falling and then rising in a smooth curve.
- Record 45 seconds with pulses continuing to evenly slow down with pitch falling in a zig zag and then holding steady.
- Record 45 seconds with pulses continuing to evenly slow down. 7 pulses play a melody in the middle and then hold again, slightly lower.
- Final pulses have gradually altered "filter feedback time" so that the timbre becomes metallic.
- Combine result of 1-2 with slightly sped up result of 3-6.
- Afterwards, the sound is filtered higher and higher.
|Score notations (from Jonathan Harvey's book)|
The Realization score of KONTAKTE (cover at top of page) is basically in 4 parts:
- Pictures and descriptions of the studio equipment.
- Descriptions of the creation of 16 categories of tape loops.
- Descriptions of the mixing/manipulation phase for each of the 16 Structures.
- Visual transcription ("score") of the resulting electronic music.
|Structure XIIIB/C, from KONTAKTE w Perc & Piano|
( © Universal Edition/© www.karlheinzstockhausen.org)
"The instruments point at certain events in the electronic music, underline... It’s like having a painting with special coloring, and certain forms and figures are underlined with (this) color...they play along with what’s happening, sometimes even "multiply" - like at the beginning, the first two minutes, they really multiply what’s already happening in the electronic music."
- Stockholm Q & A transcript
To get an idea of what Stockhausen is going for here, see the directives for the musicians in HYMNEN mit SOLISTEN.
This piece is essentially a performance art theatrical work, involving many surrealistic characters and plot elements, many of them pretty funny. Part of the proceedings is a live performance of KONTAKTE with piano and percussion. This staging of KONTAKTE functions as a "performance within a performance". For video and more, check out the page on Ubuweb.
(see INTRODUCTION, or "I Remember KONTAKTE...")
Sound samples, tracks listings and CD ordering
Four Criteria of Electronic Music (Stockhausen on Music)
The Concept of Unity in Electronic Music (Stockhausen, PoNM 1)
Works of Karlheinz Stockhausen (Robin Maconie)
Electronic Music of Karlheinz Stockhausen (Heikinheimo)
Compositional techniques in the music of Stockhausen (1951-1970) (John Kelsall PDF)
Kontakte by Karlheinz Stockhausen in Four Channels (Kevin Austin)
On Stockhausen’s Kontakte (1959-60) for tape, piano and percussion (John Rea PDF)
"Zur Entstehungs- und Problemgeschichte der Kontakte von Karlheinz Stockhausen." (On the Origin and Problem of "Kontakte", Helmut Kirchmayer, in German, included with original Wergo LP)
Stockhausen Introduction for “KONTAKTE”, Stockholm, 12th May 2001
Stockhausen Q & A after KONTAKTE, Stockholm, 12th May 2001
Revisiting Kontakte (Talea Ensemble)
Relationships of Isomorphic Elements in Stockhausen's Kontakte (Stephen Lucas)
The Music of Stockhausen (Jonathan Harvey)
WDR Electronic Music Studio Tour (photos of electronic gear, 2015)
WDR Studios Vintage Pictures & Video Tour (120 Years of Electronic Music)