This site is designed to act as a guide to the complete musical works of the preeminent avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Each composition (accessible both alphabetically and chronologically by "Work No.") is situated within its historical context, followed by an overview of the composer’s intentions and inventions. This is usually complemented by a track-by-track “listening guide” to the piece as released on the Stockhausen Complete Edition CD series (although the guides function for older/alternate recordings on other labels as well - just not as precisely). If possible, I also present a score sample and notes on live performances (often related to instrument placement in the performance hall). Finally, I give my own “sound impressions” of the work, and provide some (hopefully interesting) personal reactions.Originally conceived as an encyclopedic "blog project" to examine and explain Stockhausen's entire catalog from work Nr.1 to Nr.101, this site can be read like a musical "biography", with the first chapter being Early Wks 1: for Voice and Choir . The analyses here can also be read in the order in which I wrote them - in which case, the first "chapter" would be MIKROPHONIE I. This "original blog sequence" was generally random (or at least adjusted for variety), and can be followed by clicking on the "Newer Post" link at the bottom left of each page (or through links in the "Blog Archive" at right).
The chapters devoted to the analysis of each of Stockhausen's compositions were essentially completed at the end of 2015. With the primary mission of analysing virtually the complete works in the rear-view mirror, I've recently begun adding additional content geared towards providing a more general introduction to some facets of Stockhausen's musical body of work (accessible through the header tabs above). In 2018 I also added "consumer guides" to the Stockhausen Complete Edition CDs. These guides briefly describe the contents of each CD, with links to analysis pages devoted to each work (all of the CDs can be ordered from the Stockhausen label).
This resource is designed to complement the ample booklets (books) which come with the Stockhausen Edition CDs and scores. Stockhausen was very astute about giving relevant information to a listener first approaching his works. His lectures and interviews are strikingly rich and cogent. However, sometimes when looking from inside the work, it’s possible that a composer might not think to include an explanation of every relevant aspect useful to the intrepid first-time listener. In these chapters, I tried to present each work so that they could be appreciated by the general music listener, even if they were not deeply familiar with Stockhausen’s oeuvre. A working knowledge of musical notation and classical harmony wouldn’t hurt, but even so, musical “laymen” should be able to follow my articles (I personally am only just moderately musically literate).
More info about the creation of this Stockhausen reference project and its near future can be found on "This is your pilot speaking...".
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