Ludger Brummer¨ Stockhausen on Institut fur¨ Musik und Akustik Zentrum fur¨ Kunst und Medientechnologie Electronics, 2004 Lorenzstrasse 19 D 76135 Karlsruhe, Germany [email protected] www.zkm.de/musik In 2004, Karlheinz Stockhausen realized his work Rehearsals took 40 days. Owing to the complex Licht-Bilder. It was the last piece from his 29- choreography, the performers had to play the hour-long opera cycle Licht, which he had worked nearly 50-minute-long composition completely on for 27 years. The production took place at the from memory. The stage design included triangular composer’s studio in Kurten,¨ at the Zentrum fur¨ sails onto which the videos, realized by Johannes Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM) in Karlsruhe, Conen and Yvonne Mohr, were projected. These and at the Donaueschingen Festival of New Music were located behind and above the performers. (see Figures 1 and 2). These elements alone are already quite substantial, The starting point for the composition consists but much more impressive was the connection of of three instruments and a tenor singer as well as all aspects of the work in terms of content. ring modulation of the flute and the trumpet, for In this work, Stockhausen set out to present a which a keyboard served as an interface. In addition kind of run-through of all the seven days of the to the musical level, Stockhausen also devised a opera. He used the four primary colors, represented choreographic score, similar to the musical one, that by the costumes and the coloring of the four videos, directed all movements of the instrumentalists. while in the text as well as in the video he used The work, commissioned by ZKM, Kunststiftung the basic elements of the seven operas: stones, hills, NRW, and the Centre de Creation´ Musicale Iannis and water for Monday; trees, plants, and fruit for Xenakis (CCMIX) in Paris, was complemented by a Tuesday; animals for Wednesday; etc. video production. Not only was an elaborate sound The dense interconnection of these diverse ma- system needed for the auditoriums at both ZKM and terials is central to Stockhausen’s way of thinking. in Donaueschingen, but also a complete redundant Everything is connected, and nothing seems arbi- set of stage equipment (both audio and video) in trary. The composition of the used elements is so case the first system crashed. These two sets had dense that nothing is left to chance, yet Stockhausen to be connected in such a way that if something leaves space for freedom and interpretation. It was went wrong during the performance, it was possible fascinating to watch him during the rehearsals, to switch between them without the audience’s throughout which he constantly adjusted the score noticing. to the venues’ acoustics, the performers’ abilities, As the three instrumentalists and the singer were and the instruments’ sound qualities. He would moving onstage according to the choreography, they go on until he had found the right form, which he had to be connected to the mixing desk with wireless then fixed and which became the basis for all future microphones. Interestingly enough, Stockhausen performances. It could be observed that he always decided to position the speakers reproducing the decided which parameters were suitable for being unaltered sounds directly above the performers, treated more freely without jeopardizing the stasis just underneath the ceiling of the auditorium; of the construction as such. the speakers diffusing the modulated sounds were The supporting parameters, referring mostly to placed behind the audience. Thus, the direct and pitch, rhythm, and duration, were not altered as modulated sounds were perceptible separately yet such, whereas tempi and dynamics were given inter- fused into one sound for the listener. pretative leeway. It is this particular objectivity that Stockhausen introduced by means of his construc- Computer Music Journal, 32:4, pp. 10–16, Winter 2008 tional principles into composition. Every detail has c 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. its own motivation. Very little is left to subjectivity, 10 Computer Music Journal Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2008.32.4.10 by guest on 29 September 2021 Figure 1. Video still image Figure 2. Video still image Figure 3. Frequency of the from the premiere of Licht- from the premiere of Licht- types of performer Bilder in Donauhalle B in Bilder in Donauhalle B in movements for the seven Donaueschingen. From Donaueschingen. From phases of Licht-Bilder. left, Marco Blaauw, Huber left, Marco Blaauw, Huber (Copyright Archive of the Meyer, Kathinka Pasveer, Meyer, Kathinka Pasveer, Stockhausen Foundation and Suzanne Stephens. and Suzanne Stephens. for Music, Kurten¨ (Photograph: Yvonne Mohr.) (Photograph: Yvonne Mohr.) [www.stockhausen.org].) Figure 1 deduces the values according to certain procedures or series of numbers, respectively. His achievement consists of knowing or intuitively sensing which procedures or series of numbers would lead to musical and timbral success. It is exactly this model, aside from the acousmatic praxis, that is still valid today for composers of electroacoustic music to escape an ever too-subjective arbitrariness. In the acousmatic music, the construction of the sound elements is constantly examined by hearing, and thus the construction and the sound act in a dialectic way. Contrary to that approach, the serial Figure 2 method of construction represented by Stockhausen creates a musical structure by means of parameters and thus an incredible clarity is gained, as everything that then can be interpreted. can be specified and explained. The diverse elements Stockhausen himself worked previously in often have several points of reference. A formula both fields. In Oktophonie (1990–1991), there used in Licht-Bilder refers simultaneously to a uni- are concrete sounds, as well as in works such versally valid “super formula,” to a reference in the as Gesang der Junglinge¨ (1955–1956), Telemusik opera, to the parts of other performers, to the colors (1966), Hymnen (1966–1967), and, from the Licht used, and so on. cycle, Montag (1984–1988), Freitag (1991–1994), Stockhausen obtains the density of reference and Mittwoch (1995–1997). Here, he parameterizes by listing parameters, filling the space between the concrete sounds, yet he works quite intuitively these parameters with tables, and then linking at the same time. In a conversation we had, he several of these two-dimensional tables to form a described the development of the spatial movement three-dimensional parameter space. The composer’s of sounds in Mittwochs-Gruss (1998) as a way of sketches in Figure 3 show two diagrams, generated thinking by listening. He moved the sounds by using Fibonacci proportions, for specifying the means of a touch screen. He did have some models distribution of the performers’ movements in Licht- of movement in his mind, but he developed the Bilder. These diagrams form the basis from which he polyphony of movement while using these models Brummer¨ 11 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2008.32.4.10 by guest on 29 September 2021 Figure 4. Karlheinz Stockhausen and Ludger Brummer.¨ (Photograph: Yvonne Mohr.) all, I was curious to hear what visions he was having at that time. Brummer:¨ We are looking at four triangle-shaped sails that are used as screens for visuals. What function do they serve, exactly? What relationship do they have to the performers? Stockhausen: It has something to do with the fact that the melodies used in Licht-Bilder come and closely listening to them. As different as the from the whole work Licht, right from the very interactive method of acousmatic music is compared beginning on—from the past 26 years—and they are to Stockhausen’s approach, both do have something all connected to particular colors. Johannes Conen, in common: the creation must always be verified by who devised the visual composition of Licht-Bilder, human perception, and, if necessary, corrected. decided that the right triangle should be connected Before his passing, he had already implemented to the basset horn. The choice of using the shapes of the entire audiovisual space in the global auditorium triangles was his, however. Johannes took over that in Osaka with the assistance of others. It is a great concept of colors as well. And in the work Licht,the pity that he will not be able to use newly developed color blue is always connected with the melodies instruments such as the Sound-Dome at ZKM or now played mainly by the basset horn . and purple the wavefield-synthesis system at the Technische with the flute and green with the tenor and orange Universitat¨ Berlin. with the trumpet. For practical reasons, he later returned to simpler Brummer:¨ What I found very interesting listening spatial principles such as in Oktophonie.Asinmany to the work is the fact that the ring modulator is matters, such as the serialism of Studie II (1954) or very integrated into the instrumental sound. Is it the composition of micro-time in Kontakte (1958– your intention to augment the instruments with the 1960), he tried out his ideas extensively and turned ring modulator, or is it to make the electronics not to something different once he had shown how far perceptible as such? he could go. It is such totality that distinguishes the music of Stockhausen. In many areas, he identified Stockhausen: It’s actually two ring modulators. One new positions and at the same time fathomed the is used for the flute and the other for the trumpet. A limits of how far to go. And for whom could it be ring modulator generates a chord, a double chord ac- more difficult to accept limits than for somebody tually, in which whatever the musician is playing is with the visionary power of Stockhausen? It is mirrored by an inaudible electronic tone, a sine tone.