''Carré'' (Square) for four
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
s and four choirs (1959–60) is a
composition
Composition or Compositions may refer to:
Arts and literature
*Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography
*Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...
by the German composer
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) 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. He is known for his groun ...
, and is Work Number 10 in the composer's catalog of works.
History
''Carré'' was commissioned by the
Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR; ''Northern German Broadcasting'') is a public broadcasting, public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR broadcasts for the German states of Lower Saxony, M ...
(NDR) in Hamburg. The essential ideas occurred to Stockhausen in November–December 1958 while on a tour of the United States where, during hours spent each day flying from one location to another, he experienced the slowest temporal rates of change of his life. The work was composed in 1959–60, in collaboration with Stockhausen's assistant
Cornelius Cardew
Cornelius Cardew (7 May 193613 December 1981) was an English experimental music composer, and founder (with Howard Skempton and Michael Parsons) of the Scratch Orchestra, an experimental performing ensemble. He later rejected experimental music, ...
, and was premiered on 28 October 1960 in the Festival Hall of the
Planten un Blomen
Planten un Blomen is an urban park with a size of in the inner-city of Hamburg, Germany. The name Planten un Blomen is Low German for "Pflanzen und Blumen" in German or "Plants and Flowers" in English.
History
The first plant was a Platanus, p ...
Park in Hamburg, as part of the NDR's concert series ', with the
NDR Chor
The NDR Chor (North German Radio Choir) is the choir of the German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), based in Hamburg. It was founded in 1946, with Max Thurn as the first director of then 55 singers. The group has participated in premiere ...
und
NDR Sinfonieorchester
The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (german: NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester) is a German radio orchestra. Affiliated with the '' Norddeutscher Rundfunk'' (NDR; North German Broadcasting), the orchestra is based at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, G ...
, conducted by
Mauricio Kagel
Mauricio Raúl Kagel (; 24 December 1931 – 18 September 2008) was an Argentine-German composer.
Biography
Kagel was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, into an Ashkenazi Jewish family that had fled from Russia in the 1920s . He studied music, his ...
(orchestra I), Stockhausen (orchestra II),
Andrzej Markowski
Andrzej Markowski (22 August 1924 – 30 October 1986) was a Polish composer and conductor. He was born in Lublin and died in Warsaw. He was the director of the Wrocław Philharmonic from 1965 to 1968 and founded the Wratislavia Cantans fest ...
(orchestra III), and
Michael Gielen
Michael Andreas Gielen (20 July 19278 March 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer known for promoting contemporary music in opera and concert. Principally active in Europe, his performances are characterized by precision and vivacity, aid ...
(orchestra IV). The score is dedicated to the former director of ''Das neue Werk'', .
Material and form
''Carré'' is a
serial composition in which (together with the concurrently composed ''
Kontakte
''Kontakte'' ("Contacts") is an electronic music work by Karlheinz Stockhausen, realized in 1958–60 at the ''Westdeutscher Rundfunk'' (WDR) electronic-music studio in Cologne with the assistance of Gottfried Michael Koenig. The score is Nr. 12 ...
'') Stockhausen for the first time treated spatial distribution on the same level of structural importance as properties such as pitch, rhythm, timbre, dynamics, register, density, and others.
Stockhausen groups ''Carré'' with ''Kontakte'' (1958–60) and ''
Momente
''Momente'' (Moments) is a work by the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, written between 1962 and 1969, scored for solo soprano, four mixed choirs, and thirteen instrumentalists (four trumpets, four trombones, three percussionists, and two e ...
'' (1962–64/69) as representatives of
moment form In music, moment form is defined as "a mosaic of moments", and, in turn, a moment is defined as a "self-contained (quasi-)independent section, set off from other sections by discontinuities".
History and definition
The concept of moment form, and t ...
, in which he tried
to compose states and processes in which each moment is a personal, centred one, that can exist on its own and, as something individual, can also always be related to its surroundings and to the whole; something in which everything that happens does not pursue a determined course from a defined beginning to an inevitable end.
A large orchestra of 80 players is divided into four orchestral units, each of approximately the same scoring and each with its own
conductor. A mixed choir of between 12 and 16 singers is attached to each orchestra.
Carré unfolds 101 "moments" with durations varying from 1.5 to 90 seconds, each of which is characterised by one or several notes and chords. However, Stockhausen originally planned 252 sections in his draft form scheme, where eight basic categories of sound are arrayed, each with four levels:
# ''Type'': the four solo instruments used to furnish each of the four orchestras with a characteristic timbre: cimbalom, vibraphone, piano, and harp
# ''Attack'': four "attack transient" percussion instruments, also used to differentiate the four orchestras: Indian bells, drums, Alpine cowbells, and cymbals
# ''Gestalt variation'': four parameters within which transformations are to occur: rhythm, "height", timbre, and dynamics
# ''Density'': number of notes present, from one to four
# ''Register'': four principal octave registers
# ''Duration'': four generic values from "short" to "as long as possible"
# ''Amplitude'': four basic dynamic levels, notated in the sketch (but not the score) with numerals
# ''Colour'': four basic timbres: voices, strings, woodwinds, and brass
In contrast to the complex interrelationships of these eight sound categories, the underlying pitch structure of ''Carré'' is so simple that Stockhausen was able to write it out on a single sheet of music paper. The basic pitch series used throughout the work is
The regular melodic succession of this all-interval row is obscured compositionally, however, through the grouping of some notes into chords—e.g., in the first section, one three-note chord, F B G, and one two-note chord, B A.
Instrumentation
Orchestra I
* 1 Alto Flute (doubling flute)
* 1 Oboe
* 1 Bass Clarinet in B
* Tenor Saxophone in B
* 1 Horn (high, in F)
* 1 Trumpet in D
* Bass Trumpet in B
* Bass Trombone
* SATB choir (2 or 3 voices per part)
* Piano
* 2 Percussionists:
** 2 Tomtoms and 1 Bongo
** 3 Alpine Cowbells
lmglocken** 1 Bass Drum (as large as possible)
** 1 Snare Drum (very bright)
** Indian Bells
** Suspended Cymbals (large and thin)
** 1 Hihat (as large as possible, thin cymbals)
** 1 Gong (as large as possible)
** 1 Tamtam (as large as possible)
* 4 Violins
* 2 Violas
* 2 Cellos
Orchestra II
* 1 Flute
* 1 Cor anglais
* 1 Clarinet in B
* 1 Bassoon
* 2 Horns (1 high, 1 low)
* 1 Trumpet (in C)
* 1 Tenor Trombone
* SATB choir (2 or 3 voices per part)
* Vibraphone
* 2 Percussionists:
** 2 Tomtoms and 1 Bongo
** 3 Alpine Cowbells
lmglocken** 1 Bass Drum (as large as possible)
** 1 Snare Drum (very bright)
** Indian Bells
** Suspended Cymbals (large and thin)
** 1 Hihat (as large as possible, thin cymbals)
** 1 Gong (as large as possible)
** 1 Tamtam (as large as possible)
* 4 Violins
* 2 Violas
* 2 Cellos
Orchestra III
* 1 Oboe
* 1 Clarinet in B
* 1 Baritone Saxophone in E
* 1 Bassoon
* 1 Horn (low)
* 1 Trumpet (in C)
* 1 Alto Trombone
* 1 Bass Tuba
* SATB choir (2 or 3 voices per part)
* 1 Cimbalom (amplified)
* 2 Percussionists:
** 2 Tomtoms and 1 Bongo
** 3 Alpine Cowbells
lmglocken** 1 Bass Drum (as large as possible)
** 1 Snare Drum (very bright)
** Indian Bells
** Suspended Cymbals (large and thin)
** 1 Hihat (as large as possible, thin cymbals)
** 1 Gong (as large as possible)
** 1 Tamtam (as large as possible)
* 4 Violins
* 2 Violas
* 2 Cellos
Orchestra IV
* 1 Flute
* 1 Clarinet in A
* 1 Alto Saxophone in E
* 1 Bassoon
* 2 Horns (1 high, 1 low)
* 1 Trumpet (in C)
* 1 Tenor Trombone
* SATB choir (2 or 3 voices per part)
* 1 Harp (amplified—the harp part may be supplemented by an amplified harpsichord)
* 2 Percussionists:
** 2 Tomtoms and 1 Bongo
** 3 Alpine Cowbells
lmglocken** 1 Snare Drum (very bright)
** Indian Bells
** Suspended Cymbals (large and thin)
** 1 Hihat (as large as possible, thin cymbals)
** 1 Gong (as large as possible)
** 1 Tamtam (as large as possible)
* 4 Violins
* 2 Violas
* 2 Cellos
Discography
*1968. WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, conducted by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Andrzej Markowski, Mauricio Kagel, and Michael Gielen. Recorded May 1965; released with Stockhausen's ''
Gruppen
''Gruppen'' (german: Groups) for three orchestras (1955–57) is amongst the best-known compositions of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, and is Work Number 6 in the composer's catalog of works. ''Gruppen'' is "a landmark in 20th-century mu ...
'' on Deutsche Grammophon DG 137 002 (LP), DG921022 (Cassette).
.p. Polydor International.
**reissued under the same LP disc number, in the first set of Deutsche Grammophon's Avant Garde series.
amburg Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, ca. 1972.
**reissued on reel-to-reel 7½ ips tape, as DGC 7002. Elk Grove Village, Illinois: Ampex/Deutsche Grammophon, ca. 1974.
**reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 5. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1992.
References
Cited sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
Cardew, Cornelius. 1961a. "Report on Stockhausen's ''Carré''"
art 1
Art is a diverse range of human behavior, human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imagination, imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no genera ...
''
The Musical Times
''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country.
It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainze ...
'' 102, no. 1424 (October): 619–622.
* Cardew, Cornelius. 1961b. "Report on Stockhausen's ''Carré'': Part 2". ''The Musical Times'' 102, no. 1425 (November): 698–700.
* Cott, Jonathan. 1973. ''Stockhausen: Conversations with the Composer''. New York: Simon and Schuster. .
* Driver, Paul. 2010a. "Works of Modern Composers That Move You". ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' (28 March).
* Driver, Paul. 2010b. "Labours of love; Two Contrasting Concerts of Work by Modern Masters Make Paul Driver Mad with Joy". ''The Sunday Times'' (28 March): 30.
*
Harvey, Jonathan. 1975. ''The Music of Stockhausen: An Introduction''. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
*
Heyworth, Peter. 1971. "One of the Outstanding Scores of Its Time". ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' (28 November): D15.
*
Kelsall, John. 1975.
Compositional Techniques in the Music of Stockhausen (1951–1970). PhD diss. Glasgow: University of Glasgow.
* Kurtz, Michael. 1992. ''Stockhausen: A Biography'', translated by
Richard Toop
Richard Toop (1945 – 19 June 2017) was a British-Australian musicologist.
Toop was born in Chichester, England, in 1945. He studied at Hull University, where his teachers included Denis Arnold.
In 1973 he became Karlheinz Stockhausen's teach ...
. London and Boston: Faber and Faber. (cloth) (pbk).
*
Maconie, Robin. 2005. ''Other Planets: The Music of Karlheinz Stockhausen''. Lanham, Maryland, Toronto, Oxford: Scarecrow Press. .
* Stockhausen, Karlheinz. 1963. "Momentform". In his ''Texte zur Musik'', vol. 1, 1edited by
Dieter Schnebel, 89–210. DuMont Dokumente. Cologne: Verlag M. DuMont Schauberg.
* Stockhausen, Karlheinz. 1971. "''Gruppen'' und ''Carré''". In his ''Texte zur Musik'', vol. 3, edited by Dieter Schnebel, 22–34. Cologne: Verlag M. DuMont Schauberg. .
* Stockhausen, Karlheinz. 1998. "CARRÉ—Ergänzung 1986 zum Vorwärt der 4 Partituren", in his ''Texte'' 7, selected and assembled by
Christoph von Blumröder
Christoph von Blumröder (born 18 July 1951) is a German musicologist.
Career
Born in Northeim, Blumröder studied musicology at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in Breisgau with Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht, philosophy and history of the . ...
, 41–49. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag. .
* Wörner, Karl H. 1961. "Current Chronicle: Germany". ''
The Musical Quarterly
''The Musical Quarterly'' is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928. Sonneck was succeeded by a number of editors, including Car ...
'' 47, no. 2 (April): 243–247.
External links
''Gruppen'' and ''Carré'' essay by Ingvar Norden
Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carre (Stockhausen)
20th-century classical music
Compositions by Karlheinz Stockhausen
1960 compositions
Serial compositions
Spatial music
Music with dedications
Music commissioned by Norddeutscher Rundfunk