Stockhausen: Sounds in Space: MICHAELs HEIMKEHR (FESTIVAL, VISION)

DONNERSTAG AUS LICHT
Greeting DONNERSTAGs- GRUSS	Act 1 MICHAELs JUGEND	Act 2 MICHAELs REISE UM DIE ERDE	Act 3 MICHAELs HEIMKEHR	Farewell DONNERSTAGs ABSCHIED

London, 1985
(© www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)

No. 50: MICHAELs HEIMKEHR
(MICHAEL'S HOMECOMING,
3rd Act of DONNERSTAG AUS LICHT
THURSDAY FROM LIGHT)
for tenor, soprano, bass vocal soloists, trumpet, basset-horn, trombone, 2 soprano saxophones, elec. organ or synthesizer, choir, orchestra, tape (UNSICHTBARE CHÖRE) 1980 [78']

Also:
FESTIVAL
No. 50 1/2 [50']
DRACHENKAMPF
(DRAGON FIGHT)
No. 50 1/2 extract 1 for trumpet, trombone, elec. organ or synthesizer, 1 percussionist [13']
KNABENDUETT
(BOYS' DUET)
No. 50 1/2 extract 2 for 2 soprano saxophones or other instruments [4']
ARGUMENT
No. 50 1/2 extract 3 for tenor, bass, elec. organ or synthesizer (trumpet, trombone, 1 percussionist) [11']

VISION
Work No. 189/Opus 50 2/3 extract 3 for tenor, trumpeter, dancer, Hammond organ or synthesizer, tape [28']

DONNERSTAGS-ABSCHIED (MICHAELS-ABSCHIED)
(THURSDAY FAREWELL (MICHAEL's FAREWELL) Work No. 50 3/4 for 5 Trumpets [11-30']

Introduction
     MICHAELs HEIMKEHR (MICHAEL's Homecoming) is the 3rd Act of Stockhausen's dramatic music work DONNERSTAG AUS LICHT (Thursday from Light), which was the first-performed entry of his 7-part, 29-hour opera cycle LICHT (Light). LICHT is a work for acoustic and electronic operatic forces, divided into the 7 days of the week (one opera for each day). This opera cycle revolves around 3 archetype characters, MICHAEL, EVE and LUCIFER, and over the 29 hours each of these characters are introduced, come into conflict, face temptation and finally come into union. The music is almost entirely based on a "super-formula", which is a 3-layered melodic-thematic representation of the 3 characters. These formula-themes are together and separately threaded throughout the opera's vocal and instrumental fabric. Story-wise, actors and narrative can (and often do) change from act to act and the libretto text is sometimes made up of non-traditional grammar or even purely phonetic sounds.

     DONNERSTAG is about MICHAEL's experience as a human being on Earth, and the celebration of his return to the heavens. Act 3 opens with FESTIVAL, where the protagonist MICHAEL returns to the stars (SIRIUS) and is greeted by EVE, who gives him 3 gifts. Unfortunately the antagonist LUCIFER has hidden a "devil" inside one of the gifts, and MICHAEL is engaged in a "dragon fight". In the 2nd scene, VISION, MICHAEL describes LUCIFER's history and explains his own experience and purpose on Earth. The opera DONNERSTAG AUS LICHT concludes in DONNERSTAG's ABSCHIED (Thursday Farewell) with 5 trumpeters playing the MICHAEL melody-formula over the rooftops of the opera house square as the audience departs.

Musical Synopsis
     The below table gives broad descriptions of the musical events which occur in this Act (based on the divisions found on Stockhausen Edition CD 30). A more detailed musical analysis (with formulas, text and photos) follows farther down the page.

Scene 1 - FESTIVAL:
     MICHAEL is portrayed here in 3 simultaneous incarnations: a tenor vocal soloist, a trumpeter, and a male dancer (mostly inaudible on CD, obviously). EVE is portrayed by a soprano vocal soloist, a bassett-horn player, and a female dancer. LUCIFER later enters as a bass vocal soloist, a trombonist and a shouting "devil-dragon".

      A background tape is present throughout the scene, consisting of a multi-tracked acapella choir singing extracts from religious texts as well as tongue clicks (with a brief looping clarinet ensemble section in the middle) with the title UNSICHTBARE CHÖRE (INVISIBLE CHOIRS). This 8 track tape is the same material from MICHAELs JUGEND, except that the channels are reversed. This reversal is echoed by the upside down shadowplay in Scene 2: VISION (this interesting insight from "Stockhausen and the Serial Shaping of Space", Paul Miller 2009). 5 mixed choirs and 5 orchestral groups are spaced equidistantly on the stage.

   This scene is primarily characterized by declarative pronouncements from Eve and Michael, with each verbal fragment backed by block chords based on mixtures of choir and orchestra. After the formal Hymn of Greeting, Eve presents three Gifts to Michael. The 1st Gift is characterized by mixed choir forces carrying the exchanges. In the 2nd Gift, the choirs engage in colorful and chaotic aleatory figures, but this section is interrupted by the arrival of the Old Lady. The 3rd Gift contains a "Devil-dragon", whose arrival prompts a trumpet-trombone "dragonfight". Finally, Michael and Lucifer have their first real confrontation in the LICHT saga (verbally at least, and supported by their avatar solo instruments).

CD Trk #	Sequence	Music Elements When Eve (soprano) sings, she is shadowed by basset-horn and the forces listed below. When Michael (tenor) sings, he is shadowed by trumpet and the forces listed below.
1	Hymn Of Greeting	Descending ensemble chords lead to start of choir tape, Eve's greeting.
2		Eve with winds.
3		Eve with choir, string/bell accents.
4		Michael with brass swells.
5		Eve with violins. Michael with muted brass.
6		Eve with flutes/perc./ Michael with brass.
7	Meditation	Michael w perc, ascending tremolo strings Sustained male choir/string texture.
8	1st Gift: 3 Plants	Eve with orchestra/perc, supported by taped tongue clicks.
9		Michael with low figures (beginning Michael theme).
10		Michael (ending Michael theme).
11		Female choir.
12		Female choir supported by flutes, synth, strings.
13		Female choir supported by flutes, synth, strings continued. Eve loosely shadowed by bassett-horn and trumpet.
14		Male choir with orchestra.
15		Electric organ enters, male choir with orchestra, strings.
16		Michael & Eve with choir & orchestra.
17	Arc Of LIGHT	Michael & Eve with choir & orchestra leads to low frozen texture.
18	2nd Gift: 3 LIGHT Compositions	Choir begins hissing (later also tongue clicks). Eve with orchestra & organ drone.
19	1st LIGHT Composition Chaos Out of Colors	Choir (aleatory/free).
20	2nd LIGHT Composition Suns out of Chaos	Eve w. aleatory choir, looping clarinet tape begins.
21		Michael w muted brass/perc, looping clarinets.
22		Michael w tape flashbacks from MISSION.
23		Eve shadowed by winds and perc.
24	3rd LIGHT Composition Pt 1: Moons	Eve with subdued aleatory choir and orchestra.
25	Pt 2: Moons & Glass Pictures	Eve with choir/orchestral/organ accents and figures.
26	Pt 3: The Starry Firmament	Male war hymn tape and aleatory choir/orchestra drones begin. Eve & Michael dialogue (some TIERKREIS fragments) over an organ drone. Percussive walking stick sound, toy tank, organ cadence and Old Woman's entreaty.
27		Isolated choir/orchestra accents (Old Lady departs). Organ cadence.
28		Choir/flute accents with metal perc.
29		Choir/orchestra swells.
30	3rd Gift: The Globe	Eve/basset-horn w. pizz accents. Hushed choir w. tense pizz. accents begin. Lucifer Dragon enters (counting). Tap-dancing trombonist and trumpeter begin battling in accents.
31	The Dragonfight	Tap-dancing trombonist and trumpeter battle, urged on by choir exhortations/winds. Dragon falls with falling glissandi.
32	The Dragonfight	Trumpet and trombone aggressively play LUCIFER formula, joined by orchestra & choir.
33	Boys' Duet	Soprano saxophone duo.
34	Boys' Duet	Michael's accents interrupt the sax duo.
35	Argument	Messenger & Lucifer (laughing) approach from a distance.
36	Argument	Michael & Lucifer dialogue supported by muted trumpet & trombone (organ & tubular bells). Fade out.

Scene 2, VISION:
MICHAEL (still in his 3 incarnations of tenor, trumpet and dancer-mime) explains LUCIFER's origins. He then explains why he took on a human form and experienced the pain and joy of growing as a human. This vocal and trumpet duet also features 7 VISIONS ("shadowplays") which act as aural "time-windows" into his Earthly existence and subsequent return to the Heavens. He ends THURSDAY FROM LIGHT by proclaiming his love for Mankind.

1	(Michael soliloquy beginning)	Michael tenor & trumpet, supported by organ drones. No Invisible Choir/brass drone tape is employed for this Scene.
2
3
4
7 Shadowplays		Taped excerpts from previous scenes surface.
5	1. CHILDHOOD	KINDHEIT opening excerpt.
6	2. MOON-EVE	MONDEVA middle excerpt (brief).
7	3. EXAMINATION	Excerpt from end of EXAMEN.
8	4. MICHAELs JOURNEY	A few measures from each the 7 Stations of the Earth.
9	5. CRUCIFIXION	CRUCIFIXION excerpt (clarinet duo, trombones).
10	6. ASCENSION	Trumpet and bassett-horn trilling excerpt from end of ASCENSION.
11	7. HOMECOMING	Ending sequence of FESTIVAL's 1st Gift, Arc of Light, lead up to DRAGONFIGHT.
12	(Michael soliloquy conclusion)	Subdued/reflective Michael tenor & trumpet, supported by organ drones. Fade out.
13
14
15

LICHT Super-formula
Structurally, FESTIVAL is based on 33 chords which are drawn from a single statement of the LICHT superformula (especially the MICHAEL formula). This statement ends just before the ARGUMENT scene. By comparing the shape of the MICHAEL formula with the shape of FESTIVAL, matching scenes can be somewhat identified (for example, the colored pause in the 3rd measure of the MICHAEL formula appears to be expressed as the "Meditation" at section/chord 7, and measure 7's "colored noise" is probably the "Arc of Light" in section 17).

Detailed Synopsis with Formulas, Text and Images
The detailed analysis/descriptions below are based on the original score, and so not all elements may be present on the actual CD recording.

London, 1985
(© www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)

Scene 1 - FESTIVAL
(Section # in parentheses if different from CD track #)

CD
Track

Stage action

Soloists' text (abridged)

Choir/Orchestra/Tape

CD Time

HYMN OF GREETING

EVE's 3 incarnations greets MICHAEL's 3 incarnations

EVE & Choir: MI-KA-EL...

EVE bassett-horn and orchestra play 11 descending chords. Winds and strings maintain Eb & C drone.
INVISIBLE CHOIRS begin singing polyphonic religious texts