EVAs ZAUBER

MONTAG AUS LICHT
Greeting
MONTAGs-
GRUSS		 Act 1
EVAs ERSTGEBURT		 Act 2
EVAs ZWEITGEBURT		 Act 3
EVAs ZAUBER 		Farewell
MONTAGs
ABSCHIED

(©www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)
No. 58: EVAs ZAUBER (EVE's Magic) for basset horn, alto flute, piccolo flute, choir, children's choir, 3 synthesizers, percussion, and tape (Sound Scenes)

The Third Act of
MONTAG AUS LICHT (MONDAY from LIGHT)
1984-1986 [57 min]

Also:
No. 58 1/2 (ie 58.2): BOTSCHAFT (Message) for basset-horn, alto flute, tape with optional choir, synth, perc (1985) [27']
      No. 58 1/2 Ossia: AVE for basset-horn and alto flute, 1984 [23'30"]
      No. 58 1/2 Extract 1: EVAs SPIEGEL (EVE's Mirror) for basset-horn (1984) [4']
      No. 58 1/2 Extract 2: SUSANI for basset-horn (1984) [7']
      No. 58 1/2 Extract 3: SUSANI'S ECHO for alto flute (1985) [7']
No. 58 2/3 (ie 58.3): DER KINDERFÄNGER (The Pied-Piper) for alto flute, piccolo flute, children's choir, 3 synths, perc. and tape (1986) [30'30"]
      No. 58 2/3 Ossia: DER KINDERFÄNGER for alto flute, piccolo, tape with optional synth, perc (2000) [32']
      No. 58 2/3 Extract 1: ENTFÜHRUNG (Abduction) for piccolo flute [12']
      No. 58 2/3 Extract 2: ENTFÜHRUNG (Abduction) for soprano saxophone (with Sound Scenes and synth tape optional) [14']

Introduction
     EVAs ZAUBER (EVE's Magic) is the 3rd Scene of Stockhausen's dramatic music work MONTAG AUS LICHT (MONDAY from LIGHT), which was the 3rd-composed 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 scene to scene, and the libretto text is sometimes made up of non-traditional grammar (or even purely phonetic sounds).

     MONTAG (Monday) is EVE's Day and a celebration of birth and the rebirth of humanity.  The main element connected with MONTAG is water.  The 3 Acts in MONTAG AUS LICHT are EVAs ERSTGEBURT (EVE's First Birth-Giving), EVAs ZWEITGEBURT (EVE's Second Birth-Giving) and EVAs ZAUBER, and they are preceded and followed by MONTAG'S GRUSS (Monday Greeting) and MONTAG's ABSCHIED (Monday Farewell) respectively.  In EVAs ZAUBER's 1st Scene, BOTSCHAFT (Message), EVE as a basset horn player encounters her opposite, AVE, in the form of a flautist.  In the final 2 Scenes, DER KINDERFÄNGER (The Pied Piper) and ENTFÜHRUNG (Abduction), the children of EVE are entranced and then spirited away by AVE, who has become a Pied Piper figure.

EVAs ZAUBER Scenes:
1: BOTSCHAFT (Message), divided into 4 sections:
  • EVA's SPIEGEL (EVE's Mirror)
  • NACHRICHT (News)
  • SUSANI (& SUSANI'S ECHO)
  • AVE
2: DER KINDERFÄNGER (The Pied Piper)
3: ENTFÜHRUNG (Abduction)

     Instrumentally, Scene 1 features a basset horn and alto flute duo with choir accompaniment.  Scenes 2 and 3 focus on a solo flautist (with piccolo) and a children's choir interacting with concrete "Sound Scenes".  Throughout the Act, these taped Sound Scenes (brief quadrophonic field recordings of nature, human voices, environments, animals, historical broadcasts, etc..) either provide the sound effect for a stage action or comment on the proceedings, or both - usually to humorous effect.

Narrative:
      The stage production of EVAs ZAUBER (and for all of MONTAG AUS LICHT for that matter) is very elaborate, and a text synopsis really can't do justice to all of the many rich visual elements. The CD recording is an excellent studio representation of the opera's musical elements and so here I will mainly concentrate on that. The booklet (book, actually) that comes with the MONTAG AUS LICHT CD has much more detailed descriptions, photographs, libretto and score excerpts.  The narrative below contains excerpts of the libretto text translated from the original German.

      In the descriptions below I sometimes identify a structure as being based on the EVE, MICHAEL or LUCIFER formulas (or Nuclear formulas). These can be seen below.  The "Nuclear formulas" are simplified versions of the LICHT formulas without the ornamentation and articulations of the full formulas.  The "Nuclear tones" are the pitch rows used in each formula.  In this Act, like Act 1, the formulas are usually extremely ornamented or "stretched" in some way, so following the formulas is possibly not as rewarding as just enjoying the melodic and timbral figures as "dialogue".  However on repeated listenings, the formulas become more apparent and can add to the appreciation of the musical fabric.

     Additionally, when a formula is indicated, the melodic and dynamic elements of the wind instruments and choral parts are also articulated with the formula colorations, such as tongue-clicks, toneless blowing, breathing noises, microtonal bends, kissing noises, etc..., though there are no LUCIFER "counting" moments (that I could hear, anyways).

MICHAEL formula
EVE formula
LUCIFER formula


(All photos on this page © www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)
Scene 1 - BOTSCHAFT (Message)
     In EVA's SPIEGEL, EVE as Coeur de Basset (from Act 2's EVAs ZWEITGEBURT) performs while regarding her reflection in a glass sculpture.  A group of men appear (the Boys of the Week from Act 2, now grown up) and sing:  
"Mirror, mirror on the wall - who's the fairest of them of all?"

     In NACHRICHT (News), a group of women arrive and report the appearance of a "musicus", with magic powers.  After the women have departed, EVE/Coeur plays seductively with the men who sing, "Susani..."  At the end, the glass sculpture bursts and a woman's voice cries out "OK!"

During SUSANI, the men sing: 

"Beloved of the Ceremonies, sacred service of musical celebrations:  Basset horn, magician among the instruments, instrument of the high and low, binds women and men, guardian of the mysterious forces which unite the separated...."
 ---
"...You collect the formula's limbs, distribute anew, heal the world through the unification of EVE's body-thirds with MICHAEL's soul-fourths, help the proper understanding of LIGHT."

     During these first 3 subscenes, the sound of an alto flute can be heard in the background.  On stage, glimpses of AVE the flautist can sometimes be seen in the back.  In SUSANI, AVE's alto flute melodic figures begins to find common points with EVA's basset horn phrases.
CD36
Trk		 Dur. Section Title Basset Horn
(EVE) 		Alto Flute
(AVE)		 Choir/Synths Sound Scene
1



3:03



EVAs SPIEGEL


"Eve's Mirror"


Slow, mirror version of EVE formula (inversion)



Microtonal drones, trills, parallel tremolos, ostinato figures based on inverted EVE Nuclear tones Male choir sings longer durations mostly based on the alto flute EVE Nuclear tones 
2


 


1:55





NACHRICHT





"News"





Long tremolo figures, brief melodic exchange with flute

Melody with trills, flutter-tongue, glissandi, overblowing, etc…
Female choir begins with sprechstimme, followed by harmony phrases with the flute and male choir
Ends with bassett horn tremoli, bird-like flute figures, descending synth chords, and choir sprechstimme
3


0:30


SUSANI
(prelude)



"AVE's
Appearance"

Irregular falling figure ("dancing introduction")
Fast tremolo/ostinato figures, ending in falling scale
Male choir follows contour of the basset horn, synths play low drone

 Sound Scene 32:
Glass falls, breaks, woman: "OK!"
(at 0:19)
4







7:56







SUSANI

 (Marked as
Sections
A - S)









 SUSANI (basset horn)

 with

 SUSANI'S ECHO
(alto flute)






 Basset horn and Alto flute seductively dialogue in independent rhythm but with 25 synchronous "meeting points". 
Since the 2 instruments create 5 simultaneous layers (see below), the texture is sometimes like a wind quintet. 		Tenor and basses slowly sing layers from the EVE and LUCIFER formulas respectively:

 "Beloved of the Ceremonies..."

 Synths play low drones











Sound Scene 33:
Woman: "Ha-Haii!", billiard balls (at 7:43)
SUSANI:
3 simultaneous layers (high to low):

MICHAEL formula
(as "apparent mirror")

EVE formula

EVE formula (inverted)		 SUSANI's ECHO:
2 simultaneous layers (high to low):

EVE formula (inverted)

EVE formula 

AVE, a female flautist (dressed as a man, and of course AVE is EVA backwards) suddenly appears to the astonishment of the men and women.  EVE and AVE play a duet using "humour, charm and erotic allusion."
The choir comments during their duet: 
"Rushing, ravishing rushing - MONDAY's BRIGHT - Susani's echo - AVE flute player, silver green like EVA..."
"Screaming shrill screaming - Quarrel...TUESDAY'S FIGHT - as red as blood..."
"Singing unity singing - WEDNESDAY'S HEIGHT - friendliness, Wednesday yellow..."
"Speaking harmonization relation - THURSDAY'S RIGHT - correct understanding of Thursday's clear blue..."
"Yodeling seductive yodeling...flee the temptation - FRIDAY'S FLIGHT - orange evening sun..."
"Weeping sounding, perception of finest steps, Farewell - SATURDAY'S NIGHT - black..."
"Sighing and cheering in mystical union - SUNDAY'S LIGHT - gold, glowing gold, Sunday EVA - AVE..."
The basset horn and flute players end entwined in a pose (a kiss on the hand and applause is heard).

     In this scene, basset horn, alto flute and male/female choir groups elaborate on each Day's EVE formula segment.
Basset horn and alto flute are much more rhythmically active than the choir groups due to rhythmic subdivision and trill/tremolo textures.  The horn and flute are at first rhythmically independent, but come closer and closer towards the last section.
5

1:51

  		AVE

 (Marked as
Sections
T - Z)











































Montag (Monday)

Fast arpeggios, accented held notes with microtonal ornamentation, toneless blowing		 High accented figures, microtonal falling phrases

Synths are very sparse/quiet, but Percussionist adds isolated textures and strikes, mostly metallic.
















































6




1:11




Dienstag (Tuesday)



Whispered: "AVE", slow toneless sounds with a falling and rising cry, falling cascade into (flutter-tongued) bends, kissing sounds in dialogue with flute Reply: "EVA", flutter-tongue, short bending cries in dialogue with basset horn
7 1:07 Mittwoch (Wednesday) Dialogue with rising/falling glissandi, tongue clicks, mordents, vocal blowing
8







2:06







Donnerstag (Thursday)






Trills broken by tongue clicks, then a few "yodeled" notes, toneless glissandi, falling/rising tremoli



Dancing, leaping accents, slow falling/rising microtonal figures broken by fast flutter-tongue glissandi, rhythmically accented tremolo harmonics, soft bends, toneless blowing
9

1:15

Freitag (Friday)
Toneless glissandi, breathing noises, various glissandi sometimes with yodeled pitch leaps High trill figures, isolated flutter-tongued arc figures
10





1:46





Samstag (Saturday)




Isolated falling bends, slow microtonal falling figure, "laughing" outburst, falling/rising figures in dialogue w flute

 Slow rising tremoli with mixture of pitched and toneless sounds, wide tremoli alternating with normal and toneless pitches, falling/rising figures in dialogue w basset horn
11




4:01




Sonntag (Sunday)



Melodic figures with rising and falling scalar figures, mixture of pitched and toneless sounds, both roughly in synchronous rhythm with differences in ornamentation (also inverted with each other sometimes).  Ends in unison pitches, followed by a kiss and applause.




Scene 2 - DER KINDERFÄNGER 
(The Pied Piper, or the Child Catcher)

     Children have arrived and joined the men and women to observe.  AVE, now acting as a "pied-piper" character, begins to enchant the children, and the disappointed EVE/Coeur de Basset retreats into the giant EVE statue.  The men and women also gradually depart.

     The Pied Piper uses Sound Scenes, alto flute and vocal exhortations to mesmerize the children.  The children learn to mimic the sounds of the Pied Piper. 

CD36
Trk		 Dur. Sound 
Scene 		Text (excerpt)
(sung by flute player) 		Alto Flute,
Synth 1 		Children's Choir,
Synths 2 & 3
12 1:00 34: Rooster cock crows, Muslim priest, whip crack "A cock and a pastor: Come you little chicks!" Alto flute doubles (interprets, or "translates") the Sound Scene and then plays several intermittent short phrases based on the MICHAEL formula and the inverted MICHAEL formula.  The text is sung inserted between/parallel with  flute phrases.

Synth 1 uses EVE formula to create chords derived from clusters of adjacent EVE formula notes, as well as a LUCIFER formula note.

Percussion adds isolated textures and strikes








































































































 Children imitate Sound Scenes, vocally. 

In between,
Children and Synth 2 answer the flute/vocal phrases with imitation phrases.

Synth 3 plays "transformations" - an element from a Sound Scene is transformed into the following Sound Scene - ie bridged through improvisation-based textures.
13 0:44 35: Car races up, ghost train, man's scary laugh "Hahaha, now don't be afraid…"
14 0:35 36: War plane, machine gun, lion, water pot crash, water splash "Alive or dead: whizz…bamboozle wheeze!"
15 0:50 37: Railway warning siren, ghost train w children's voices, drunk laugh, train/metal bangs, sensuous female laugh, inhalations "Ghost train, ghost man, witches scare… Prick up your ears.."
16 0:53 38: Fireworks, admiring shouts, explosion, whistling, goat bleats "m m bitching fitching goat licker: off with his head!"
17 0:43 39: Machine gun, grenade, explosion, students laugh, applaud "Bang and war - sound and victory, go home you little EVE-animals!"
18 1:09 40: Woman swears: "Maria Joseph!", train whistle, hisses, woman: "Isn’t that beautiful!" "…Steaming whistling hissing clattering: up into the clouds…"
19 1:00 41: Woman: "Watch Out!", explosions, seal bleats "Crack! Bang! Zang!"
20 0:41 42: Drill noise, parrot, woman: "Now what is that?" "Darling on the street?  Parrot in the nose!"
21 0:38 43: Bridge collapse, parakeet speaks "Tasty sugar baker - Heaven's licker!"
22 0:54 44: Woman: "You you you...", saw noises, wine bottle uncorking, wine poured "Ritche ratsche plitsche platsche…"
23 0:47 45: Cows with cowbells, moos, woman:" Na?" "11 times moo-oe blindman's buff, Grandmother's footsteps"
24 0:43 46: Rubber whistle, soldier: "Yes Sir, Sergeant!", "Eyes straight! Report to captain! Eyes right!", heels clicking, door creaks, bird chirps "Eyes - Nose - Stu bis en dood!"
25 1:12 47: Train signal, hissing, rolling, parrot screeches, "You are great", woman: "I haven't the slightest idea!", parakeet shriek "Catholical - piat…"
26 1:00 48: African singer w drums, yelling, stone thrown - glass breaking "haei ka…EVA Suka Kathinka haha... 48, hei-ka..."
27 0:38 49: Bell, shattering glass, school children noises "Gak gak gak…Janos Remenyi e e e Edit Timar"
28 0:38 50: Ambulance honk, Arabian orchestra, hen cackling, billiard balls "Gok gok…"
29 0:58 51: Pinball machines, duck, tiger, bear, goose, etc… "Schnat schnat schnat…"
30 0:49 52: Anvil hammered, parakeet: "a little kiss", computer gane rockets, child's voice, explosion, parrot laugh "Hai-lo-ts…"
31 0:38 53: Shop door bell, door slam, soldier: "Attention! Right dress!", 
weapons rattling, pig grunts		 ("Attention! Right dress!")
32 1:14 54: Typewriter, telephone, hens cackling



Scene 3 - ENTFÜHRUNG (Abduction)

     The Pied Piper plays a song (the EVE Nuclear formula) to lure the children into the clouds.  The children throw their shoes into a huge pile and depart while singing the refrain:

"MONDAY - Born from LIGHT...
Ceremony and Magic"

     Children and bird voices slowly fade away into the distance.

Meanwhile, the giant EVE statue slowly transforms into a mountain, with white birds circling above it.  After awhile one of the departed children returns and retrieves his shoes, reporting: "It is very dirty outside!", and then runs away again (not heard on CD recording).
CD36
Trk		 Dur. Desc. Piccolo Flute
(DER KINDERFÄNGER) 		Children's choir Sound Scene Synths
33



 0:45



 (tran-
sition)

 Trill ritard.,
then EVE Nuclear formula


Falling figures matching barrel organ somewhat

 55: Railway signal, dumped containers, horse neighing, barrel-organ w percussion EVE Nuclear formula
(follows flute) plus inverted form
34-46






 12:51

(13 tracks ~45 secs each)		 13 Cycles





 In each of 13 cycles, flute plays the EVE Nuclear formula, then a rhythmic and melodic elaboration (variation sometimes using MICHAEL formula and/or its inverted form).  The formula is pitch-transposed in an upward trend (as a spiral) in each of the 13 cycles. EVE formula 26 times (twice each cycle)

"MONDAY - Born from LIGHT...
Ceremony and Magic"

Synths play a "starry firmament" (pointillistic metallic sparkling tones), later adding glissandi and high bird calls.
Drones based on stretched out segments of the EVE and LUCIFER formulas are also present.


Score
Page 1 of EVAs ZAUBER: BOTSCHAFT 
(© www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)
ENTFÜHRUNG : 1 cycle of the children's choir part derived from EVE nuclear formula.
(from MONTAG AUS LICHT CD booklet © www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)

Other Versions:
DER KINDERFÄNGER (The Pied-Piper) for alto flute, piccolo, tape with optional synth, perc 
No. 58 2/3 Ossia (2000) [32']
      This version of "The Pied Piper" (Stockhausen Edition CD 63) also includes ENTFÜHRUNG ("Abduction"). The children's choir is replaced by a synthesizer, and the synth part for the "transformations" (fragments bridging one Sound Scene to the next, here scored instead of improvised) can be pre-taped. A new twist is that the other live synth actually plays the EVE Nuclear formula variations from ENTFÜHRUNG as part of its "imitation" response. However, in ENTFÜHRUNG itself, during the "pointillistic" part, the synths insert "time windows" (a favorite Stockhausen technique used as far back as MIKROPHONIE II) of material from DER KINDERFÄNGER.  The synth players actually vocalize at times as well, and play bells near the end.  The flautist also reacts to or with the Sound Scenes (for example, acting frightened by the collapsing bridge, or moving like a locomotive, laying an egg, falling down after an explosion, etc...).

      The synths used for the original version of DER KINDERFÄNGER were Yamaha DX 7s, Oberheims, PPG and Prophet synths. For the 2001 recording, Antonio Perez Abellan used a Kurzweill K 2600 X synth, an Akai S-2000 sampler, and a Yamaha FS 1R synth module, and Benjamin Kobler used a Kurzweill K 2500 X synth. Each of the synth timbres are a blend of a flute sound and a synthesizer sound to varying degrees. The synths also use programmed "tongue-click" or "finger-snap" timbres.  The sounds of water drops (actually sounds a little like ping-pong balls to me) permeate this version as well.

Sound Impressions
     One of the most impressive things about BOTSCHAFT is the exploration of microtonal wind textures, especially in a duet setting.  The LICHT super-formula includes some elements of microtones (specifically in the EVE formula's Saturday and Sunday limbs, bars 15 and 17) but in this final Monday Act, Stockhausen worked exhaustively with basset horn player Suzanne Stephens and flautist Kathinka Pasveer to discover new fingerings for their instruments, finding up to 26 steps within a major 3rd (micro-intervals discovered for MONTAG AUS LICHT's Greeting).  These effects give the dialogue between EVA and AVE a more vocal, lyrical feel than would otherwise be possible.  The beauty of BOTSCHAFT lies in hearing how these two single-line instruments intertwine, moving closer, then apart, and then back again.  AVE further explores the layered sung/played frequency beating of microtonal scales and timbres from Xi and YPSILON, and adds additional colored tones, percussive tongue clicks and pitched kissing sounds to create a mirror-dialogue.  On Stockhausen Edition CD 35, the duo version of AVE (without choir and electronics) displays this quality a bit more clearly than on the recording for the opera, and Stockhausen's intention to explore new relationships between two interpreters is somewhat more intimate.   In SUSANI/SUSANI's ECHO, because the basset horn plays 3 simultaneous layers and the flute 2 layers, it sounds almost like a wind quintet at times.  However, the choir part for AVE is pretty fantastic, and would be interesting to hear on its own as well.

     DER KINDERFÄNGER further showcases the flute family, as well as a veritable torrent of Sound Scenes (musique concrete/field recordings).  The alto flute part here is extremely vibrant and includes some brilliant vocal writing as well, which makes it a good balance to the "obscene" male vocal parts in LUZIFERs ZORN.  The breath control required for this Scene must be quite staggering.  The Sound Scenes here have an even more humorous tinge to them than ever before, and reflect Stockhausen's composition of "trans-real" environments - that is, situations which typically don't happen in real life and take on new meaning when juxtaposed.  Each of the elements of the Sound Scenes actually have their own trajectory in space, which makes their effect even more hallucinatory.

     ENTFÜHRUNG features the EVE Nuclear formula, probably my favorite of all of the versions of the LICHT melodies.  It's quite fitting that this melody is used to spirit away the children of EVE, since it has a very simple and catchy nature.  The theme and variation structure of ENTFÜHRUNG also makes this Scene a very accessible one, and provides a splendid showcase of piccolo flute expertise.  It's pretty easy to find oneself singing along with the children, as they disappear into the unknown...
Stockhausen Edition CD cover of MONTAG AUS LICHT (© www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)

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