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Terry Riley
A composer/performer who has devoted his life to the practice and exploration of Indian classical raga music.
Born in California in 1935. He studied composition and piano at San Francisco State University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the University of California, Berkeley, where he formed close ties with figures such as La Monte Young and Pauline Oliveros. His 1964 work In C — celebrated for the shifts in consciousness it evokes through repetition and focused listening — became a foundational point for what would later be called "minimalism." The work that followed, A Rainbow in Curved Air, resonated deeply with rock and psychedelic culture, leaving a lasting mark across generations and genres. He has performed and collaborated widely across disciplines, from jazz and improvisers like Chet Baker and Don Cherry to rock and contemporary music. Since 1970, he has studied under the North Indian classical vocal master Pandit Pran Nath, carrying forward the Kirana gharana tradition through a close, 26-year teacher-student relationship. Through collaborations such as those with the Kronos Quartet, he has helped bridge raga's sense of time and sonic philosophy with Western music. He continues to pursue his musical explorations, raga foremost among them, with great energy, while also giving personal instruction to his disciples and students.
Discography
ALBUMS
1967 Reed Streams – Mass Art Inc. M-131
1968 In C – Columbia Masterworks
1968 Poppy Nogoods All Night Flight (The First Ascent) – The Letter Edged In Black Press
1969 A Rainbow In Curved Air – Columbia Masterworks
1970 Keyboard Study 2 / Initiative 1 (+ Systèmes) – Germ (6), Terry Riley, P. Mariétan – BYG Records
1971 Church Of Anthrax – John Cale & Terry Riley – Columbia
1972 Happy Ending – Warner Bros. Records
1972 Persian Surgery Dervishes – Shanti
1975 Le Secret De La Vie – Philips
1980 Shri Camel
1982 Descending Moonshine Dervishes – Kuckuck
1983 Songs For The Ten Voices Of The Two Prophets – Kuckuck
1985 Cadenza On The Night Plain And Other String Quartets – Terry Riley, The Kronos Quartet – Gramavision
1985 No Man's Land – Plainisphare
1985 The Ethereal Time Shadow – Music from Mills MC 001
1986 Keys of Live – Celestial Harmonies
1986 The Harp Of New Albion – Celestial Harmonies
1989 In C· Music Of A Thousand Springs· Zen (Ch'an) Of Water – Terry Riley· David Mingyue Liang - Shanghai Film Orchestra, Wang Yongji – Celestial Harmonies
1989 Salome Dances For Peace – Kronos Quartet Plays Terry Riley – Elektra Nonesuch
List of Works & Timings
1960 String Quartet 2 violins, viola, cello 17:30
1961 String Trio Violin, viola, cello 12:00
1986 Salome Dances for Peace2 violins, viola, cello 1:57:48 I. Anthem of the Great Spirit (39:55); II. Conquest of the War Demons (30:39); III. The Gift (15:25); IV. The Ecstasy (18:24); V. Good Medicine (13:25)
1997 Requiem for Adam2 violins, viola, cello, piano, tape 47:44 Ascending the Heaven Ladder (13:24); Cortejo Fúnebre en el Monte Diablo (7:05); Requiem for Adam (21:18); The Philosopher's Hand (5:57)
ORCHESTRAL
1991 The SandsFlute, alto flute, clarinets, horns, timpani, percussion, piano, strings 30:30
1991 June BuddhasOrchestra, SATB chorus 24:00
2013 At the Royal MajesticOrgan and orchestra32:48Negro Hall (14:15); The Lizard Tower Gang (4:46); Circling Kailash (13:47)
WORKS FOR PIANO (fully notated)
1959 Two Pieces for PianoPiano 12:00
1993 The Walrus in MemoriamPiano 7:30
1994 The Heaven Ladder, Book 7 Piano 25:00Misha's Bear Dance; Venus in 94; Ragtempus Fugatis; Fandango on the Heaven Ladder; Simone's Lullaby
TAPE MUSIC WORKS
1962 Mescalin MixTape collage 14:22
1962 Concerto for Two Pianos and Five Tape Recorders2 pianos, 5 tape recorders 7:44
SOLO KEYBOARD & ELECTRONIC ORGAN WORKS
1968 A Rainbow in Curved AirElectric organ, electric harpsichords (overdubbed) 18:39
1971–72 Persian Surgery DervishesElectric organ1:30:30 Los Angeles: Part 1 (20:45); Part 2 (22:00) / Paris: Part 1 (25:00); Part 2 (22:45)
1975 Descending Moonshine DervishesElectric organ (modified Yamaha YC-45D) 52:32Part 1 (28:18); Part 2 (24:14)
1980 Shri CamelElectric organ, just intonation 43:36 Anthem of the Trinity (9:25); Celestial Valley (11:32); Across the Lake of the Ancient World (7:26); Desert of Ice (15:13)