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Terry Riley (b. 1935)


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An interview with Terry Riley (November 22, 1969)

  1. An interview with Terry Riley (November 22, 1969)

    Charles Amirkhanian talks with composer Terry Riley as well as Robert Ashley and William Maraldo, co-directors of the Mills Center for Contemporary Music, about a concert of Riley's and other's music that was to be held at Mills College, on Nov. 16, 1969. Riley describes the intricate rhythm patterns of one of the pieces to be performed by a combination of rock, jazz, and classical musicians, and how their difference in training may effect the timing of the work. The group also discusses the role of theatricality in musical performances, and the need for outdoor, new music festivals to re-energize the field, much as Woodstock did for rock music Riley-Terry_Interview_1983.mp3


    Interview with Terry Riley (June 11, 1983)

    1. Interview with Terry Riley (June 11, 1983)

      Charles Amirkhanian interviews composer Terry Riley at his home in Northern California on June 11, 1983. Riley describes his early childhood experiences with music, his life as a student in San Francisco and his first experimentation with serial and then minimal composition. He goes into great detail about the processes that led to his seminal work "In C". Riley describes his early collaborations with others and his later tendency to work alone. Both Charles and Terry lament the fact that growing up in rural California there was little chance to be exposed to classical music. Riley also discusses his exploration of musical traditions from around the world, and in particular his affinity for Asian and Indian music and Eastern spiritual philosophies. Terry also discusses the influence that Pandit Pran Nath had on his life and music.



    Terry Riley Day: Interview (6/24/1985)

    1. Terry Riley Day: Interview (6/24/1985), Part 1 1'05"
    2. Terry Riley Day: Interview (6/24/1985), Part 2 41'24"


      On June 24, 1985, as part of a fundraising marathon, KPFA-FM celebrated Terry Riley's 50th birthday by dedicating an entire day to his music. Part of those celebrations included this in-studio interview with the composer, in which he discusses his life and work with Charles Amirkhanian, Russ Jennings, and others. Topics covered include just intonation, repetitive or minimal music, and the influence of Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath on Riley's music. Listeners called in with heart felt congratulations and questions, as fellow composers Henry Kaiser and John Adams stopped by to pay tribute to one of America's and Northern California's most influential composers. A few musical excerpts of Riley's work are also heard, including a clip from the premiere performance of his seminal work "In C" which is often credited as the first composition written in the minimal or repetitive style that was later adopted by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and others.



    RELATED RESOURCES:
    Terry Riley in UbuWeb Historical
    Terry Riley in UbuWeb Film