Tierkreis (Stockhausen)
Tierkreis (1974–75) is a musical composition by the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. The title is the German word for Zodiac, and the composition consists of twelve melodies, each representing one sign of the zodiac.
History
Described by one early critic as "melodic naïveté" in the form of "cheerful, empty-headed little tune[s]" (Kenyon 1980, 78), Tierkreis has proved to be Stockhausen's most popular composition (Anon. 2007; Deruchie 2007; Nordin 2004). Tierkreis was originally written for music boxes as a component part of a theater piece for percussion sextet titled Musik im Bauch (Music in the Belly), which has been interpreted variously as "a fairy tale for children" (Maconie 1976, 322) or else as "a ritual played out in Mexican Indian scenery" (Kurtz 1992, 205). These twelve melodies (with or without their accompaniments) form an autonomous work which can be played by any suitable instrument, and exist also in versions to be sung. The striking simplicity of the melodies has led some writers to see them (together with other of Stockhausen's works from after 1966) as precursors of the German New Simplicity movement that began in the late 1970s (Andraschke 1981; Gruhn 1981).
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen (German pronunciation: [kaʁlˈhaɪnts ˈʃtɔkhaʊzn̩]; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important (Barrett 1988, 45; Harvey 1975b, 705; Hopkins 1972, 33; Klein 1968, 117) but also controversial (Power 1990, 30) composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music" (Hewett 2007). He is known for his groundbreaking work in electronic music, aleatory (controlled chance) in serial composition, and musical spatialization.
He was educated at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and the University of Cologne, later studying with Olivier Messiaen in Paris and with Werner Meyer-Eppler at the University of Bonn. One of the leading figures of the Darmstadt School, his compositions and theories were and remain widely influential, not only on composers of art music, but also on jazz and popular music. His works, composed over a period of nearly sixty years, eschew traditional forms. In addition to electronic music—both with and without live performers—they range from miniatures for musical boxes through works for solo instruments, songs, chamber music, choral and orchestral music, to a cycle of seven full-length operas. His theoretical and other writings comprise ten large volumes. He received numerous prizes and distinctions for his compositions, recordings, and for the scores produced by his publishing company.
Stockhausen (disambiguation)
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007) was a German composer.
Stockhausen may also refer to:
People with the surname
Stockhausen (Sondershausen)
Stockhausen is a part of the town Sondershausen in Thuringia and was probably made at the beginning of the 11th century. The village was incorporated in 1950.
Stockhausen is located west of Sondershausen at the foot of the mountain Frauenberg near the river Wipper and has more than 2,000 inhabitants. In the center stands the Neo-Gothic Church of St. Matthias.
An aristocratic family named even once for the village.
Sources
Coordinates: 51°22′41″N 10°51′15″E / 51.37806°N 10.85417°E / 51.37806; 10.85417
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