German composer Stockhausen dies

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.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | German composer Stockhausen dies

That's too bad, he definitely made some great stuff.

Though to be perfectly honest, I already thought he was dead :-\

Ah, shame. I hadn't heard anything of his but I did hear he was brilliant. Someone told me about something weird he did, it was exploring the relationship between unpitched rhythms and tonal intervals... I never got to the end of that, but it sounded interesting.

I always had mixed feeling about Stockhausen, I always enjoyed studying and discussing his work but it usually doesn't do much for me when I listen to it. Any person that contributes that much to the musical world will be missed though.

I did a music exam on Thursday, and one of his piece's was used as a recording to answer questions to. It was a great piece...

rip.

great composer.

He will be sorely missed...

He opened a lot of ears, and many jazz composers drew on his concepts of aleatory, modular compositions and performer defined structures. Very cool.....and he used helicopters.

...

Sorely missed by some.

There are probably an equal number who are glad to see his time pass.

In my opinion, he did more harm than good in the long run. An adequate understanding of his influence over an entire generation of composers and performers will require profound soul-searching and years of study. While he opened many minds and ears, he is also guilty of forcing many minds and ears tightly shut.

His monstrous ego has probably done more damage than good to the "art" of music.

I, for one, am glad he has passed on. I had the distinct displeasure of studying under a number of his students. I have also had to deal with the effects of the avant-garde dogma he heavily imprinted on the fabric of the musical establishment in so many countries.

To paraphrase Bette Davis: My mother always taught me to say good of the dead. Stockausen is dead. Good.

r.i.p.

While some aspects of Stockhausens personality and work have also alienated me somewhat, I don't agree with blaming him for "forcing many minds and ears tightly shut". Ultimately it is the individual responsibility of everyone to decide for themselves (especially as artists!) what they want to write and hear. As far as I know he wasn't indoctrinating children to hate particular kinds of music. He promoted his views mostly to grown up people who should be expected to consciously and critically learn, and not just imitate their teacher.

Yes, he was very influential, but that was to a significant degree because his ideas made sense to many people. Esthetic ideologies such as the Darmstadt school may actually even have contributed to a greater diversity in music in the long term, by establishing a pole of controversy that sparked a whole number of counter movements. In a culture without ideologies, where everything is possible and everything is considered equally acceptable, it is much harder to define yourself through your music.

I know that I'm treading on dangerous ground here. I'm not advocating fundamentalism, dictatorial political systems or anything like that here. I'm just saying that the existance of fundamentalist ideology isn't automatically detrimental to art. (Just think of, say, Shostakovich. And compared to the USSR the Darmstadt school was almost apathetic.)

Stockhausen was also a person that wasn't just strictly fixed on one kind of musical expression. He continuously tried new things out, contrary to so many other composers. Electronic music, serialism, aleatoric, spectral music, spacial music, some very melodic stuff, etc.

As controversial and doctrinair he was, as huge his ego was, as crazy he was, he was an important figure of the second half of the 20th century, who had his part in the development of a couple of extremely important musical ideas.

Wagner was an asshole, and conveyed some ideas with his operas that I don't like at all. He also had a strong influence on almost all of his contemporaries, if they wanted or not. He was a fundamentalist who cleaved the musical world of his time.

Nevertheless he was a great figure in the history of music, and undoubtably knew how to compose very well. He did not only leave us a number of marvellous works, but took his part in advancing the music of his time in several directions: Not only the one of his followers, but also of the Brahmsians, Debussy, the New Viennese school etc., who all opposed him in some way, but may through that opposition have found an even more personal style than without it.

I happen to love much of both Wagner's and Stockhausen's music. I wouldn't have wanted to be the student of either of them though.

While some aspects of Stockhausens personality and work have also alienated me somewhat, I don't agree with blaming him for "forcing many minds and ears tightly shut".

Please read exactly what I wrote, carefully.

I did not ONLY blame him for "forcing many minds and ears tightly shut".

The complete quote is as follows:

While he opened many minds and ears, he is also guilty of forcing many minds and ears tightly shut.

The reason I bring that up is that his doctrinaire approach to music and musical theory is reflected and propagated through his students who themselves continue with views that are limited and closed to anything not fitting their mold of what is acceptable in new music.

The ideology being that "new music" must break new ground, and that anything not fitting into that mold is therefore of no value and should be rejected.

Stockhausen's influence is considerably less strongly felt in the U.S., however, it is omnipresent in the corridors of academe in Europe and Canada.

Yes, sorry for picking that one out. I just don't agree that he "forced" any ears either to open or close. He may have helped ears that already were disposed to do so to either open up or close off. It's my opinion that a grown up person is responsible for the state of their own minds and ears, at least unless it comes to actual brainwashing.

Yes, sorry for picking that one out. I just don't agree that he "forced" any ears either to open or close. He may have helped ears that already were disposed to do so to either open up or close off. It's my opinion that a grown up person is responsible for the state of their own minds and ears, at least unless it comes to actual brainwashing.

The problem with Stockhausen and his influence on the world of music does not start nor stop with the sound of the music he wrote and whether it pleased or did not please the ears of an audience. I actually have very little interest in that aspect of it.

His influence goes much further than that. It reaches into the halls of academia, the very heart of the formative process of future composers. His influence within that context is where he has caused the most irreparable harm.

His philosophy on music and the value of creative art has been stamped upon the mindset of countless future-teachers and even artistic administrators.

RIP, an absolute innovator...I'll have to look for Gesang and Kontakt now

The problem with Stockhausen and his influence on the world of music does not start nor stop with the sound of the music he wrote and whether it pleased or did not please the ears of an audience. I actually have very little interest in that aspect of it.

His influence goes much further than that. It reaches into the halls of academia, the very heart of the formative process of future composers. His influence within that context is where he has caused the most irreparable harm.

His philosophy on music and the value of creative art has been stamped upon the mindset of countless future-teachers and even artistic administrators.

I don't know much about Stockhausen beyond what I looked up in a wikipedia article. Could you explain?

Stockhausen may have not been the nicest fellow to invite to a tea-party, but I would never do such thing as to condemn what he did, more over after he's just died.

Look at the composer for the compositions, anything else is drama and it's best not to bother with it unless you want to major music history (just dramas!)

I find, furthermore, rather childish this sort of explosive hate. It accomplishes nothing, it serves as no good example to anyone.

If Stockhausen inspired even one person with his music, then his job as a composer AND an artist was a success, and I believe this is the legacy we should all look forward to leaving ourselves when we die.

Keep your hate to yourself.

Let me get this straight: you believe that if we heartily disagree with someone's philosophy as well as dislike the person and feel that his influence on generations of musicians has been negative, we should just shut up and not say anything?

I just want to be perfectly clear about what it is you are saying.

"Let me get this straight: you believe that if we heartily disagree with someone's philosophy as well as dislike the person and feel that his influence on generations of musicians has been negative, we should just shut up and not say anything?"

Let me ask you, is this doing any good in reverting the so called damage and so forth that he did in your opinion? Is it really helping?

For all I know neither of you both are either right or wrong in your views, and if Stockhausen came in here and started talking crap about YOU when you died, I would've told him the same.

Instead of blanket statements saying he did so much damage to the heart of this and that, and what not, why not be more precise? Say something that I can actually understand instead of just shouting that you don't agree with him.

If he did such horrible things and irreparable damage, please explain how this works and why you think so. These are serious accusations, and if you won't bother to elaborate then please don't bother shouting them out without any explanation.

If you simply want to shout and vent, for whichever reasons, that's all fine and dandy but I don't believe this is neither the place nor the time to do so in this fashion. If you're screaming about what he did to education and what not, then what you're doing right now is no exemplary action.

Explain and elaborate your point, otherwise I would appreciate if you did not spit out venom for the sake of spitting it out.

Someone already asked you to explain, too, so don't keep us in the dark if this is such an important matter.

I personally don't believe you can actually do any "harm" in Art. If something is worthy, it will be influential, or it will be liked, or it will be inspirational, or it will just be admire, or another thousand things. But if it is not worthy, it will just be ignored. This is why Art can only move forward, because there can only exist good or neutral things. Nothing can do "harm".

So, in a way, if you don't like Stockhausen and his philosophies or his music, that doesn't mean Stockhausen was a bad composer, it's just your personal opinion. But what about those people who were inspired by Stockhausen? What about those people who love his music and his ideas on music? Don't you think you are being selfish by saying that it's good now that he died, just because you feel like it? What would those people think?

And on a sidenote, no matter how much you dislike someone, that doesn't mean you have the right to be irrespective towards them, especially in the case of a composer as important as Stockhausen.

To paraphrase Bette Davis: My mother always taught me to say good of the dead. Stockausen is dead. Good.

That is highly irrespective, and I disagree with you in saying that completely. I like the quote, it's witty; all I am saying is that I'd never use it on someone like Stockhausen.

Stockhausen advanced a narrow-minded view of what is "acceptable" in new music.

He promoted the view that only what HE was doing, that only things that fit HIS ideology, were acceptable.

The issue I have with this is that people like arts administrators, who are quite often gullible and easily bullied into positions that are not necessarily for the better, fell into the trap and continued promoting his views. Views that narrowed the definition of music and what meritted support and what did not.

I am not writing anything I would not have said to his face. I would have welcomed the opportunity to do so. I'm sorry it offends you so that some people are happy to see him go. I am one of MANY, however, who feel that way.

What the heck was his philosophy that all you guys are talking about? I know he said something like "The world trade center attacks a great work of art" or something, is that what y'all are talking about? I really want to know.

The issue I have with this is that people like arts administrators, who are quite often gullible and easily bullied into positions that are not necessarily for the better, fell into the trap and continued promoting his views. Views that narrowed the definition of music and what meritted support and what did not.

I think the problem here are more these arts administrators than Stockhausen though. Having strong opinions on art and esthetics isn't a bad thing (even if you don't agree with them). But it is, to just accept them because the person promoting them is charismatic and famous.

Stockhausen had a lot of great ideas that one could learn from. It's just a matter whether you are able to learn while staying critical and open-minded.

The problem was that many people treated Stockhausen as a guru, which he admittedly promoted by his excentric and dogmatic manner. But if you're willing to follow a musical guru without second thoughts, the problem lies in yourself.

I know he said something like "The world trade center attacks a great work of art" or something, is that what y'all are talking about? I really want to know.

The thing with the world trade center has nothing to do with it. That was a case of luridly quoting him out of context, which doesn't have much to do with his "philosophies".

Actually, the world trade center thing was NOT taken out of context.

When Stockhausen was confronted he said it was taken out of contest.

The journalist then provided the AUDIO recording of him saying EXACTLY what it was he was accused of saying.

He NEVER apologised for his grotesque comments.

Those comments, however, are FAR from the only reason I despise the man.

Could you please elaborate on what his ideas are that his disciples attempt to impose on the musical world?

Actually, the world trade center thing was NOT taken out of context.

When Stockhausen was confronted he said it was taken out of contest.

The journalist then provided the AUDIO recording of him saying EXACTLY what it was he was accused of saying.

He NEVER apologised for his grotesque comments.

Those comments, however, are FAR from the only reason I despise the man.

Yes, he did say exactly that, but it was still taken out of context. I've read the whole transcribed speech in german. He's saying that the art we do cannot change the world, no matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we work towards perfection. The destruction of the WTC -did- change the world (in a terrible way), as our art never could. He never says 9/11 was something positive, or justifies it morally. He's merely talking about the scale of effect it had compared to all the efforts of so many composers. He was looking for an extreme example to make his point. It was, of course, a very inconsiderate thing to do. Of course he shouldn't have said it. But making him sound as if he thought the attacks were something positive is just wrong.

Why are some of you guys so negative about the man (probably mainly because you simply don't understand his music and his aesthetics...). Stockhausen was a goddamn genius not to be equaled by any of us here (ok, some of his thoughts, for instance on channeling and on 9/11, were quite insane, but then, there's a thin line between genius and insanity); he'll probably go down in history as the Wagner of our time. May he rest in peace.