Terry Riley

Terry Riley, born on 24th June 1935 in California, is a contemporary American composer. Terry Riley launched what is now known as the Minimalist movement with his revolutionary classic IN C in 1964. This seminal work provided a new concept in musical form based on interlocking repetitive patterns. Its impact was to change the course of 20th Century music and its influence has been heard in the works of prominent composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass and in the music of Rock Groups such as The Who, Radiohead, Brian Eno, and David Bowie and many others. Terry Riley's hypnotic, multi-layered, polymetric, brightly orchestrated eastern flavoured improvisations and compositions set the stage for the prevailing interest in a new tonality. Riley has been cited as being one of the most important composers of the second half of the 20th century.