On Wednesday, electronic music pioneer and one of the last living legend of contemporary music, the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen died at the age of 79.
I met Stockhausen a few times and we were corresponding occassionally. What impressed me most was not his sheer genius (he could have been a university professor in almost any subject; his understand of science, languages and arts was breathtaking) but his total dedication to the exploration of the last remaining secrets through art. His mind didn't stop at the borders of this planet; his imagination and continous, sincere search extended to the universe and into the atoms and smallest particles. I learnt from him not only a new sense of beauty, "alien beauty" as he used to call it, derived by a profound insight into nature's very being and translated into musical language, but his unmatched ability to think beyond existing terms and to open new worlds for us. It is up to us to follow his invitation.
Honoring the universal genius and profound humanity of Stockhausen here are just two of his many invitations that he has made us:
"Leo" & "Virgo", the two parts of the zodiac in between Stockhausen was born (22 August) - from his famous Tierkreis cycle, composed for music boxes.
Karlheinz Stockhausen, may your soul be now where you have taken us so many times with your music.
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3 comments:
Good bye to giant, he made this better place to live.
Very Nice!
RIP Karl.
Peace...
Thank you for this tribute!
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