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KarlHeinz Stockhausen. Born on August 22, 1928 in Mödrath, Germany. Orphaned as a teen, he quickly immersed himself in music and writing at the Darmstadt school. Found his niche in music, learning piano and advanced harmony. . Education and Beyond.
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KarlHeinzStockhausen • Born on August 22, 1928 in Mödrath, Germany. • Orphaned as a teen, he quickly immersed himself in music and writing at the Darmstadt school. • Found his niche in music, learning piano and advanced harmony.
Education and Beyond • Stockhausen studied formally at the Colonge Musikhochschule from 1947 to 1951. • Influenced by Olivier Messiaen, Stockhausen composed Kreuzspiel. • This was his first long-range serial composition.
Paris • Stockhausen ventured to Paris in 1952, where he studied under Messiaen and completed his second work, Kontrapunkte. • This work is one of Stockhausen’s landmark pieces, composed for piano-based Ensemble. • Also in 1952, Stockhausen was first introduced to electronic music.
Home Again • Stockhausen returned home to Modräth, and worked diligently on synthesizers until his first major breakthrough in 1956. • The piece Gesang der Jünglinge, was composed for choir and synthesizer. • It was one of the first pieces of music to ever use tape loops in its composition.
Gruppen • In 1957 Stockhausen completed his work Gruppen, a composition for 3 orchestras. • The orchestras were conducted by Stockhausen and two of his contemporaries, Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez. • Gruppen featured large groups of notes, which was much different than most avant-garde at that time.
America • Stockhausen made his first trip to the States in 1958. Here he met John Cage. The two exchanged ideas and influenced each other’s work. • During the next few years Stockhausen’s music took on a new relaxation and creative twist.
Kontakte • This is a seminal piece in modern music. • Composed for tape loops to be used with, or without, piano and percussion. This was the first piece of music to fuse pre-recorded material and live musicians. • Kontakte lead the way for improvisers in the free jazz movement, especially Charles Mingus and Anthony Braxton.
Soundscapes • Stockhausen’s next era featured the use of soundscapes and microphone placement. During this era there was very little use of acoustic instruments. • Microphones, oscilloscopes, ring modulators and electronic filters became the preferred medium for his compositions. • Mikrophonie I, the first composition in this style, utilizes the infinite possibilities of microphone placement and improvisation by “musical interpreters”.
Darmstadt • In 1967 Stockhausen returned to his alma mater of Darmstadt to teach composition. • During this time he did little composing but took Cornelius Cardew and La Monte Young under his wing as his apprentices. • Pop-culture began to pick up on Stockhausen. This is seen by his appearance on the Sgt. Pepper’s album released by the Beatles.
Mantra • Completed in 1970 this is Stockhausen’s most dynamic works. • Features 2 pianos, 2 sine-wave generators, and 2 ring modulators. • This composition reflects his spirituality, and shows how he draws his influence from all things in life including mysticism, astronomy, and nature.
1970 World’s Fair • During the 1970 World’s Fair in Osaka, Japan, Stockhausen performed over 183 days worth of music for 5 and a half hours a day. • The Japanese built a spherical auditorium for the performance. • They also commissioned him to write his magnum opus: Licht.
Licht (Light) • Licht is composed in seven parts, each named after the days of the week. • It is an opera commissioned by the Japanese Theatre Center. This was done after they had seen his performances at the World’s Fair. • Licht is composed for a wide array of instruments, choirs, electronic instruments and everyday devices.
Helikopter Streichquartett • Most well known piece from Licht. • Appears in the third act from Mittwoch. • Features a string quartet, with each member flown individually in a helicopter. • The musicians are radio linked together. • The rise and descent of the helicopters is predetermined to help shape the piece.
Most Recently • Stockhausen has officially completed his work on Licht with his last three pieces set to premiere in Kürten this year. • Stockhausen resides in Kürten, where he teaches small groups of musicians. • Stockhausen’s son, Marcus, has will be appearing with his father at these performances.
