In C
Studio album by Terry Riley
Released	October 1, 2000
Recorded	Jul 8, 1985-Jun 12, 1997
Genre	20th Century Classical
Length	55:38
Label	ATMA Classique
Producer	?
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Terry Riley chronology
You're No Good (2000) In C (2000) Requiem for Adam (2001)

In C is an aleatoric musical piece composed by Terry Riley in 1964 for any number of people, although "a group of about 35 is desired if possible but smaller or larger groups will work"^[1]. As its title suggests, it is in the key of C. It is a response to the abstract academic serialist techniques used by composers in the mid-twentieth century and is often cited as the first minimalist composition. A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Terry Riley – (Portrait by Betty Freeman) Terry Riley (born 24 June 1935) is an American composer associated with the minimalist school. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 20th century classical music, the classical music of the 20th century, was extremely diverse, beginning with the late Romantic style of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Impressionism of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, and continuing through the Neoclassicism of middle-period Igor Stravinsky, and ranging to such distant sound-worlds as the complete... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 3_stars. ... Terry Riley – (Portrait by Betty Freeman) Terry Riley (born 24 June 1935) is an American composer associated with the minimalist school. ... Youre No Good is the name of a song written by Clint Ballard, Jr. ... Aleatoric music (also aleatory music or chance music; from the Latin word alea, meaning dice) is music in which some element of the composition is left to chance or some primary element of a composed works realization is left to the determination of its performer(s). ... A musical piece is a musical work that has been created. ... Terry Riley – (Portrait by Betty Freeman) Terry Riley (born 24 June 1935) is an American composer associated with the minimalist school. ... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... This article is about a musical style. ...

In C consists of 53 short, numbered musical phrases; each phrase may be repeated an arbitrary number of times. Each musician has control over which phrase he or she plays: players are encouraged to play the phrases starting at different times, even if they are playing the same phrase. The performance directions state that the musical ensemble should try to stay within two to three phrases of each other. The phrases must be played in order, although some may be skipped. As detailed in some editions of the score, it is customary for one musician ("traditionally played by a beautiful girl," Riley notes) to play the note C (in octaves) in repeated eighth notes. This drone functions as a metronome and is referred to as "The Pulse". “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music. ... For other uses, see Octave (disambiguation). ... Figure 1. ... A mechanical wind-up metronome in motion A digital metronome set to pulse at four beats per measure at a tempo of 130 BPM A metronome is any device that produces a regulated audible and/or visual pulse, usually used to establish a steady beat, or tempo, measured in beats...

In C has no set duration; performances can last as little as fifteen minutes or as long as several hours, although Riley indicates "performances normally average between 45 minutes and an hour and a half." The number of performers may also vary between any two performances. The original recording of the piece was created by 11 musicians (through overdubbing, several dozen instruments were utilized), while a performance in 2006 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall featured 124 musicians. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The piece begins on a C major chord (patterns one through seven) with a strong emphasis on the mediant E and the entrance of the note F which begins a series of slow progressions to other chords suggesting a few subtle and ambiguous changes of key, the last pattern being an alteration between Bb and G. Though the polyphonic interplay of the various patterns against each other and themselves at different rhythmic displacements is of primary interest, the piece may be considered heterophonic. Generally speaking, a major chord is any chord which has a major third above its root, as opposed to a minor chord which has a minor third. ... For mediant in mathematics, see Mediant (mathematics) In music, the mediant is the third degree of the diatonic scale. ... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... In music, the word texture is often used in a rather vague way in reference to the overall sound of a piece of music. ... One of various musical textures, heterophony is a kind of complex monophony - there is only one melody, but multiple voices each of which play the melody differently, either in a different rhythm or tempo, with different embellishments and figures, or idiomatically different. ...

Recordings of the piece include:

• State University Center of Creative and Performing Arts (1968), Sony 7178
• Shanghai Film Orchestra conducted by Wang Yongji (1989), Celestial Harmonies 13026
• Piano Circus (1990), Argo 430380 [a 20 minute performance on pianos]
• In C 25th Anniversary Concert (recorded 1990, released 1995), New Albion 71.
• Bang on a Can (1998/2000), Cantaloupe 46243.
• Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (2002), Squealer 37.

In C has been credited with influencing many pop and rock artists including The Who. Riley's influence can be seen in such Who songs as Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again. Bang on a Can is a musical organization based in New York City which was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. ... Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (and subsequent offshoots) is a Japanese psychedelic band founded in 1995 by members of the Acid Mothers Temple soul-collective. ... The Who are a British rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... Teenage Wasteland redirects here. ... Wont Get Fooled Again is a rock song by the British rock band The Who, composed by band member Pete Townshend. ...

In his composition, The Dharma at Big Sur, John Adams paid homage to Terry Riley with a musical pulse in the second movement similar to that found in In C. For the Alaska-based postminimalist composer, see John Luther Adams. ... Terry Riley – (Portrait by Betty Freeman) Terry Riley (born 24 June 1935) is an American composer associated with the minimalist school. ...

References

Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

External link

• OtherMinds.org Scores: In C by Terry Riley