Atmen gibt das Leben
Encyclopedia
Atmen gibt das Leben is a choral opera with orchestra by Karlheinz Stockhausen
, written in 1974 and expanded in 1976–77. It is Number 39 in the catalogue of the composer's works, and lasts about 50 minutes in performance.
(NDR Choir) in a public concert in Hamburg as part of the series Das Neue Werk on 16 May 1975. The choir soloists in this performance were Susanne Denman (soprano) and Ulf Kenklies (tenor). This first version of the score is dedicated to Doris Stockhausen on her birthday, 28 February 1974 (Stockhausen 1978, 243; Stockhausen 1979).
Stockhausen interrupted work on Sirius
in order to compose two further sections in December 1976 and January 1977, this time with an orchestra (which may be played back on tape) to support and colour the choir. The first of these additions, "Sing ich für Dich, singst Du für mich" (If I sing for thee, you will sing for me) was premiered by the NDR Choir on 9 May 1977 at the Biennale Zagreb. The same choir gave the premiere of the third part, "Eine Welt von Sorge und Schmerz" (A world full of sorrow and pain), as part of the first integral performance of the work on 22 May 1977 at the Marc Chagall Museum
in Nice, as a pre-celebration of Chagall’s
90th birthday, made possible by a commission from the French Minister for Religious Affairs. The two new sections (printed as a single part II in the score) were dedicated to the composer’s daughter Christel Stockhausen on the occasion of her 21st birthday, 22 January 1977 (Kurtz 1992, 208; Stockhausen 1978, 243–44).
, Buson
, and Issa
), and one passage each from Socrates
, the Gospel according to St. Thomas
, and Meister Eckhart
(Stockhausen 1979). There is no plot, and though the score is furnished with copious instructions and photographs of the German premiere in 1979, very little stage action is actually specified (Maconie 2005, 360, 362).
The musical core of the work is a four-voice refrain consisting of canonic variations on a serial
formula
. This theme is relatively diatonic, and more than one commentator has noticed a similarity to Stockhausen's chromatically tonal student choral compositions, written under the tutelage of Hermann Schroeder
, some of which Stockhausen released on the same recording as the 1974 version of the choral opera. The similarity is especially close to the Chöre für Doris (1950) which, like the first part of Atmen gibt das Leben, is dedicated to Stockhausen's first wife (Frisius 2008, 285; Maconie 2005, 360)
The number of string players per part is ad libitum; the score suggests 9-9-6-6-4 as an example.
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"...
, written in 1974 and expanded in 1976–77. It is Number 39 in the catalogue of the composer's works, and lasts about 50 minutes in performance.
History
The first part of Atmen gibt das Leben was composed for a capella choir during a composition seminar on 1 February 1974. This was in response to a request from the German Choral Association for a piece that could be sung by amateur choirs, and Stockhausen’s original idea was that his students should each write a simple choral piece using a text from The Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan, and then all the pieces would be published together in a single volume. Not all of his students reacted favourably, and so the piece he composed himself for the project became the first part of Stockhausen's choral opera (Kurtz 1992, 195–96). This part was premiered by the Choir of the North German RadioNorddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
(NDR Choir) in a public concert in Hamburg as part of the series Das Neue Werk on 16 May 1975. The choir soloists in this performance were Susanne Denman (soprano) and Ulf Kenklies (tenor). This first version of the score is dedicated to Doris Stockhausen on her birthday, 28 February 1974 (Stockhausen 1978, 243; Stockhausen 1979).
Stockhausen interrupted work on Sirius
Sirius (Stockhausen)
Sirius: eight-channel electronic music and trumpet, soprano, bass clarinet, and bass is a music-theatre composition by Karlheinz Stockhausen.-History:...
in order to compose two further sections in December 1976 and January 1977, this time with an orchestra (which may be played back on tape) to support and colour the choir. The first of these additions, "Sing ich für Dich, singst Du für mich" (If I sing for thee, you will sing for me) was premiered by the NDR Choir on 9 May 1977 at the Biennale Zagreb. The same choir gave the premiere of the third part, "Eine Welt von Sorge und Schmerz" (A world full of sorrow and pain), as part of the first integral performance of the work on 22 May 1977 at the Marc Chagall Museum
Marc Chagall Museum
-Marc Chagall Museum Vitebsk:House of Marc Chagall VitebskIn the house in Pokrovskaia street, the artist's father built in the beginning of the 20th century, Marc Chagall spent his first youth...
in Nice, as a pre-celebration of Chagall’s
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
90th birthday, made possible by a commission from the French Minister for Religious Affairs. The two new sections (printed as a single part II in the score) were dedicated to the composer’s daughter Christel Stockhausen on the occasion of her 21st birthday, 22 January 1977 (Kurtz 1992, 208; Stockhausen 1978, 243–44).
Structure and technique
The libretto is by the composer, with the German text of part one being based on an aphorism by Hazrat Inayat Khan (Maconie 2005, 360). The German, English, and French text for the remainder incorporates six quotations: three haiku (by ShikiMasaoka Shiki
, pen-name of Masaoka Noboru , was a Japanese poet, author, and literary critic in Meiji period Japan. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku poetry...
, Buson
Yosa Buson
was a Japanese poet and painter from the Edo period. Along with Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. Buson was born in the village of Kema in Settsu Province...
, and Issa
Kobayashi Issa
, was a Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest of the Jōdo Shinshū sect known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply , a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea...
), and one passage each from Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
, the Gospel according to St. Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
, and Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart
Eckhart von Hochheim O.P. , commonly known as Meister Eckhart, was a German theologian, philosopher and mystic, born near Gotha, in the Landgraviate of Thuringia in the Holy Roman Empire. Meister is German for "Master", referring to the academic title Magister in theologia he obtained in Paris...
(Stockhausen 1979). There is no plot, and though the score is furnished with copious instructions and photographs of the German premiere in 1979, very little stage action is actually specified (Maconie 2005, 360, 362).
The musical core of the work is a four-voice refrain consisting of canonic variations on a serial
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
formula
Formula composition
Formula composition is a serially-derived technique encountered principally in the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, involving the projection, expansion, and Ausmultiplikation of either a single melody-formula, or a two- or three-voice contrapuntal construction .In contrast to serial music, where the...
. This theme is relatively diatonic, and more than one commentator has noticed a similarity to Stockhausen's chromatically tonal student choral compositions, written under the tutelage of Hermann Schroeder
Hermann Schroeder
Hermann Schroeder was a German composer and a Catholic church musician.He spent the greatest part of his life’s work in the Rheinland...
, some of which Stockhausen released on the same recording as the 1974 version of the choral opera. The similarity is especially close to the Chöre für Doris (1950) which, like the first part of Atmen gibt das Leben, is dedicated to Stockhausen's first wife (Frisius 2008, 285; Maconie 2005, 360)
Orchestra
The orchestra is scored for:- 3 flutes
- 3 oboes
- 3 clarinets
- 3 bassoons
- 3 trumpets
- 3 high horns
- 3 low horns
- 3 trombones
- tuba
- triangle, large cymbal, bass drum
- glockenspiel
- piano
- first violins
- second violins
- violas
- cellos
- double basses
The number of string players per part is ad libitum; the score suggests 9-9-6-6-4 as an example.
Discography
- Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Chöre für Doris; Choral; "Atmen gibt das Leben . . ." ; PunktePunktePunkte is an orchestral composition by Karlheinz Stockhausen, given the work number ½ in his catalogue of works.-History:Punkte originated as a punctual orchestral work which was begun in September in Hamburg and had reached a first-draft stage by 30 September...
für Orchester. [first version of Atmen gibt das Leben]. North German Radio Symphony OrchestraNorth German Radio Symphony OrchestraThe North German Radio Symphony Orchestra is a German orchestra, the symphony orchestra of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk in Hamburg....
Hamburg [in Punkte only]; Choir of the North German Radio Hamburg, Karlheinz Stockhausen, cond. Deutsche Grammophon LP 2530 641. Hamburg: Polydor International, 1976. - Stockhausen, Karlheinz. "Atmen gibt das Leben . . .". Choir and Orchestra of the North German Radio Hamburg, Karlheinz Stockhausen, cond. (Orchestra recorded in Hamburg, April 1977; choir recorded 9 February 1979 at WDR in Cologne, with the pre-recorded orchestra played over loudspeakers.) Deutsche Grannophon LP 410 857-1. Hamburg: Polydor International, 1984. Reissued on CD, Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 23. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1993.
External links
- Ingvar Loco Nordin. Review of Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 23 (Accessed 24 August 2011).