Konrad Boehmer
Encyclopedia
Konrad Boehmer is a Dutch
composer
and writer of German
birth.
Boehmer was born in Berlin
. His music reflects his Marxist
political agenda, which is made explicit in many of his writings from the late 1960s and 1970s (e.g., Boehmer 1970). A self-declared member of the Darmstadt School
(Boehmer 1987), he studied composition in Cologne
with Karlheinz Stockhausen
and Gottfried Michael Koenig
, and philosophy
, sociology
, and musicology
at the University of Cologne
, where he received a PhD in 1966 (Sabbe 2001). After receiving his doctorate, he settled in Amsterdam
, working until 1968 at the Institute for Sonology, Utrecht University
. In 1972 he was appointed professor of music history and theory at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
(Sabbe 2001).
His compositions characteristically employ serial
organization or montage, sometimes with elements of jazz
and rock music (as in his opera Doktor Faustus and the electronic Apocalipsis cum figuris). In other works, such as Canciones del camino and Lied uit de vert Marxist songs serve as basic material (Sabbe 2001).
In 2001 the Holland Festival
commissioned Boehmer to write a composition for the rock band Sonic Youth
, which they performed at both concerts during that festival in the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam
(Sanders 2001). It was the band in its 'Goodbye 20th Century' period.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and writer of 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...
birth.
Boehmer was born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. His music reflects his Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
political agenda, which is made explicit in many of his writings from the late 1960s and 1970s (e.g., Boehmer 1970). A self-declared member of the Darmstadt School
Darmstadt School
Darmstadt School refers to a loose group of compositional styles created by composers who attended the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music from the early 1950s to the early 1960s.-History:...
(Boehmer 1987), he studied composition 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...
with 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 Gottfried Michael Koenig
Gottfried Michael Koenig
Gottfried Michael Koenig is a contemporary German-Dutch composer.-Biography:Koenig studied church music in Braunschweig, composition, piano, analysis and acoustics in Detmold, music representation techniques in Cologne and computer technique in Bonn. He attended and later lectured at the...
, and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, and musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
at the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
, where he received a PhD in 1966 (Sabbe 2001). After receiving his doctorate, he settled in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, working until 1968 at the Institute for Sonology, Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
. In 1972 he was appointed professor of music history and theory at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
Royal Conservatory of The Hague
The Royal Conservatory of The Hague is a conservatorium of music, providing higher education in music and dance, it is located in The Hague, Netherlands.-The Conservatory:...
(Sabbe 2001).
His compositions characteristically employ 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...
organization or montage, sometimes with elements of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock music (as in his opera Doktor Faustus and the electronic Apocalipsis cum figuris). In other works, such as Canciones del camino and Lied uit de vert Marxist songs serve as basic material (Sabbe 2001).
In 2001 the Holland Festival
Holland Festival
The Holland Festival is The Netherlands' oldest and largest performing arts festival, and takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theater, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and architecture were added to the festival roster...
commissioned Boehmer to write a composition for the rock band Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, which they performed at both concerts during that festival in the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam
Stadsschouwburg (Amsterdam)
The Stadsschouwburg of Amsterdam is the name of a theatre building at the Leidseplein in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The building is in the neo-Renaissance style dating back to 1894, and is the former home of the National Ballet and Opera.-The Rederijkerskamers:The first rederijkers appeared at...
(Sanders 2001). It was the band in its 'Goodbye 20th Century' period.
Selected Compositions
- Variation for chamber orchestra (1959–61)
- Position for electronic sounds, vocal sounds, and orchestra (1960–61)
- Zeitläufte for eight instruments (1962)
- Information (1964–65)
- Aspekt electronic music (1964–66)
- Canciones del camino for orchestra (1973–74)
- Schrei dieser Erde for percussion and tape, (1979)
- Doktor Faustus opera (1980–83)
- Apocalipsis cum figuris, electronic music (1984)
- Woutertje Pieterse for nine vocalists and orchestra (1985–1987)
- Il combattimento for violin, cello, and orchestra (1989–90)
- Et in Arcadia ego for string quartet (1992)
- Kronos protos for 14 instruments (1995)
- Nuba for flute, viola and harp (1998)
- Orpheus Unplugged (1999–2000) piano and tape
- Ouroboros for piano (2002)
- Doktor Fausti Höllenfahrt for orchestra (2006)
Sources
- Boehmer, Konrad. 1967. Zur Theorie der offenen Form in der neuen Musik. Darmstadt: Edition Tonos. (Second edition 1988.)
- Boehmer, Konrad. 1970. Zwischen Reihe und Pop: Musik und Klassengesellschaft. J & V Musik. Vienna and Munich: Jugend und Volk.
- Boehmer, Konrad. 1987. “The Sanctification of Misapprehension into a Doctrine: Darmstadt Epigones and Xenophobes”. English translation by Sonia Prescod Jokel. Key Notes 24:43–47
- Boehmer, Konrad. 2009. Doppelschläge: Texte zur Musik, vol. 1: 1958–1967. Quellentexte zur Musik des 20. /21. Jahrhunderts 12, edited by Stefan Fricke and Christian Grün. Saarbrücken: Pfau. ISBN 978-3-89727-407-5
- Sabbe, Herman. 2001. "Boehmer, Konrad", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley SadieStanley SadieStanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
and John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (professor of music)John Tyrrell was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1942. He studied at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Brno. In 2000 he was appointed Research Professor at Cardiff University....
, vol. 2. London: Macmillan Publishers. - Sanders, Rik. 2001. "Konrad Boehmer: 'Computer kan componist niet vervangen'". Computable (8 June). Accessed 20 December 2009.