In C is a musical piece composed by Terry Riley in 1964 for an indefinite number of performers. He suggests "a group of about 35 is desired if possible but smaller or larger groups will work".[1] A series of short melodic fragments that can be repeated at the discretion of musicians, In C is often cited as the first minimalist composition to make a significant impact on the public consciousness.[2]
The piece was first performed by Steve Reich, Jon Gibson, Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Morton Subotnick and others at the San Francisco Tape Music Center.[3][4] It received its first recorded release in 1968 on CBS Records. Subsequent performances have been recorded many times since.
In 2022, the 1968 LP recording of In C was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.".[5]
- ^ Riley, Terry, "In C: Performing Directions", from the score for In C, 1989, Celestial Harmonies
- ^ Christopher Bonds, The Musical Impulse, second, revised edition (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 1994): 345. ISBN 9780840398024
- ^ "A guide to Terry Riley's music" by Tom Service, The Guardian, 29 January 2013
- ^ "Radio Eclectus: Stuart Dempster interviewed by Michael Schell", April 9, 2020
- ^ "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 April 2022.