Page 309 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

CONTEMPORARY 307

See also: Pierrot lunaire 240–245 ■ Webern’s Symphonie, Op. 21 264–265 ■ Quartet for the End of Time 282–283 ■
Symphonie pour un homme seul 298–301

The BBC Symphony Orchestra
performs Gruppen for three orchestras
on a designated “Stockhausen Day”
at the BBC Proms in 2008, with Martyn
Brabbins, David Robertson, and Pascal
Rophé conducting.

horseshoe shape, with one in front
of the audience, one to its left, and
one to its right. A huge variety of
sounds comes from these three
locations—delicate high woodwind,
passages of plucked strings, and
powerful assaults from the brass.
The three-orchestra format also
allows the composer to use musical
space dramatically, with the focus
of the audience’s interest passing
from one orchestra to another.
Material played by one ensemble
can be picked up by another or
tossed around between all three.

Deviations from form to produce musical climaxes—one prominent brass chords and a piano
The most dramatic moments in highlighting violin solos by the cadenza. Despite these deviations,
Gruppen occur when Stockhausen three orchestral leaders, another Stockhausen became known for his
disregards the rigorous rules of involving percussive or plucked formulaic composition—as well as
total serialism. Three passages in sounds that bounce from one his experiments with spatialization,
particular abandon serial control of orchestra to another, and a third, which culminated in his Helicopter
tempo and range of notes in order near the end of the work, featuring String Quartet (1992–1995). ■

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Stockhausen studio of WDR. This led to
was born in wide-ranging works, from
the Cologne Gruppen to electronic works
Whenever I felt happy region of such as Kontakte (1958–1960).
about having discovered Germany in His last great work before his
something, the first encounter 1928 and death in 2007 was Licht, a
… with other musicians, studied at Cologne University cycle of seven operas.
with specialists, etc, was of Music. He later took lessons
that they rejected it. in Paris with Olivier Messiaen, Other key works
Karlheinz Stockhausen whose serial compositional
technique impressed him, 1955–1956 Gesang der Jünglinge
and with Pierre Schaeffer, from (“Song of the Youths”)
whom he learned about musique 1958–1960 Kontakte (“Contacts”)
concrète. In 1953, he began 1968 Stimmung (“Voice”)
working at the electronic music 1977–2003 Licht (“Light”)

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