Gesang der Jünglinge
Encyclopedia
Gesang der Jünglinge is a noted electronic music
work by Karlheinz Stockhausen
. It was realized in 1955–56 at the Westdeutscher Rundfunk
studio in Cologne
and is Work Number 8 in the composer's catalog of works. The vocal parts were supplied by 12-year-old Josef Protschka.
The work, routinely described as "the first masterpiece of electronic music" (Simms 1986, 391; Kohl 1998, 61) and "an opus, in the most emphatic sense of the term" (Decroupet and Ungeheuer 1998, 97), is significant in that it seamlessly integrates electronic sounds with the human voice by means of matching voice resonance
s with pitch
and creating sounds of phoneme
s electronically. In this way, for the first time ever it successfully brought together the two opposing worlds of the purely electronically generated German
elektronische Musik and the French
Musique Concrète
, which transforms recordings of acoustical events. Gesang der Jünglinge is also noted for its early use of spatiality; it was originally in five-channel sound, which was later reduced to just four channels (mixed to monaural and later to stereo for commercial recording release). When composing Gesang der Jünglinge, Stockhausen attempted to expand on the earlier work of Anton Webern
, and composed the piece as a work of Total serialism, serializing the pitch, duration, dynamics, and timbre of every electronic and vocal event.
for electronic sounds and voices. According to his official biographer, Stockhausen regarded this mass as a sacred work, written from personal conviction, and asked his mentor, the director of the WDR electronic studio Herbert Eimert
, to write to the Cologne archbishop's diocesan office for permission to have the work performed in the Cologne Cathedral
. Stockhausen was bitterly disappointed when the request was refused on grounds that loudspeakers had no place in church (Kurtz 1992, 82).
, (2) electronically generated sine tones, (3) electronically generated pulses (clicks). Each of these may be composed along a scale running from discrete events to massed "complexes" structured statistically (Decroupet and Ungeheuer 1998). The last category occurs in Stockhausen's electronic music for the first time in Gesang der Jünglinge, and originates in the course of studies Stockhausen took between 1954 and 1956 with Werner Meyer-Eppler
at the University of Bonn
.
The text of Gesang der Jünglinge is from a Biblical story in The Book of Daniel
where Nebuchadnezzar throws Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
into a fiery furnace
but miraculously they are unharmed and begin to sing praises to God
. This text is presented in a carefully devised scale of seven degrees of comprehensibility, an idea which also came from Werner Meyer-Eppler's seminars (Stockhausen 1958,; Heike 1999, 210–14).
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
work by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
. It was realized in 1955–56 at the Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
studio in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and is Work Number 8 in the composer's catalog of works. The vocal parts were supplied by 12-year-old Josef Protschka.
The work, routinely described as "the first masterpiece of electronic music" (Simms 1986, 391; Kohl 1998, 61) and "an opus, in the most emphatic sense of the term" (Decroupet and Ungeheuer 1998, 97), is significant in that it seamlessly integrates electronic sounds with the human voice by means of matching voice resonance
Resonance
In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at a greater amplitude at some frequencies than at others. These are known as the system's resonant frequencies...
s with pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
and creating sounds of phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
s electronically. In this way, for the first time ever it successfully brought together the two opposing worlds of the purely electronically generated German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
elektronische Musik and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Musique Concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
, which transforms recordings of acoustical events. Gesang der Jünglinge is also noted for its early use of spatiality; it was originally in five-channel sound, which was later reduced to just four channels (mixed to monaural and later to stereo for commercial recording release). When composing Gesang der Jünglinge, Stockhausen attempted to expand on the earlier work of Anton Webern
Anton Webern
Anton Webern was an Austrian composer and conductor. He was a member of the Second Viennese School. As a student and significant follower of Arnold Schoenberg, he became one of the best-known exponents of the twelve-tone technique; in addition, his innovations regarding schematic organization of...
, and composed the piece as a work of Total serialism, serializing the pitch, duration, dynamics, and timbre of every electronic and vocal event.
History
In the autumn of 1954, Stockhausen conceived the idea of composing a massMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
for electronic sounds and voices. According to his official biographer, Stockhausen regarded this mass as a sacred work, written from personal conviction, and asked his mentor, the director of the WDR electronic studio Herbert Eimert
Herbert Eimert
Herbert Eimert was a German music theorist, musicologist, journalist, music critic, editor, radio producer, and composer.-Life:...
, to write to the Cologne archbishop's diocesan office for permission to have the work performed in the Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
. Stockhausen was bitterly disappointed when the request was refused on grounds that loudspeakers had no place in church (Kurtz 1992, 82).
Materials and form
There are three basic types of material used: (1) the recorded voice of a boy sopranoBoy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
, (2) electronically generated sine tones, (3) electronically generated pulses (clicks). Each of these may be composed along a scale running from discrete events to massed "complexes" structured statistically (Decroupet and Ungeheuer 1998). The last category occurs in Stockhausen's electronic music for the first time in Gesang der Jünglinge, and originates in the course of studies Stockhausen took between 1954 and 1956 with Werner Meyer-Eppler
Werner Meyer-Eppler
Werner Meyer-Eppler , was a German physicist, experimental acoustician, phoneticist, and information theorist....
at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
.
The text of Gesang der Jünglinge is from a Biblical story in The Book of Daniel
Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
where Nebuchadnezzar throws Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are characters in the biblical Hebrew book of Daniel Chapters 1 – 3, known for their exclusive devotion to God. In particular, they are known for being saved by divine intervention from the Babylonian execution of being burned alive in a fiery furnace...
into a fiery furnace
Fiery furnace
Fiery furnace may refer to:* The fiery furnace in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into in Daniel 3* Fiery Furnace , a region of Utah's Arches National Park* The Fiery Furnaces, a rock band...
but miraculously they are unharmed and begin to sing praises to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. This text is presented in a carefully devised scale of seven degrees of comprehensibility, an idea which also came from Werner Meyer-Eppler's seminars (Stockhausen 1958,; Heike 1999, 210–14).
Further reading
- Decroupet, Pascal. 1993. "Bilan intermédiaire: À propos de Gesang der Jünglinge de Karlheinz Stockhausen". Mitteilungen der Paul Sacher Stiftung, no. 6 (March): 23–25.
- Decroupet, Pascal. 1994. "Timbre Diversification in Serial Tape Music and Its Consequence on Form". Contemporary Music Review, 10, no. 2:13–23.
- Decroupet, Pascal. 1995. "Rätsel der Zahlenquadrate: Funktion und Permutation in der seriellen Musik von Boulez und Stockhausen". Positionen: Beiträge zur Neuen Musik, no. 23 (May): 25–29.
- Decroupet, Pascal. 1997. "Gravitationsfeld Gruppen: Zur Verschränkung der Werke Gesang der Jünglinge, Gruppen, und Zeitmasse und deren Auswirkung auf Stockhausens Musikdenken in der zweiten Hälfte der fünfziger Jahre". Musiktheorie 12, no. 1 (Analysieren und Hören neuer Musik, edited by Rainer Wehinger and Thomas Kabisch): 37–51.
- Decroupet, Pascal, and Elena Ungeheuer. 1993. "Son pur—bruit—médiations: Matières, matériaux et formes dans Gesang der Jünglinge de Karlheinz Stockhausen". Genesis 4:69–85.
- Sangild, Torben. 2005. "Elektronisk avantgarde—Stockhausens Gesang der Jünglinge" In En tradition af opbrud: avantgardernes tradition og politik, edited by Tania Ørum, Marianne Ping Huang, and Charlotte Engberg, 192–202. Hellerup: Forlaget Spring. ISBN 87-90326-71-7.
- Ungeheuer, Elena, and Pascal Decroupet. 1996. "Technik und Ästhetik der elektronischen Musik". In Musik und Technik: Fünf Kongreßbeiträge und vier Seminarberichte, edited by Rudolf Frisius and Helga de La Motte-Haber, 123–42. Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Neue Musik und Musikerziehung Darmstadt 36. Mainz: Schott Musik International. ISBN 3-7975-1776-0.