Formel
Encyclopedia
Formel is a composition for chamber orchestra by Karlheinz Stockhausen
, written while he was still a student in 1951. It is given the number ⅙ in his catalog of works, indicating that it is amongst the pieces preceding the composition he recognised as his first mature work, Nr. 1 Kontra-Punkte.
and was intended to have been the first movement of a three-movement composition. When he completed the other two movements the following year, however, he decided their more punctual
style did not fit well with the more thematic character of the intended opening, and the two 1952 movements became the separate composition Spiel (Stockhausen 1978, 51; Maconie 2005, 63 and 83). Only twenty years later did Stockhausen retrospectively discover in the early piece similarities to the formula technique
he had devised for his then-latest composition, Mantra
(1970). When asked by Maurice Fleuret
for a new work for the 1971 Journées de Musique Contemporaine, Stockhausen offered this score, which he now gave the name Formel. The premiere was conducted by the composer at the Théâtre de Ville in Paris on 22 October 1971, on a concert that also featured several other compositions from his days as a student: the Drei Lieder for contralto and chamber orchestra, the Chöre für Doris, the Choral ("Wer uns trug mit Schmerzen"), all composed in 1950, and the Sonatine for violin and piano from 1951 (Kurtz 1992, 184; (Stockhausen 1978, 51).
, and Kontra-Punkte), Formel gradually transmutes an initial basic pattern of notes into something else. Its form is chevron-like, first broadening the pitch space out from the centre, then systematically withdrawing notes from the middle until only the outer extremes remain—a sort of inside-out version of the procedure used in Kreuzspiel (Maconie 2005, 63–64). Unlike its companion works, however, the tone row
on which it is based is not treated punctually, with notes isolated from one another, but instead they are grouped into melodic cells (Frisius 2008, 42).
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 while he was still a student in 1951. It is given the number ⅙ in his catalog of works, indicating that it is amongst the pieces preceding the composition he recognised as his first mature work, Nr. 1 Kontra-Punkte.
History
Formel, originally titled Studie für Orchester (Study for Orchestra), was written in November and December 1951 immediately after KreuzspielKreuzspiel
Kreuzspiel is a composition by Karlheinz Stockhausen written for oboe, bass clarinet, piano and four percussionists in 1951 ....
and was intended to have been the first movement of a three-movement composition. When he completed the other two movements the following year, however, he decided their more punctual
Punctualism
Punctualism is a style of musical composition prevalent in Europe between 1949 and 1955 "whose structures are predominantly effected from tone to tone, without superordinate formal conceptions coming to bear"...
style did not fit well with the more thematic character of the intended opening, and the two 1952 movements became the separate composition Spiel (Stockhausen 1978, 51; Maconie 2005, 63 and 83). Only twenty years later did Stockhausen retrospectively discover in the early piece similarities to the formula technique
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...
he had devised for his then-latest composition, Mantra
Mantra (Stockhausen)
Mantra is a composition by the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. It was composed in 1970 and premiered in autumn of the same year in Donaueschingen...
(1970). When asked by Maurice Fleuret
Maurice Fleuret
Maurice Fleuret was a French composer, music journalist, radio producer, arts administrator, and festival organizer.- Biography :...
for a new work for the 1971 Journées de Musique Contemporaine, Stockhausen offered this score, which he now gave the name Formel. The premiere was conducted by the composer at the Théâtre de Ville in Paris on 22 October 1971, on a concert that also featured several other compositions from his days as a student: the Drei Lieder for contralto and chamber orchestra, the Chöre für Doris, the Choral ("Wer uns trug mit Schmerzen"), all composed in 1950, and the Sonatine for violin and piano from 1951 (Kurtz 1992, 184; (Stockhausen 1978, 51).
Analysis
As with several other of Stockhausen's compositions of this period (Kreuzspiel, Spiel, the Schlagtrio, the original version of PunktePunkte
Punkte 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...
, and Kontra-Punkte), Formel gradually transmutes an initial basic pattern of notes into something else. Its form is chevron-like, first broadening the pitch space out from the centre, then systematically withdrawing notes from the middle until only the outer extremes remain—a sort of inside-out version of the procedure used in Kreuzspiel (Maconie 2005, 63–64). Unlike its companion works, however, the tone row
Tone row
In music, a tone row or note row , also series and set, refers to a non-repetitive ordering of a set of pitch-classes, typically of the twelve notes in musical set theory of the chromatic scale, though both larger and smaller sets are sometimes found.-History and usage:Tone rows are the basis of...
on which it is based is not treated punctually, with notes isolated from one another, but instead they are grouped into melodic cells (Frisius 2008, 42).
Instrumentation
Formel is scored for a small orchestra of 28 musicians:- 3 oboes
- 3 clarinets in A
- 3 bassoons
- 3 horns
- vibraphone (with glockenspiel)
- celesta
- piano
- harp
- 6 violins
- 3 cellos
- 3 double basses
Discography
- Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Inori, Formel. SWF Sinfonie-Orchester, Karlheinz Stockhausen, cond. DG 2707 111. Formel reissued (together with Schlagtrio, Spiel, and 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...
) on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 2. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, [date?]