TERRY RILEY In C (1964)
The first time I ever heard Terry Riley’s
In C, I was just out of high school in Seattle. It was one of those rare moments when a piece of music invites you to hear the world differently, in a new and expanded way. Today,
In C has become an essential component in the history of music: Basically, if you go to a music school anywhere in the world now, you will learn about
In C. It has become that influential and well-known, but it has never before been played in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage here at Carnegie Hall. It is a tremendous joy and honor for Kronos to be asked to put together this first performance at Carnegie of a piece that has changed musical perception, has opened doors for countless new works, and has influenced so many musicians and audiences all over the world.
For me,
In C is a ritual. It creates a community and solidarity around it. Yet it always feels new and fresh each time it’s played: The performers are invited to listen to each other in a new way, and each musician is encouraged to contribute when it feels like the right moment. It has the impetus of water running downhill, the ease of nature. One of the things I am hoping to accomplish tonight is to bind together this multi-generational community of musicians with the basic optimism of
In C. We hope to have a joyous, celebratory time re-imagining
In C, sharing a sense of discovery with you.
I first met Terry Riley in 1979, when Kronos was rehearsing at Mills College in Oakland, California, a decade after first hearing the recording of
In C. We soon became friends, and in the three decades since then, Terry has written 25 pieces for Kronos, each adding new dimensions to our work; I cannot imagine Kronos’s work without Terry’s music. Many of tonight’s performers are also longtime collaborators and friends of Terry Riley and Kronos, and others are musicians we hope to continue working with in the future. We have assembled some of the musicians who performed at the premiere of
In C at the San Francisco Tape Music Center in November 1964, and some who performed on the premiere recording on CBS Records from 1968. Then, there are the generations of musicians who have been influenced by the piece, including young professionals, college students, and performers with musical traditions from various areas of the world. We also have a choir of young musicians, still in junior high and high school in New York City, who are encountering
In C for the first time.
Among other great things about
In C,
it is easily recognizable, no matter what instruments or voices are involved—though our aim is to create an
In C that sounds like no other before it, or any other after it. We hope that this interaction of many musicians who have gathered together from many places, and who have never shared the same stage, will create a joyful, one-of-a-kind pageant of sound.
—David Harrington, Kronos Quartet
Performing Directions
All performers play from the same page of 53 melodic patterns played in sequence.
Any number of any kind of instruments can play. A group of about 35 is desired, if possible, but smaller or larger groups will work. If vocalist(s) join in, they can use any vowel and consonant sounds they like.
Patterns are to be played consecutively with each performer having the freedom to determine how many times he or she will repeat each pattern before moving on to the next. There is no fixed rule as to the number of repetitions a pattern may have; however, since performances normally average between 45 minutes and one and a half hours, it can be assumed that one would repeat each pattern from somewhere between 45 seconds and one and a half minutes or longer.
It is very important that performers listen very carefully to one another, and this means occasionally to drop out and listen. As an ensemble, it is very desirable to play very softly, as well as very loudly, and to try to diminuendo and crescendo together.
Each pattern can be played in unison or canonically in any alignment with itself or with its neighboring patterns. One of the joys of
In C is the interaction of the players in polyrhythmic combinations that spontaneously arise between patterns. Some quite fantastic shapes will arise and disintegrate as the group moves through the piece when it is properly played.
It is important not to hurry from pattern to pattern but to stay on a pattern long enough to interlock with other patterns being played. As the performance progresses, performers should stay within two or three patterns of each other. It is important not to race too far ahead or to lag too far behind.
The ensemble can be aided by the means of an eighth-note pulse played on the high C’s of the piano or on a mallet instrument. It is also possible to use improvised percussion in strict rhythm (drum set, cymbals, bells), if it is carefully done and does not overpower the ensemble. All performers must play strictly in rhythm, and it is essential that everyone play each pattern carefully. It is advised to rehearse patterns in unison before attempting to play the piece, to determine that everyone is playing correctly.
The tempo is left to the discretion of the performers, obviously not too slow, but not faster than performers can comfortably play.
It is important to think of patterns periodically, so that when you are resting, you are conscious of the larger periodic composite accents that are sounding, and when you re-enter you are aware of what effect your entrance will have on the music’s flow.
The group should aim to merge into unison at least once or twice during the performance. At the same time, if the players seem to be consistently too much in the same alignment of a pattern, they should try shifting their alignment by an eighth note or a quarter note with what is going on in the rest of the ensemble.
It is okay to transpose patterns by an octave, especially to transpose up. Transposing down by octaves works best on the patterns containing notes of long durations. Augmentation of rhythmic values can also be effective.
If for some reason a pattern cannot be played, the performer should omit it and go on.
Instruments can be amplified if desired. Electronic keyboards are also welcome.
In C ends in this way: When each performer arrives at figure #53, he or she stays on it until the entire ensemble has arrived there. The group then makes a large crescendo and diminuendo a few times and each player drops out as he or she wishes.
—Terry Riley
© 2009 The Carnegie Hall Corporation