Re: Stockhausen essay prize: 1000 EUR

From the Stockhausen Society. What I can't understand is that no-one -
not even BP who is a member of the above and has a link to the site -
has mentioned the society's credit card facility. Beginning very slowly
in Sept 2002, I have now sent 13,000 euros to the Verlag, the last year
being very busy as more and more people log onto the site. I had my
first order from Ireland for printed material -Texte 1-4- last year and
more recently my first ordered order from Spain (Die Kleine Harlequin)
.. Countries range from the USA, Latin America, Australasia, as well as
13 European countries. Why people from the latter order from the
society, instead of stuffing a few euros into an envelope and sending
it to Kurten, is beyond me, especially as I have processed orders from
Germany! As soon as I have had time to add books and posters tio the
shopping cart, anything can be ordered at the click of a mouse at the
lowest possible price - which, although in pounds and can be dearer
than some local currencies, nevertheless is better than many stories I
have heard rip of prices and unavailbilty. Just click on the Stock Soc
site!.

so the above discussion, for me, is as bizarre as some of the other
discussions on this site. I must admit I haven't logged on for quite a
time, fearing that someone may have intiated a discussion as to whether
Kathinka's shoes played a part in one of the compositions 'dedicated'
to her.

It is also significant the the discussion, ostensibly about the 'prize'
soon developed into complaints about CD prices and availability!

ORIGINAL TOPIC

So back to the Hazel Clarke. What a load of cobblers. Not only
parsimonious but pointless. For example, there is some Russian guy
being worshipped at Kurten at the moment who gave KS his analysis of
Kreuzspiel. Stockhausen -and I quote - 'was bowled over' and the work
is now in the Stockhausen Archive at Kurten. Placing it there is
second only to the fate of nuclear waste which has to be buried a bit
deeper than items in the Kurten Archive of course, but probably more
accessible to scientists monitoring the radioactivity decay.

And, of course, this above mentioned and the imperatively-hasty
dissertation to be presented at Kurten with the ghost of Hazel Clark
whistling the piano part of the percussive trio, will be JUST THE
OPINION OF THE WRITER. Don't get me wrong, I love good ol' Jerry, and
would like to read how HE analyses Zeitmasse, because his view is worth
looking at, but mindful that this is ONE PERSON'S view, not mine, not
Genevieve Marcus' , not Jonathan Harvey's. It is almost a perverse
waste of time. I recently discovered that Haydn used syncopation to
great effect in his sonatas of 1764 - do I want to read an
analysis....or listen to my own internal mental assessment of the
strides forward presented here?

But don't misunderstand me. I am translating an article on Gruppen
because I want to, in the full knowledge that it will not affect how I
hear the SOUNDS of Gruppen one iota.
So why am I doing it. Caught up in the tail of one of the musical human
comets that circle the bright star that we call Stockhausen, I
suppose...

NEW UNRELATED TOPIC BIRTWISTLE AND STOCKHAUSEN
I have been 'influenced' by the comment made by Birtwistle that KS
works out a form plan in advance and then fills it in; whereas Harry
doesn't know which direction the work will actually take the next day
when he has finished composing for the night.

It occured to me not only does KS work out a form plan but half the
time expects other people to fill it! [One member says that one of the
works he would take to a desert island would be Spiral - but would he
be thus taking any music? He, could of course, easily draw is own
system of plus and minus signs - even reaching the mathematical limit]

And then I realised that NEARLY all the pre- Licht works were based on
this 'filling in the plan' method and the works that are famous now -
and almost divinely insipired - ARE GREAT IN SPITE OF THIS METHOD, NOT
BECAUSE OF IT. But even more bizarrely, the works that DON'T seem to
OBVIOUSLY be based on the system, and appear to 'flow' in a 'Mozartian'
sense, are post-Licht ones that are too difficult and too expensive to
either perform or present! I still, after all these years, listen to
Markus in Pieta, Kathinka in Kinderfanger, Wochenkries. Piano Piece 13
etc in awe - literally - to name but a few. And if anyone tells me
there is a filled in form-plan, I'll track 'em down 'cos I don't want
to know.....

WHY ISN'T THE MUSIC BEING PERFORMED?

Not because its too difficult. There are more difficult pieces by
Xenakis, Fernyhough etc, played reguarly. It could be that only a few
performers understand what is going on. Make a list of the pre-Licht
works that Marcus and the girls have performed in. It is impossible to
qualify the word understand but Mahler, who died in 1910, said it would
take fifty years for his work to be understood. But whether there were
people who wanted to fulfil his prophecy, or whether it was
coincidence, the great Mahler revival occurred in 1960. On another
level, I have listened to several performances of the Schoenberg wind
quintet - all of which did not make musical sense. Two years ago, a
performance was broadcast that ALMOST 'pulled it off' (the horn player
ruined it by making it a quintet for horn and four acc woodwind) but
for the first time, I heard a very good piece of music. There are other
reasons such as expense, just for one example.

Well, I've dribbled a bibful.....

.