Terry Riley's In C at the Johnson Museum

On the evening of March 10, priceless art wasn’t the only thing visitors to the Herbert F. Johnson Museum found in the galleries. Members of the Cornell Symphony Orchestra gave a short, one hour performance of Terry Riley’s minimalist classic, “In C,” in the main gallery to accompany the current exhibit, “Material Matters.” Approximately twenty Cornell musicians performed the quasi-improvisational piece on a variety of instruments ranging from violins to saxophones to a clown horn (although it was used sparingly).
The evening performance drew a considerable crowd, some of whom stayed in the gallery to watch the ensemble and some of whom strolled through the various exhibits while listening to the strains of “In C.” In order to follow along with the musicians, visitors were offered the sheet music, which consists of 53 “cells” of music that are played in order from start to finish with the duration, style, and octave for each cell set by the individual performers. This unique performance of “In C” was well received by all in attendance.
by Laura Whitehurst ‘07 [from May, 2005 Whole Notes]