Rolf Gehlhaar
Encyclopedia
Rolf Gehlhaar in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland
), is an American composer.
Gehlhaar is the son of a German rocket scientist, who emigrated to the United States in 1953 to work at a rocket-development research centre in New Mexico (Montague 2001; Schürmann 1976, 20). Although he took an interest in music from the age of eight or younger, in the post-war years the family could not afford for him to learn an instrument, and so Rolf only began to play the piano at the age of fifteen, and at about the same time began to compose for fun (Schürmann 1976, 20). He took American citizenship in 1958 and studied at Yale University
and the University of California, Berkeley
(Montague 2001). Initially, he had studied medicine, but soon changed his major to philosophy and the philosophy of science; then at Yale he attended a course in composition, which was an arousing experience (Schürmann 1976, 20). He moved to Cologne
, Germany
in 1967 to become assistant to Karlheinz Stockhausen
, and became a member of his performing ensemble (Montague 2001). In 1969, together with Johannes Fritsch
and David C. Johnson, he founded the Feedback Studio, Cologne, a new-music performance center and publishing house. He later moved to England, where he became in 1979 a founding member of the Electro-Acoustic Music Association of Great Britain.
His works are for both acoustic and electro-acoustic media, though he is best-known for his work with computer-controlled composition, and for his sound installations using a system which he calls Sound=Space.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), is an American composer.
Gehlhaar is the son of a German rocket scientist, who emigrated to the United States in 1953 to work at a rocket-development research centre in New Mexico (Montague 2001; Schürmann 1976, 20). Although he took an interest in music from the age of eight or younger, in the post-war years the family could not afford for him to learn an instrument, and so Rolf only began to play the piano at the age of fifteen, and at about the same time began to compose for fun (Schürmann 1976, 20). He took American citizenship in 1958 and studied at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
(Montague 2001). Initially, he had studied medicine, but soon changed his major to philosophy and the philosophy of science; then at Yale he attended a course in composition, which was an arousing experience (Schürmann 1976, 20). He moved to 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...
, Germany
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...
in 1967 to become assistant to 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"...
, and became a member of his performing ensemble (Montague 2001). In 1969, together with Johannes Fritsch
Johannes Fritsch
Johannes G. Fritsch was a German composer.At the age of seven, Fritsch found a violin in the attic of his uncle's house in Bensheim-Auerbach, Germany, and began lessons with a village music teacher named Knapp...
and David C. Johnson, he founded the Feedback Studio, Cologne, a new-music performance center and publishing house. He later moved to England, where he became in 1979 a founding member of the Electro-Acoustic Music Association of Great Britain.
His works are for both acoustic and electro-acoustic media, though he is best-known for his work with computer-controlled composition, and for his sound installations using a system which he calls Sound=Space.
Selected compositions
- Solipse for cello and tape delay (1974)
- Five German Dances for 4-track tape (1975)
- Resonanzen for 8 orchestral groups (1976)
- Polymorph for bass clarinet and tape delay (1978)
- Sub Rosa for 4-track tape (1980)
- Diagonal Flying for piano and live electronics (1989)
- Cusps, Swallowtails, and Butterflies for amplified percussion and tape in a Sound=Space (1992)
- Quantum Leap for piano (1994)
- Astral Shadows for 6 dancers in a Sound=Space (1997)
- Waiting for Rain for soprano, flute, violin, viola da gamba and 2 harpsichords (1998)