Karlheinz Stockhausen is dead

24db · Post by **24db** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:56 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7133571.stm

German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen has died at the age of 79.
Born in Modrath, near Cologne, the prolific musician wrote more than 300 works from orchestral pieces to pure electronic music during his career.

He also appeared on the cover of The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album - with Paul McCartney one of his numerous fans in the world of rock and pop.

The composer died in Kuerten, western Germany, on Wednesday, the Stockhausen Foundation announced in a statement.

Ambitious opera

Best known for his avant-garde electronic work, Stockhausen was an experimental musician who utilised tape recorders and mathematics to create innovative, ground-breaking pieces.

His Electronic Study, 1953, was the first musical piece composed from pure sine wave sounds.

Electronic Study II, produced a year later, was the first work of electronic music to be notated and published.

But the composer rejected the idea that he was making the music of the future, writing in 1966: "What is modern today will be tradition tomorrow."

Stockhausen's most ambitious work was the seven-part operatic cycle Licht, each part of which is named after a day of the week.

Stockhausen, pictured in 1974, was at times controversial

It took Stockhausen 25 years to compose, beginning in 1977, and is due to be performed in full for the first time next year at The European Centre for the Arts Hellerau in Dresden, Germany.

The composer studied at the State Academy for Music in Cologne and the University of Cologne from 1947 to 1951.

In 1952 he went to Paris, where he worked under the composers Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud.

Musicians such as Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and Bjork have cited him as an influence.

But he was not universally popular. The conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was once asked whether he had conducted any Stockhausen. He replied: "No, but I once trod in some."

The composer also attracted controversy after the terrorist attacks on New York on 11 September 2001, which he reportedly described as "the greatest work of art there is in the entire cosmos".

He apologised for the upset caused by the comments, but denied making the statement, saying he had been misquoted.

Stockhausen, who was married twice and had six children, will be buried in the forest cemetery in Kuerten.

bigmoog · Post by **bigmoog** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:01 pm

Be at peace Karlheinz, your legacy will live forever

bigmoog · Post by **bigmoog** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:06 pm

Im shocked at this news, I need to consider a response

sparrow · Post by **sparrow** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 12:46 am

Just found out on the BBC ten o'clock news. Sad news indeed.

bigmoog · Post by **bigmoog** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:24 am

NP:

Stockhausen : Complete Piano Works (Aloys Kontarsky, 2 LP Box set)

sublime majesty

timer · Post by **timer** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 3:30 am

I remember listening to a concert of his on radio , must have been about 10 at the time - and it blew me away. Sad loss indeed.

Chris Monk · Post by **Chris Monk** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:28 pm

Very sad to hear that he's passed away. He's been a great influence on music. I haven't heard too much of his work but I do recall, many years ago now, seeing a clip of his music on the telly. I remember this because my mum was extremely incensed by what he was doing with the music. It must have had quite an impact on me because this was when I was a small boy living at home. I spoke to my mum about this quite recently, in relation to Tangerine Dream and his inluence on their music, and she was still quiite agitated about his music. So I suppose the conclusion you can draw from this is; like or loath his music, it certainly isn't forgetable.

epsilon75 · Post by **epsilon75** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:44 pm

Very sad news this..........R.I.P KHS

billythefish · Post by **billythefish** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 3:59 pm

Very sorry to hear this. Will we ever see his ilk again?

staatsgrenze · Post by **staatsgrenze** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:36 pm

He took things to a new level, bet you knew TD was influenced by his compositional deliveries and visionary structure

R.I.P. Karlheinz Stockhausen

24db · Post by **24db** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:39 pm

TD are more influenced by Riley, Reich and Glass I think (certainly if you go back and see who they name check over 40 years).

Hobo · Post by **Hobo** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:41 pm

A sad loss and another great pioneer of the genre lost.

krismopompas · Post by **krismopompas** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:00 pm

imo no loss in musical aspects......... nonmusic.

alipaul · Post by **alipaul** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:42 pm

Simply a pioneer RIP