Terry Riley’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1935👶 Birth
Born in Colfax, California, on 24 June
- 1948🌍 Meanwhile
The long-playing record (LP) goes on sale
- 1955📚 Trainingage 20
Studies in San Francisco, then at UC Berkeley
- 1959❤️ Private lifeage 24
Meets La Monte Young, a pioneer of repetitive music
- 1962🧳 Journeyage 27
Lives in Europe; plays piano in bars and experiments with tape loops
- 1964🎼 Workage 29
In C: 53 short phrases for any number of musicians
- 1964🌍 Meanwhile
Robert Moog presents his synthesizer
- 1969🎼 Workage 34
A Rainbow in Curved Air
- 1969🌍 Meanwhile
First steps on the Moon
- 1971🎩 Careerage 36
Teaches at Mills College in California
- 1980🎩 Careerage 45
Begins a long collaboration with the Kronos Quartet
- 1982🌍 Meanwhile
The compact disc (CD) is launched
- 1986🎼 Workage 51
Salome Dances for Peace
Listen to the music
Press the big button to listen. Close your eyes: how does it make you feel?
Terry Riley’s music is still recent: it belongs to its creators and their families. Ask a grown-up to play it for you on the radio or at a concert!
Once upon a time…
Terry Riley was born in California, in the United States. As a young man he earned his living playing piano in bars, where he learned to improvise.
He had fun with tape recorders: he recorded little patterns and looped them over and over. That is how he invented music made of repetitions.
In 1964 he wrote In C: a single page with fifty-three little phrases. Each musician plays them in order, repeating each one as many times as they like. Anyone can play, on any instrument! The piece can last fifteen minutes… or several hours.
He also wrote music using sounds from space recorded by NASA.
Terry Riley’s instruments
Tap an instrument to hear it!
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