Light (Stockhausen)
Light , The Seven Days of the Week , is a seven-part opera cycle by Karlheinz Stockhausen , which he composed between 1977 and 2003. As the subtitle suggests, each opera has a weekday as its name. The seven days of the week represent human life and the periodization of time by human beings. The subject “light” is a metaphor for the divine and is illuminated from different perspectives by the various constellations of the protagonists . The individual pieces have the serial numbers 47–80 .
content
For his creation and world theater, which is also influenced by autobiographies, Stockhausen eclectically drew from an abundance of religions and mythologies. The names of the three main characters are of biblical origin. The Urantia book was a decisive stimulus for him . The focus is on the figures of Eva, Lucifer and Michael , who meet in various configurations as allegories .
The seven days of the week
| weekday | Time of origin | World premiere, location | colour | elements | sense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1984-88 | May 7, 1988, Milan | green / silver green | water | Smell |
| Tuesday | 1977 / 87-91 | May 28, 1993, Leipzig | red | earth | Taste |
| Wednesday | 1993-98 | 23rd and 30th October 2003 on radio SWR2, staged world premiere 22nd August 2012, Birmingham |
yellow | air | See |
| Thursday | 1978-80 | March 15 and April 3, 1981, Milan | blue | ether | Listen |
| Friday | 1991-94 | September 12, 1996, Leipzig | orange | flame | Feel / touch |
| Saturday | 1981-83 | May 25, 1984, Milan | black / ice blue black | conversion | Think |
| Sunday | 1998-2003 | September 23rd and 30th, 2007 on radio SWR2, staged world premiere on April 9th and 10th, 2011, Cologne Opera House , Koelnmesse Staathaus |
gold | light | intuition |
The three main characters
| figure | Symbolizes | Pitch | instrument | "Motive" | Core tones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | Good, creative ones | tenor | Trumpet | Dotted ascending fourths as-des | 13 core tones |
| Eve | birth | soprano | Basset horn | 12 core tones | |
| Lucifer | Evil, Destructive | bass | trombone | Motif of the number names | 11 core notes, but one is missing |
The heptalogy of light as a total work of art
With this heptalogy , Stockhausen continues the idea of the total work of art by, like Richard Wagner , placing several operas in a mythological context and assigning the characters their own musical material, referred to by Wagner as leitmotifs . Stockhausen called this material formulas . He not only linked the musical levels of meaning with one another, but also wrote all the libretti himself, “composed” the facial expressions , gestures and choreography of the protagonists, determined the costumes, the symbols to be used and the color range of the lighting. A certain color is assigned to each of the days of the week .
The light cycle is the culmination point of various compositional and theatrical innovations that Stockhausen developed in previous works. These are the prerequisites for light to have the concept of a total work of art. The two most important innovations here are the formula composition and the development of the scenic music.
Formula composition
Formula composition is a further development of the serial composition at Stockhausen. The most important difference to serialism is that in the formula composition all elements should be consciously perceptible, while in serialism the musical material is organized according to numerical proportions, which the listener can usually only understand after an analysis of the musical text. In the formula composition, on the other hand, there is a melodic, memorable tone sequence from which the whole work is created. The basis for this composition technique is the so-called formula. A formula is a short, mostly unisonous melody fragment that is almost always provided with precise information for all musical parameters (for example dynamics). Stockhausen explains the meaning of the formula as follows: "The formula is more than a leitmotif [..] symbol, more than a theme or generating series: the formula is a matrix and plan of micro and macro form [...]" (emphasis added the author).
The formula shapes the micro and macrostructure of the piece and is processed and combined in a variety of ways. However, this formula can also - similar to serial music - contain free or aleatoric sections. It is interesting how the technique of formula composition fits into the history of composition. Here Stockhausen falls back on tradition: instead of expanding the means further, for example in terms of rhythm, he restructures the means gained and tries to make them perceptible in his composition. In the light cycle, Stockhausen uses a so-called super formula. A super formula is the combination of different formulas into one complex formula. This super formula consists of the layering of the three formulas of Michael, Eve and Lucifer. Corresponding to the 12 semitone steps, Stockhausen uses 12 different metronome values, which, however, are not multiples of each other. The duration of the super formula is 53.5 quarter notes and consists of 19 segments. The special thing is that you can hear the formula in the piece due to the leitmotif technique used.
Scenic music
Scenic music is defined by Christoph von Blumröder as follows: "[..] Music [...] in which the movements of the performers and the overall visual impression of a performance are thoroughly composed [...]" Stockhausen's first work, which im The style of scenic music composed is "INORI (1974), Adoration for 1 or 2 Soloists and Orchestra". Stockhausen uses so-called dancer mimes here. These dancers are part of the composition with their own voice. Your gestures correspond to dynamics and pitches. The basic gestures and their notation that Stockhausen uses in INORI are partially reused in Licht. This turns the body into an instrument that participates equally in the musical process. In order to enable the performance of scenic music, very precise regulations are necessary for the performance practice, this includes, for example, the costumes and lighting. Stockhausen takes up the basic gestures from Inori and their notation in his cycle light. For example, in the first and third act from Thursday: Michael appears here, who is represented in three different forms, by a dancer, a trumpeter and a tenor.
Instrumentation
In contrast to traditional operas, the range of instruments is, on the one hand, very reduced (the use of an orchestra is an exception) and, on the other hand, greatly expanded, mainly through technology, as the helicopter string quartet shows. For example, Freitag gets by with three voices and three instrumentalists, as well as a children's choir and orchestra, although they only play a subordinate role. Stockhausen's "modern orchestra", which is supposed to replace a normal orchestra, was probably born out of necessity: eight-channel electronics called synthesizers and octophones , as well as drummers, are supposed to compensate for the lack of a differentiated orchestral apparatus.
The musical substance of the whole is very unequal. The lack of homogeneity in the overall cycle is due on the one hand to the long period of origin (more than 25 years) and on the other hand to the type of origin. Almost every act, every scene is a sum of individual pieces that were created and premiered on different occasions - but are probably always conceived with regard to the overall context. Ultimately, each section experienced an abundance of world premieres (as a single piece, as a scene, as an act, concert, staged, as a complete opera and finally as part of the complete performance of the heptalogy ). The complex of operatic parts is confusing, among other things, because there are many pieces in several variants, some with different instrumentations, some in versions for concert use, but also in new compositions under a new title. The play Quelle des Lebens is a version of the first three scenes of the first act on Monday , while Friday greeting and farewell played together is called space .
structure
In the following list of the individual parts of Licht , the individual parts (acts or scenes) are specified after the genre information, followed by the individual pieces, some of which were taken from the opera - some under different names. The listing of the days of the week according to the German industry standard corresponds neither to the creation process nor to Stockhausen's overall dramaturgy, which has not yet been fully understood.
- Light 1977-2003
The seven days of the week
for solo voices, solo instruments, solo dancers /
choirs, orchestras, ballet and mimes /
electronic and concrete music
Monday (1984-88)
Opera in three acts, a greeting and a farewell
- content
The opera Montag allegorically depicts the creation of mankind. Eva gives birth to seven musical boys to whom she dedicates the "Seven Songs of the Days".
- occupation
- 21 musical performers (14 solo voices, 6 solo instruments, 1 actor),
- Choir (tape or live),
- 21 actors women (only in staged performances),
- Children's choir, girls' choir, modern orchestra (3 synthesizer players, 1 percussionist, tape),
- Conductor, sound director.
- shape
-
Monday greeting
- - Unique pieces:
- Xi
- Act I: Eve's firstborn
- 1. Sz. In hope
- 2nd scene Heinzelmännchen
- 3rd scene natal arias
- 4th scene. Boys screaming
- 5th scene of Lucifer's wrath
- 6th scene . The great wine
- - Unique pieces:
- Birth Festival
- Source of Life
- Child's play
- Grief with humor
- Flautina
- Act II. Eva's second birth
- 1. Sz. Girls' procession
- 2nd scene. Fertilization with piano piece - rebirth
- 3rd scene Eva's song
- - Unique pieces:
- Birthday formula (piano piece XIV)
- The 7 songs of the days
- Weekly circle
- III. Act. Eva's magic
- 1st scene message
- 2nd scene. The child catcher
- 3rd scene kidnapping
- - Unique pieces:
- Ave
- Eva's mirror
- Suzani
- Susan's echo
- kidnapping
- Acknowledgment
- Ypsilon
- Monday farewell
Tuesday (1977 / 1987–91)
Opera in one greeting and two acts with farewell
- content
The focus of the Tuesday opera is the fight. The heavenly trumpets fight the trumpets of Lucifer.
- occupation
- 17 musical performers (3 solo voices, 10 solo instrumentalists, 4 dancer-mimes), actors, mimes, choir, modern orchestra and tapes
- shape
-
Tuesday greeting
-
Welcome with a greeting of peace
- - Unique pieces:
- Sukat
-
Welcome with a greeting of peace
- Act I: Course of the year
- Piccolo
- Idea. Michael, Lucifer.
-
4 temptations, 4 cheers. 4 Tutti Intermezzi.
- - Unique pieces:
- procession
- II. Act. Invasion - explosion - Tuesday farewell
- - Unique pieces:
- Invasion signals
- Pietà
- Synthi-Fou (piano piece XV)
Wednesday (1995-97)
Opera in one greeting, four scenes and farewell
- content
The opera is planned as a "day of unification, cooperation and understanding" (Stockhausen).
- occupation
- 9 musical performers (flute, basset horn, trumpet, trombone, string quartet, bass with shortwave receiver), choir with singing conductor, orchestra (scenic: 13 instrumentalists), a synthesizer player, 2 dancer mimes, electronic music (tapes), Sound director
- shape
-
Wednesday greeting
- 1st Sz. World Parliament
- Light call
- 2. Sz. Orchestra finalists
- 11 solo pieces for each of the common orchestral instruments and electronics
- 3rd scene helicopter string quartet
- 4th scene Michaelion
- - Unique pieces:
- Thinki
- Bassetsu
- People, listen
- Rotary
- Piano piece XVIII (Wednesday formula)
- 1st Sz. World Parliament
- Wednesday farewell
Thursday (1978-80)
Opera in three acts, a greeting and a farewell
- content
The focus of the Thursday opera is Michael. Parallels to Stockhausen's own biography can be seen in the plot. Michael learns the manual work from his father. His mother gives him a love of music. The father is shot in the war and the mother is taken to a mental hospital. He has to pass three exams and in the end finds fulfillment in music.
- occupation
- 14 musical performers (3 solo voices, 8 solo instrumentalists,
- 3 solo dancers), choir, orchestra and tapes.
- shape
- Thursday greetings
- I. Michael's youth
- 1st scene childhood
- 2nd scene Mondeva
- 3rd Sz. Exam
- - Unique pieces:
- Invisible choirs
- Dance Luzeva!
- Bijou
- Piano piece XII (exam)
- II. Michael's journey around the earth
- Input and formula
- Stop
- crucifixion
- Mission and Ascension
- Michael's reputation
- III. Michael's homecoming
- 1st room festival
- 2nd scene vision
- - Unique pieces:
- Dragon fight
- Boy birth
- argument
- Thursday farewell
Friday (1991-94)
Opera in one greeting, two acts and farewell
- content
The Friday opera has three different levels. The first level is purely aural: there is only electronic music without a plot. On the second level, 12 pairs of dancer mimes represent different sound sequences. The third level has a plot that consists of ten scenes. The focus here is on Eva and her union with Kaino, Ludon's son, and her remorse after this act.
- occupation
- five musical performers (soprano, baritone, bass, flute, basset horn), children's orchestra, children's choir, 12 choristers, a synthesizer player, 12 pairs of dancer-mimes, electronic music with sound scenes, sound director
- shape
-
Friday greeting
- - Unique pieces:
- space
- Act I: Couples
- 1st scene piano piece XVI
- 2nd scene Two Couples
- Act II. Friday Temptation
- - Unique pieces:
- Request
- Children's orchestra
- Children's choir
- Children's tutti
- approval
- case
- Children's war
- Komet (piano piece XVII)
- Remorse
- Elufa
- Freia
- Choir spiral
- Friday farewell
Saturday (1981-83)
Opera in one greeting and four scenes
- content
The focus of the Saturday opera is Lucifer. He dreams the piano piece XIII, which conjures up the five elements. At the end of the piece he seems dead. The cat Katinka tries to save Lucifer's soul from rebirth by playing the flute. Nevertheless he wakes up and dances "Lucifer's farewell". In this orchestral piece, the orchestra represents a human face through its formation.
- occupation
- 13 musical performers (one solo voice, ten solo instrumentalists, two solo dancers), harmony orchestra, ballet or mimes, male choir and organ
- shape
-
Saturday greeting
- 1st scene Lucifer's dream
- Piano piece XIII
- Dream formula
- 2nd scene Kathinka's song as Lucifer's Requiem
- 3rd scene Lucifer's dance
- Left eyebrow dance
- Right eyebrow dance
- Left eye dance
- Right eye dance
- Left cheek dance
- Right cheek dance
- Wing dance
- Upper lip dance
- Tip of the tongue dance
- Chin dance
- 4th scene Lucifer's farewell
- 1st scene Lucifer's dream
Sunday (1998-2003)
Opera in five scenes and a farewell
- content
The mystical union of Eva and Michael and the day of the white light. There is no dramatic plot. Instead, a musical ritual is performed in every scene: for example, lights-water celebrates the creation of the solar system in sophisticated room-sound music, the angel processions are mobile choral praise in various world and fantasy languages, the scent symbols include various incense scents . According to Stockhausen, this opera should be "acoustically a universal day" on which "the sun shines musically too" (Stockhausen)
- occupation
- 10 vocal soloists, boy's voice, four instrumental soloists, two choirs and two orchestras, electronic music, sound projectionist
- shape
- 1 room lights-water (Sunday greeting)
- 2 scene angel processions
- 3 Sz. Light pictures
- 4 scents symbols
- - Unique pieces:
- Cuchulainn
- Kyphi
- mastic
- Rosa Mystica
- Tate Yunanaka
- Ud
- incense
- Boy scent
- 5 scenes Hoch-Zeiten (consisting of the independent partial scenes high-times for choir and high-times for orchestra , which are performed simultaneously in different rooms. The sound direction opens acoustic windows at certain points. After the break, the ensembles change, so that the audience in each room experiences both partial scenes with the fade-ins.)
-
Sunday farewell (based on the weddings for choir )
- - Unique pieces:
- Rays (based on the weddings for choir )
Individual evidence
- ^ Christoph von Blumröder: Stockhausen, Karlheinz. In: Horst Weber (Ed.): Composers, 58 portraits from the Middle Ages to the present . Verlag JB Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-476-02024-X , p. 269.
- ^ Markus Bandur: Karlheinz Stockhausen and the reception of "The Urantia Book" (Chicago 1955) in LIGHT. THE SEVEN DAYS OF THE WEEK ( Memento of October 11, 2003 on the Internet Archive ), accessed August 21, 2003.
- ↑ birminghamopera.org.uk ( Memento from August 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Sunday from Light , Part 1 ( Memento from March 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), Cologne Opera
- ^ Karlheinz Stockhausen: Texts on Music . Volume 5, Cologne 1989, p. 667.
- ^ Christoph von Blumröder: Stockhausen, Karlheinz. In: Horst Weber (Ed.): Composers, 58 portraits from the Middle Ages to the present . Verlag JB Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-476-02024-X , p. 268.
- ↑ Stockhausen catalog raisonné as PDF ( Memento from February 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), the table of contents is based on: Meyers Lexikon Online: Licht, http://lexikon.meyers.de/wissen/LICHT+(Sachartikel)+600643814, accessed : September 27, 2008, shut down since March 23, 2009.
literature
- Christoph von Blumröder: "Stockhausen, Karlheinz". In: Horst Weber (Ed.): Composers, 58 portraits from the Middle Ages to the present . Verlag JB Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-476-02024-X , pp. 263-269.
- Christoph von Blumröder, Imke Misch et al. (Ed.): Internationales Stockhausen Symposion 1998. (= Signals from Cologne. No. 4). Saarbrücken 1999.
- Christoph von Blumröder, Imke Misch et al. (Ed.): Internationales Stockhausen Symposion 2000: Light. (= Signals from Cologne. No. 10). Munster 2004.
- Michelle Kiec: The Light Super Formula. Diss. Baltimore, Maryland 2004.
- Peter Schnur: Karlheinz Stockhausen's idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk, represented in the 'Light' cycle . GRIN Verlag, 2007.
- Markus Wirtz: Light. The scenic music by Karlheinz Stockhausen. An introduction. Saarbrücken 2000.