Tatum, Bud Powell and Bill Evans as his piano "heroes", illustrating the importance of jazz to his conceptions.

Personal life

He has three children: one daughter, Colleen, and two sons, Gyan, who is a guitarist, and Shahn. He was married to Ann Riley until her death in 2015.

Discography

  • 1963: Music for The Gift (Organ of Corti 1, 1963)
  • 1965: Reed Streams, Mass Art Inc. M-131
  • 1967: You're No Good, recorded in 1967 but unreleased until 2000 (Cortical Foundation / Organ of Corti, 2000)
  • 1968: Germ, with Gérard Frémy & Martine Joste (Spalax CD 14542, 1998). Includes a Pierre Mariétan track.
  • 1968: In C, Columbia MS7178
  • 1969: A Rainbow in Curved Air, CBS 64564
  • 1971: Church of Anthrax, with John Cale (CBS)
  • 1972: Happy Ending (soundtrack to Joël Santoni's film Les Yeux Fermés), Warner Bros. Records France 46125; Les Yeux Fermés & Lifespan, for solo electric organ; two soundtracks (2007 reissue)
  • 1972: Persian Surgery Dervishes, Shanti 83502
  • 1975: Le Secret de la Vie (Lifespan film soundtrack), Philips France 9120 037
  • 1975: Descending Moonshine Dervishes, Kuckuck Records
  • 1980: Shri Camel, CBS Masterworks M3519, for solo electronic organ tuned in just intonation and modified by digital delay
  • 1983: Songs for the Ten Voices of the Two Prophets, for two Prophet 5 synthesisers, Kuckuck Records
  • 1984: Terry Riley: Cadenza on the Night Plain, a collaboration with the Kronos Quartet
  • 1984: Terry Riley and Krishna Bhatt: Terry Riley and Krishna Bhatt Duo, a collaboration with Krishna Bhatt
  • 1985: No Man's Land
  • 1986: The Harp of New Albion, for piano tuned in just intonation
  • 1987: Chanting the Light of Foresight, with Rova Saxophone Quartet in just intonation
  • 1989: Salome Dances for Peace, for the Kronos Quartet
  • 1995: In C – 25th Anniversary Concert, version featuring Riley as one of four vocalists, recorded live January 14, 1990, San Francisco, New Albion Records
  • 1995: Lisbon Concert, solo piano concert, recorded live July 16, 1995 Festival dos Capuchos, Teatro São Luis, Lisbon, Portugal., New Albion Records
  • 1997: Lazy Afternoon Among the Crocodiles, experimental album recorded with contrabassist Stefano Scodanibbio.
  • 1998: Piano Music of John Adams and Terry Riley, performed by Gloria Cheng
  • 1999: The Book of Abbeyozzud
  • 2001: Moscow Conservatory Solo Piano Concert, recording of a live performance on 18 April 2000
  • 2001: Terry Riley: Requiem for Adam, with Riley's tribute to the son of David Harrington performed by the Kronos quartet, and a solo piano improvisation by Riley
  • 2002: Atlantis Nath, hand-numbered signed edition of 1000 copies
  • 2003: Cantos Desiertos (Naxos)
  • 2004: I Like Your Eyes Liberty, duets with Terry Riley, piano and Michael McClure, poetry (Sri Moonshine Music)
  • 2004: The Cusp of Magic, with the Kronos Quartet, composed for his seventieth birthday, an ode to the rite of Midsummer Eve
  • 2005: Diamond Fiddle Language duets with Stefano Scodanibbio, bass (Wergo)
  • 2005: Assassin Reverie, Arte Quartett, saxophone qt. (New World Records)
  • 2008: Banana Humberto, piano concerto with Paul Dresher Ensemble
  • 2008: The Last Camel in Paris, live solo electric organ performance in Paris, 1978
  • 2010: Two Early Works, the first-ever recordings of two of Riley's early compositions, performed by the Calder Quartet
  • 2010: Autodreamographical Tales (Tzadik Records)
  • 2011: Keyboard Studies Nos. 1 and 2 / Tread on the Trail (Stradivarius)
  • 2012: Aleph (Tzadik Records)
  • 2015: ZOFO Plays Terry Riley, ZOFO piano duo (Sono Luminus)
  • 2015: One Earth, One People, One Love: Kronos Plays Terry Riley, Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch Records)
  • 2015: Music Of Terry Riley – Sunrise Of The Planetary Dream Collector, Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch Records)
  • 2019: Sun Rings, Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch)
  • 2019: The Lion's Throne, with singer Amelia Cuni, recorded live (Sri Moonshine Music, SMM008)
  • 2019: Archangels, with conductor Julian Wachner, Trinity Choir, Novus Cellos (National Sawdust Tracks)
  • 2021: Zephyr, Francesco D'Orazio, violin
  • 2022: Autodreamographical Tales, transcriptions and arrangements for the Bang on a Can All-Stars (Cantaloupe Music)
  • 2022: Keyboard Studies, John Tilbury (Another Timbre)
  • 2022: Organum for Stefano, Terry Riley pipe organ, voice. Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi, Bologna, Italy, May 7, 2013. (i dischi di angelica)
  • 2022: The Sands, James Feddeck, Cleveland Orchestra (CMA Recorded Archive Editions)
  • 2023: Standard(S)and: Kobuchizawa Sessions #1 (Star/Rainbow Records)

Filmography

  • 1970: Corridor. Film by Standish Lawder.
  • 1975: Lifespan. Film by Alexander Whitelaw feat. Klaus Kinski, Tina Aumont and Hiram Keller. Soundtrack released as Le secret de la vie in France, on Philips LP 9120 037 (1975).
  • 1976: Crossroads. Film by Bruce Conner.
  • 1976: Music with Roots in the Aether: Opera for Television. Tape 6: Terry Riley. Produced and directed by Robert Ashley. New York, New York: Lovely Music.
  • 1986: In Between the Notes...a Portrait of Pandit Pran Nath, Master Indian Musician. Produced by Other Minds, directed by William Farley.
  • 1995: Musical Outsiders: An American Legacy – Harry Partch, Lou Harrison, and Terry Riley. Directed by Michael Blackwood.
  • 2008: "A Rainbow in Curved Air" features in the in-game soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto IV. It can be found when listening to the fictional radio station, "The Journey".
  • 2017: Hochelaga, Land of Souls. Film by François Girard.

References

  1. Hooper, Greg (June–July 2006). "Hear and now: Terry Riley in Australia". RealTime (73). Australia: 33.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  3. Christman, Laura (June 19, 2013). "Back to his roots: Music pioneer Terry Riley returns for Redding concert". Redding Record Searchlight. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  4. Young, La Monte. "Notes on The Theatre of Eternal Music and The Tortoise, His Dreams and Journeys" (PDF). MELA Foundation. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  5. "Like a Rainbow in Curved Air: Terry Riley". Bluefat.com.
  6. "The 10 Best Moments Of All Tomorrow's Parties". Spin. 16 May 2011.
  7. Honigmann, David. "In C, Barbican, London – review". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  8. ^ Meigh-Andrews, Chris (2006). A History of Video Art. New York, NY and Oxford, UK: Berg (Oxford International Publishers). pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-1-84520-219-4.
  9. Smith, Geoff; Walker-Smith, Nicola; Ward, Phil (March 1993). "20th Century Americans - Terry Riley (MT Mar 1993)". Music Technology (Mar 1993): 78–84.
  10. Holmes, Thomas B. Electronic and Experimental Music, Taylor & Francis (2008). pp. 132, 362. ISBN 978-0-415-95781-6.
  11. This album also produced the name of psychedelic band Curved Air. The Who (2002). The Who: The Ultimate Collection (Media notes). MCA Records. p. 12.
  12. Hazlewood, Charles. "Tones, Drones and Arpeggios: The Magic of Minimalism". BBC Website. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  13. Collins, Dan (November 19, 2009). "Terry Riley: Droning Dark Darkness". L.A. Record.
  14. "Terry And Gyan Riley: Together IN C". Npr.org.
  15. Hersh, Howard (10 January 1993). "A Composer on the Edge : Minimalist Terry Riley, on a journey of spiritual and artistic discovery, is deeply moved by the concept of artist-as-madman" – via LA Times.
  16. O'Neal, Sean (12 August 2015). "Terry Riley turns an R&B ditty into 20 minutes of madness". Avclub.com. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  17. "Terry Riley Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  18. "Shri Camel – Terry Riley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  19. "Terry Riley: Cadenza on the Night Plain – Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  20. "The Harp of New Albion – Terry Riley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  21. "Terry Riley: Chanting the Light of Foresight – Rova Saxophone Quartet | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  22. "Salome Dances for Peace – Kronos Quartet | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  23. "Stefano Scodanibbio – Discography".
  24. "Piano Music of John Adams & Terry Riley – Gloria Cheng | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  25. "Atlantis Nath – Terry Riley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  26. "The Cusp of Magic – Kronos Quartet | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  27. "Banana Humberto – Terry Riley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  28. "Terry Riley: The Last Camel in Paris – Terry Riley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.

Further reading

  • (2002). Album notes for The Who: The Ultimate Collection by The Who, 12. MCA Records.
  • Carl, Robert. 2009. Terry Riley's in C. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-532528-7
  • Duckworth, William (1995). Talking Music. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-870823-7
  • Gagne, Cole (1993). Soundpieces 2: Interviews with American Composers. Metuchen, N.J.: The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-2710-7
  • Meigh-Andrews, Chris, 2006. A History of Video Art.
  • Potter, Keith (2000). Four Musical Minimalists: La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass. Music in the Twentieth Century series. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Strickland, Edward. "Terry Riley". Grove Music Online (subscription access) (Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine).

External links

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