Karlheinz Stockhausen, a German composer known for his ground-breaking work in electronic, aleatory and serial music, passed away on December 5th 2007 at his home in Kuerten-Kettenberg. He will be buried in the Waldfriedhof forest cemetery in Kuerten.
Stockhausen composed 362 individually performable works. The works which were composed until 1969 are published by Universal Edition in Vienna, and all works since then are published by the Stockhausen-Verlag. Numerous texts by Stockhausen and about his works have been published by the Stockhausen Foundation for Music.
Suzanne Stephens and Kathinka Pasveer, who have performed many of his works and, together with him, have taken care of the scores, compact discs, books, films, flowers, shrubs, and trees will continue to disseminate his work throughout the world, as prescribed in the statutes of the Stockhausen Foundation for Music, of which they are executive board members.
They have issued a statement on his death:
Stockhausen always said that GOD gave birth to him and calls him home.
…for love is stronger than death.
IN FRIENDSHIP and gratitude for everything that he has given to us personally and to humanity through his love and his music, we bid FAREWELL to Karlheinz Stockhausen, who lived to bring celestial music to humans, and human music to the celestial beings, so that Man may listen to GOD and GOD may hear His children.
On December 5th he ascended with JOY through HEAVEN’S DOOR, in order to continue to compose in PARADISE with COSMIC PULSES in eternal HARMONY, as he had always hoped to do: You, who summon me to Heaven, Eva, Mikael and Maria, let me eternally compose music for Heaven’s Father-Mother, GOD creator of Cosmic Music.
May Saint Michael, together with Heaven’s musicians in ANGEL PROCESSIONS and INVISIBLE CHOIRS welcome him with a fitting musical GREETING.
On behalf of him and following his example, we will endeavor to continue to protect the music.
Suzanne Stephens and Kathinka Pasveer
in the name of the world-wide family of musicians who love him, together with everyone who loves his music.
On Thursday, December 13th 2007, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. it will be possible to personally say farewell to Karlheinz Stockhausen in the chapel of the Waldfriedhof in Kuerten Kastanienstrasse.
A commemorative concert will take place soon at the Sülztalhalle in Kuerten. Programme, time and date will be specially announced.
As a host of a radio program “Earwaves” which for over 20 years played the music of Stockhausen I am saddened by his death…not only for his music, but for his courage in speaking out against injustice (note his comment after 9.11.2001 which brought him much criticism but much praise from those in the know….”9.11 was the greatest theatrical event in history” Karlheinz said (paraphrasing) in response to what he thought).
His music was truly revolutionary, a composer who worked with audio recording tape, way before synthesizers and computers…and who made unrelenting, experimental music that seemed way beyond most normal human comprehension and understanding.
Amazing who has passed on …we have lost so many great ones….MIles Davis, Frank Zappa, John Cage, Sun Ra…all great innovators in their respective fields in the past ten years…
Great statement from his foundation. Thank you for keeping Karlheinz’s music alive for all time!
Dwight
Thanks for the great comments. Stockhausen has been someone any classical musician studied for over thirty years, and I'm sure musicians will be studying and performing his work for hundreds more.
He's also someone, like the musicians you mentioned, that wasn't afraid to shift gears and change, even if it alienated his audience.