Michael Vetter (18 September 1943 – 7 December 2013) was a German composer, novelist, poet, performer, calligrapher, artist, and teacher.

Biography

Vetter was born in

Oberstdorf Oberstdorf ( Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in Germany and one of its highest towns. At the&nb ...

in the

Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the A ...

region of Germany, and received a conventional school education. He adopted the

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

as his preferred instrument, and began experimenting in the late 1950s with its timbres and techniques, such as

multiphonic A multiphonic is an extended technique on a monophonic musical instrument (one that generally produces only one note at a time) in which several notes are produced at once. This includes wind, reed, and brass instruments, as well as the human voic ...

s and

microtones Microtonal music or microtonality is the use in music of microtones—intervals smaller than a semitone, also called "microintervals". It may also be extended to include any music using intervals not found in the customary Western tuning of tw ...

. He inspired composers such as

Louis Andriessen Louis Joseph Andriessen (; 6 June 1939 – 1 July 2021) was a Dutch composer, pianist and academic teacher. Considered the most influential Dutch composer of his generation, he was a central proponent of The Hague school of composition. Although ...

, and

Rob du Bois Rob du Bois (28 May 1934 – 28 August 2013) was a Dutch composer, pianist, and jurist. Background and education Rob (Robert Louis) du Bois was born in Amsterdam. His French ancestry can be seen from his name, and he maintained a sympathy for th ...

in the Netherlands,

Sylvano Bussotti Sylvano Bussotti (1 October 1931 – 19 September 2021) was an Italian composer of contemporary classical music, also a painter, set and costume designer, opera director and manager, writer and academic teacher. His compositions employ graphic n ...

in Italy, and

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 ...

and

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 ...

in Germany to use the instrument in their compositions. His technical discoveries were codified in a text, ''Il flauto dolce ed acerbo'' (The Sweet and Sour Flute, 1969), which included tables of some 2000 fingerings. He began studying philosophy and theology in 1964, while continuing his career as a performer. In 1967 he began composing graphically and verbally notated music, and beginning in 1968 turned to writing

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

vocal music for children. Osaka Expo'70 Korean Pavilion

From March to September 1970, together with nineteen other musicians, he performed works by Stockhausen (including ''

Hymnen ''Hymnen'' (German for " Anthems") is an electronic and concrete work, with optional live performers, by Karlheinz Stockhausen, composed in 1966–67, and elaborated in 1969. In the composer's catalog of works, it is No. 22. The extended work is ...

'', ''

Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Pole Pole may refer to: Astronomy *Celestial pole, the projection of the planet Earth's axis of rotation onto the celestial sphere; also applies to the axis of rotation of other planets *Pole star, a visible star that is approximately aligned with the ...

'', and ''

Aus den sieben Tagen ''Aus den sieben Tagen'' (From the Seven Days) is a collection of 15 text compositions by Karlheinz Stockhausen, composed in May 1968, in reaction to a personal crisis, and characterized as "Intuitive music"—music produced primarily from the in ...

'') in the spherical auditorium of the German Pavilion at

Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan. Back in Europe, he continued his association with Stockhausen, taking part in the world premieres of '' Sternklang'' (1971) and '' Alphabet für Liège'' (1972). In 1973 he returned to Japan, where he stayed for ten years as a

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

monk. During this period he performed what he called "structural theatre" and in 1981 published a collection of writings on "experimental Zen arts" in a book titled ''Shijima no oto'' he Sound of Silence He returned to Germany in 1983 to found the Zentrum für meditative Kommunikation und kommunikative Meditation in

Todtmoos Todtmoos is a village and municipality in the district of Waldshut in the southern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most po ...

-Rütte. In 1993 he moved his "school in the art of living", now renamed Accademia Capraia, to Italy. In 1997, Stockhausen composed for Vetter the central role of Luca, the Operator, in ''Michaelion'', the fourth scene of his opera ''

Mittwoch aus Licht (English: Wednesday from Light) is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in a greeting, four scenes, and a farewell. It was the sixth of seven to be composed for the opera cycle (Light: The Seven Days of the Week), and the last to be staged. It was w ...

''. Vetter performed the part in the world premiere on 26 July 1998 in the

Prinzregententheater The Prinzregententheater, or, as it was called in its first decades, the Prinz-Regenten-Theater, in English the Prince Regent Theatre, is a concert hall and opera house on Prinzregentenplatz in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany. Building ...

, Munich (Musica Viva series). Vetter died in Munich on 7 December 2013.

Musical style

Vetter's compositions are based in

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

. His earlier works are for voice, recorder, and piano, while later he turned to the

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

, Tibetan

singing bowls A standing bell or resting bell is an inverted bell, supported from below with the rim uppermost. Such bells are normally bowl-shaped, and exist in a wide range of sizes, from a few centimetres to a metre in diameter. They are often played by st ...

tanpura The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music. It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of an ...

, and

gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...

Visual art

Vetter's early interest in graphically notated music turned to purely visual expression during his time in Japan, with works such as the ink-brush paintings in ''The Book of Signs'', his 120 colour etched monotypes titled ''Strukturelle Mandalas'' and ''Zweistimmige Inventionen'' (Two-part Inventions), and the ''Codex Aureum'' (Gold-Violet Dialogue between Intention and Chance). Later works, executed after his return to Germany, include a series of

panel painting A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel of wood, either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular support medium in the 16th century, panel painting was the normal method, when not paint ...

s as entrances and views, titled ''Symphonies'', ''Duets'', ''Trios'', ''Quartets'', ''Der Kreuzweg des Lichtes'', ''Wolkenbilder'', and ''Die Gesetzestafeln''.

Writings

* 1969. ''Il flauto dolce ed acerbo 1: Anweisungen und Übungen für Spieler neuer Blockflötenmusik''. Celle: Moeck-Verlag. * 1973. ''Handbewegungen I/II—Roman'', with a foreword by

Helmut Heißenbüttel Helmut Heißenbüttel (21 June 1921 – 19 September 1996) was a German novelist and poet. Among Heißenbüttel's works are ''Das Textbuch'' (''The Textbook'') and ''Marlowe's Ende'' (''Marlowe's End''). He received the important Georg Büchner Pri ...

. Stuttgart: E. Klett. (v. 1); (v. 2) *1981. With Satoshi Yamanaka. しじまの音 : あるいは、音楽は精神の身体語 hijima no oto: arui wa ongaku wa seishin no shintaigo he Sound of Silence, or The Physical Language of the Music of the Soul Tokyo: Asahishuppansha. * 1983. ''Blockflötenschule'', 10 vols. Wiener Instrumentalschulen. Vienna: Universal Edition; Stuttgart: E. Klett. * 1988. ''Seinserfahrung: das Buch von der Liebe zum Leben''. Edition Esotera. Freiburg im Breisgau: Bauer. . * 1990. ''Transverbal''. Kirchzarten-Geroldstal: Selbstverlag. * 1991. ''Sesshin: das Fest der Aufnahme des Herzens; dreizehn Vorträge gehalten gelegentlich des Jahreswendesesshins 1990/91 im Griesgethof bei St. Georgen im Schwarzwald''. Geroldstal: Vetter-Verlag. * 1995. ''Musik: Texte und Bilder zur Einführung in die Kunst, sich in Nichts zu verlieben''. Spiritueller Reichtum. Petersberg: Verlag Via Nova. . * 1997. ''Die Psychologie der Seinserfahrung''. Freiburg i. Br.: Lüchow. . * 2000. ''Form ist Leere und Leere ist Form: Vorträge während des Sommersesshins 1992 im Griesgethof''. Oberried-Geroldstal: Vetter-Verlag. * 2000. "Karlheinz Stockhausen: ''Spiral für einen Solisten mit Kurzwellenempfänger''—Zur Interpretation des Werkes", transcribed by Henning Moersen. In ''Komposition und Musikwissenschaft im Dialog I (1997–1998)'', edited by Imke Misch and

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 ...

, 95–113. Signale aus Köln 3. Saarbrücken: Pfau-Verlag, .

Compositions

* ''Felder II'', ein musikalisches Projekt für Kinder (1967) * ''Rezitative'', für einen Blockflötisten (1967) * ''Figurationen III'', für ein beliebiges Instrument (1968) * ''Linienspiel'' (1973) * ''Liebesspiele: musikalische Konzepte'' (1973) * ''Schreibspiele ohne Worte'' (1973) * ''Cosmic Comic'' (1975) * ''Hörspiele I–IV'' (1977) * ''Die Wiener Blockflötenschule'' (1983) * ''Wenn Himmel und Erde wieder vereinen: Gedanken, Meditationen und Übungen zum Weg der Stimme'' (1987) * ''Die Oberton-Schule'' (1987) * ''Maria: muzikalische Auslegung eines mantrischen Namens'' (1991) * ''Musik'' (1995) * ''Pianissimo: Konzepte für Tasteninstrumente'' (1996) * ''Sei-Un-Sho: ein musikalisches Orakel'' (1997)

Discography

* Stockhausen, Karlheinz. ''Goldstaub'' (from ''

'', Mai 1968).

Péter Eötvös Péter Eötvös ( hu, Eötvös Péter, ; born 2 January 1944) is a Hungarian composer, conductor and teacher. Eötvös was born in Székelyudvarhely, Transylvania, then part of Hungary, now Romania. He studied composition in Budapest and Colog ...

; Herbert Henck; Michael Vetter. Deutsche Grammophon 410 935-1; 2720 073; 2561 301. LP. Hamburg: Deutsche Grammophon. 1973. Reissued on CD as part of 7-CD set: stereo, 12 cm. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 14. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1993. * Karlheinz Stockhausen: ''Expo für 3 (Integrale Version in zwei Fassungen)''. Michael Vetter (voice, recorder, and short-wave radio), Natascha Nikeprelevic (voice and short-wave radio), F. X. Randomiz (lap-top computer system, voice, and short-wave radio). Recorded 12 October 2013 at Sound Studio N, Cologne. CD recording, 1 disc: digital, 12 cm, stereo. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 104. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 2014. * Stockhausen, Karlheinz. ''Pole für zwei'' (Integral Version). Michael Vetter and Natascha Nikeprelevic (voices and auxiliary instruments). Recorded at Sound Studio N, Cologne, on 27 October 2012. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 103. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 2013. * Stockhausen, Karlheinz. "Spiral" für Blockflöte und Kurzwellen; ''Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger''; ''Klavierstück'' Nr. 10. Michael Vetter (recorder and shortwave radio);

Max Neuhaus Max Neuhaus (August 9, 1939 – February 3, 2009) was an American musician, composer and artist who was a noted interpreter of contemporary and experimental percussion music in the 1960s. He went on to create numerous permanent and short-term sou ...

(percussion);

Frederic Rzewski Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. His major compositions, which often incorporate social an ...

(piano);

Christoph Caskel Christoph Caskel (born 12 January 1932) is a German percussionist and teacher. Life Born in Greifswald, Caskel began learning percussion at an early age, taking lessons at the age of five with a military musician and as a schoolboy with a percus ...

(percussion). LP. Wergo, Hörzu Black Label SHZW 903 BL. Mainz:

Wergo WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was S ...

. * Stockhausen, Karlheinz. ''Spiral, Integrale Version''. Michael Vetter, voice and short-wave receiver. 2-CD set. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 46 A–B. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1996. * Stockhausen, Karlheinz. ''Sternklang''. 2-LP set. Deutsche Grammophon 2707 123 (2531 281; 2531 282). amburg Deutsche Grammophon, 1976. Polydor 2612 031 (2335 116; 2335 117). amburg Polydor International, 1976. Reissued on 2-CD set, Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 18 A–B. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1992. * Szathmáry, Zsigmond. ''Organ Improvisations''. Zsigmond Szathmáry: ''Omaggio a György Ligeti''; Michael Vetter: ''Der Kreis'';

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

: ''Music for Carillon No. 5''; Shinichi Matsushita: ''Konzentration'';

Roman Haubenstock-Ramati Roman Haubenstock-Ramati ( he, רוֹמן האובּנשׁטוֹק-רָמָתִי; 27 February 1919 – 3 March 1994) was a composer and music editor who worked in Kraków, Tel Aviv and Vienna. Life Haubenstock-Ramati was born in Kraków. He stud ...

: ''Ohne Titel''. Wergo CD 60119-50 (1983). Reissued in 1996 under the same catalog number as ''Music and Graphic: Organ Improvisations''. * Vetter, Michael. ''Ancient Voices''. Michael Vetter and the Overtone Choir.

Amiata Records Amiata Records is an independent cross-cultural record label founded in 1992 by Matteo Silva and Marc Eagleton with headquarters in Florence and offices in London, and Rome. Amiata derives its name from a mountain in southern Tuscany, in Italy. A ...

New Music Series. CD. ARNR 0192. Florence. Amiata Records,1992. *Vetter, Michael . Nocturne,

New Music Series CD, Florence, Amiata Records, 1993 * Vetter, Michael. ''Clouds: Music for Koto Harp and Voice''. Michael Vetter, koto harp and voice. Jecklin-Disco JD 636-2. 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Il flauto dolce ed acerbo''. Michael Vetter (recorder). LP recording.

Jürg Baur Jürg Baur (11 November 1918 – 31 January 2010) was a German composer whose works include ''Incontri and Mutazioni.'' Baur studied at the Cologne University of Music and taught there in his later years. Baur was also awarded the Federal Cro ...

, ''Mutazioni'';

, ''Pastorale VII''; Klaus Hashagen, ''Gesten''; Dieter Schönbach, ''Canzona da sonar III''; Michael Vetter, ''Figurationen III'' and ''Rezitative''. Corono, 1974. * Vetter, Michael. ''Flowers: Musical Icons for Piano and Voice''. Michael Vetter, piano and voice. Jecklin-Disco JD 637-2. 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Light: Music for Tamburas and Voice''. Michael Vetter, tamburas and voice. Jecklin-Disco JD 640-2. 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Missa Universalis: Obertonmesse für Stimme und Instrumentarium''. LP, Spectrum SM 1051, Mainz: Spectrum, 1985. CD. Spectrum SM 1051-50. Mainz: Spectrum, 1986. * Vetter, Michael. ''Om''. 3-CD set. Ginkgo SM 1812-2, 1813-2, 1814-2; Ginkgo 281 812-2, 281 813-2, 281 814-2. ainz, Germany Ginkgo, 1996, 1987. * Vetter, Michael. ''Overtones in Old European Cathedrals: Senanque''. Compact Disc. Wergo SM 1078-50. Mainz: Wergo, 1989, 1987. * Vetter, Michael. ''Overtones: Voice and Tambura''. 2-LP set. Mainz: Wergo Spectrum, 1983. * Vetter, Michael. ''Pianissimo''. CD. WER T 335-2. Zürich: Atlantis Musikbuch-Verlag, 1996. * Vetter, Michael. ''Silence''. Michael Vetter, voice, singing bowls, and cymbals. CD. Jecklin Disco JD 641-2. Zürich: Jecklin Disco, 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Spaces''. Compact disc. Jecklin Disco JD 639-2. Zürich: Jecklin Disco, 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Tambura Meditations''. Compact disc . Mainz: Wergo Spectrum, 1984. Reissued on CD, Wergo Spectrum SM 1039-50. Mainz: Wergo Spectrum, 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Wind: Music for Flutes, Voice and Gongs''. Michael Vetter, flutes, voice, and gongs. Jecklin-Disco JD 638-2. 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Zen Glocken''. Wergo Spectrum SM 1054-2. Mainz: Wergo Spectrum, 1990. * Vetter, Michael. ''Zen-Gong''. Compact disc. Wergo Spectrum SM 1053-2. Mainz, W. Germany: Wergo Spectrum, 1990, 1986. * Vetter, Michael. ''Zen-Flöte''. Michael Vetter. LP recording. Spectrum SM 1062. Mainz, W. Germany: Spectrum, 1987. * Vetter, Michael. ''Zen-Koto: Erinnerungen in die Gegenwart''. Compact disc. Wergo Spectrum SM 1052-2. Mainz, W. Germany: Wergo Spectrum, 1990, 1985.

References

Cited sources

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