Terry Riley

The Piano Works

Terry Riley, most commonly associated with the minimalist and experimental schools of music, draws influence from a vast number of sources, including jazz and Indian classical music. In turn, his influence on contemporary composers and music in general is enormous, and with this collection of his Piano Works, you can learn a selection of his fascinating, hypnotic and simply stunning compositions for solo Piano. As one of the founders of western music's minimalist movement, Riley's works have been acclaimed as forays into ever-expanding loops of rhythm and melody, music that, instead of being listened to, immerses and envelops you. His early works, such as 'In C', spearheaded this innovative idea, beginning a career unmatched by other avant-garde composers.

With The Piano Works, this collection of Terry Riley sheet music finally brings together some of his best-loved and most acclaimed works for solo Piano, like The Philosopher's Hand and Two Pieces For Piano. Featuring an extensive foreword by Terry Riley himself, this is not just a collection of sheet music, it's almost a work of art: a brilliant publication featuring some beautifully engraved music along with words by a genius composer. Riley gives a vast amount of fascinating biographical and compositional information about his included Piano Works, such as Keyboard Study No. 1 and No. 2, Be Kind To One Another (Rag) and The Heaven Ladder Book 7. At times humourous and always eloquent, his foreword tells the story of this composer's journey from humble Piano lessons to masterpieces and an unfathomable influence, it's just great. Finally, at the end of the book, a selection of facsimiles of Riley's own handwritten scores is included, letting you see what the music looks like from the man's own hand. As well as the foreword, there are introductory performance notes for each piece by pianist Sarah Cahill. These expound the techniques, skills and experience necessary to master each piece, but also simply provide some interesting reading before delving into the harmonic and rhythmic rabbit-hole that is Riley's Piano Works.

Aside from the theoretical and academic joy that Terry Riley's music affords, the most immediate pleasure is the universal aesthetic beauty of the sounds that will emanate from your Piano as you play these wonderfully whirling and dynamic compositions. As a collection of sheet music, Terry Riley's Piano Works would make a wonderful addition to your music stand. As a book that will bring endless enjoyment to fans not just of Riley himself, but music in general, the foreword and performance notes combined with the magical music make a fantastic edition of a true master's masterpieces.