The son of an Irish immigrant father and a mother of Italian extraction, Terry Riley paid for his first studies as a composer by playing ragtime piano in San Francisco. His style of composition developed from the influence of Debussy and Ravel to serialism and then to more experimental styles. He pursued his interest in electronic music in Paris and then in New York, collaborating with leading American avant-garde composers of the time, and exploring, in another phase, Indian music. These elements are combined with minimalism, and Riley also draws on jazz, pop music and other sources.

Instrumental Music
Cantos desiertos are part of a longer cycle, The Book of Abbeyozzud. The 26 pieces of the cycle, each with a Spanish title, are for a guitar and other instruments. In C is described as a sequence of 53 motifs or modules of varied length, some of which centre about the note C. The work seems to evolve organically, as motif develops from motif; it is a notable example of American minimalism.