Konrad Boehmer (24 May 1941 – 4 October 2014) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
-
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, and
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
.
Life
Boehmer was born in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. A self-declared member of the
Darmstadt School
Darmstadt School refers to a group of composers who were associated with the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music (Darmstädter Ferienkurse) from the early 1950s to the early 1960s in Darmstadt, Germany, and who shared some aesthe ...
, he studied composition in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
with
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
, and
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
,
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
, and
musicology
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
at the
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...
, where he received a PhD in 1966. After receiving his doctorate, he settled in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, working until 1968 at the
Institute for Sonology,
Utrecht University
Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
. In 1972, he was appointed professor of music history and theory at the
Royal Conservatory of The Hague
The Royal Conservatoire ( nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium, KC) is a conservatoire in The Hague, providing higher education in music and dance. The conservatoire was founded by King William I in 1826, making it the oldest conservatoire in the Nether ...
.
Musical style
His compositions characteristically employ
serial organization or montage, sometimes with elements of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
(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.
In 2001, the
Holland Festival
The Holland Festival () is the oldest and largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theatre, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and archit ...
commissioned Boehmer to write a composition for the rock band
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
, which they performed at both concerts during that festival in the
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam.
Death
On 10 August 2014, while on holiday in the south of France, he suffered a
cerebral infarction
A cerebral infarction is the pathologic process that results in an area of necrotic tissue in the brain (cerebral infarct). It is caused by disrupted blood supply ( ischemia) and restricted oxygen supply ( hypoxia), most commonly due to thromboemb ...
. He was taken to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, where he died on 4 October 2014.
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)
References
Cited sources
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* 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. 2009. ''Doppelschläge: Texte zur Musik'', vol. 1: 1958–1967. Quellentexte zur Musik des 20. /21. Jahrhunderts 12.1, edited by Stefan Fricke and Christian Grün. Saarbrücken: Pfau. .
* Boehmer, Konrad. 2014. ''Doppelschläge: Texte zur Musik'', vol. 2: 1968–1970. Quellentexte zur Musik des 20. /21. Jahrhunderts 12.2, edited by Stefan Fricke and Christian Grün. Saarbrücken: Pfau. .
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boehmer, Konrad
1941 births
2014 deaths
20th-century classical composers
20th-century German composers
20th-century German male musicians
21st-century classical composers
21st-century German composers
21st-century German male musicians
Dutch classical composers
Dutch male classical composers
German classical composers
German male classical composers
LGBT classical composers
Musicians from Berlin
Pupils of Karlheinz Stockhausen
Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague