''Tierkreis'' (1974–75) is a musical composition 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 groundb ...

. The title is the German word for

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pa ...

, and the composition consists of twelve melodies, each representing one sign of the zodiac.

History

Once described as "melodic naïveté" in the form of "cheerful, empty-headed little tune , who nevertheless soon changed his mind, ''Tierkreis'' has proved to be Stockhausen's most popular composition. ''Tierkreis'' was originally written for music boxes as a component part of a theater piece for percussion sextet titled ''

Musik im Bauch ' (Music in the Belly) is a piece of scenic music for six percussionists and music boxes composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen in 1975, and is Number 41 in his catalog of works. The world premiere was presented on 28 March 1975 as part of the Royan F ...

'' (Music in the Belly), which has been interpreted variously as "a fairy tale for children" or else as "a ritual played out in Mexican Indian scenery". These twelve melodies (with or without their accompaniments) form an autonomous work which can be played by any suitable instrument, and exist also in versions to be sung. The striking simplicity of the melodies has led some writers to see them (together with other of Stockhausen's works from after 1966) as precursors of the German

New Simplicity New Simplicity (in German, ''Neue Einfachheit'') was a stylistic tendency amongst some of the younger generation of German composers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, reacting against not only the European avant garde of the 1950s and 1960s, but al ...

movement that began in the late 1970s. On the initiative of the Committee for Art and Culture of the City Council of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, from 6 July 2009 the melody from ''Tierkreis'' corresponding to the current Zodiac sign is played daily at noon on the newly restored 48-bell

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoni ...

in the tower of the

Cologne City Hall The City Hall (german: link=no, Kölner Rathaus) is a historical building in Cologne, western Germany. It is located off Hohe Straße in the district of Innenstadt, and set between the two squares of Rathausplatz and Alter Markt. It houses part o ...

as a tribute to the composer. Bert Augustus, a

campanologist Campanology () is the scientific and musical study of bells. It encompasses the technology of bells – how they are founded, tuned and rung – as well as the history, methods, and traditions of bellringing as an art. It is common to collect t ...

from the Dutch company Royal Eijsbouts programmed the melodies on a computer, with the collaboration of

Suzanne Stephens Suzanne Stephens (born July 28, 1946) is an American clarinetist, resident in Germany, described as "an outstanding performer and tireless promoter of the clarinet and basset horn". Biography Suzanne Stephens was born in Waterloo, Iowa, the dau ...

and Kathinka Pasveer of the Stockhausen Foundation for Music.(

Form

The twelve melodies of ''Tierkreis'' are character pieces, representing the twelve signs of the Zodiac. They are serial in conception and all are based on

tone row In music, a tone row or note row (german: Reihe or '), also series or set, is a non-repetitive ordering of a set of pitch-classes, typically of the twelve notes in musical set theory of the chromatic scale, though both larger and smaller sets ...

s, though some have more than twelve notes—''Libra'', for example, has fourteen, with F and D recurring in different octaves. Because music boxes preclude any significant variation in dynamics or

timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...

, the structure of the ''Tierkreis'' melodies emphasize pitch and

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

. Each melody is centered on a different chromatic pitch, with "Leo" (Stockhausen's own sign) = A, Virgo = A, Libra = B, Scorpio = C, etc., and each has its own distinctive tempo, chosen from the "chromatic" tempo scale first described in the composer's famous article, "... How Time Passes ...". Like the pitches, the rhythms are also organized serially and strive for contrast amongst the melodies rather than relatedness . Various scales of durations are employed:

Fibonacci number In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted , form a sequence, the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. The sequence commonly starts from 0 and 1, although some authors start the sequence from ...

s (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ... ), arithmetic series (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... ), and "second order" arithmetic series, in which the ''difference'' between consecutive members increases arithmetically (2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 17, ... ). One melody, "Aries", mixes all three of these scale types, at different levels of the durational organization. A complete performance begins with the melody corresponding to the zodiac sign within which the day of the performance falls, and proceeds through the twelve melodies of the cycle, ending with a return to the starting melody. Each melody is to be played at least three times through, with variations or improvisations, which in some performances have been very extensive. Though performances documented in recordings last between 12 and 63 minutes, a complete performing version by the violin-piano duo of Andrew and Gail Jennings is claimed to last 96 minutes, but they have declined to play their version complete in public. The melodies can also be played individually, or in smaller numbers. In addition to ''Musik im Bauch'', Stockhausen employed the ''Tierkreis'' melodies in the central "wheel" section of ''

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

'' (1975–77), an hour-and-a-half-long

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's '' Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergol ...

for soprano and bass voices, trumpet, bass clarinet, and eight-channel electronic music. Fragments of several of the melodies are also quoted in act 3, scene 1 of '' Donnerstag aus Licht'', in part three ("Starry Sky") of the third ''Light'' Composition, where the signs of the zodiac are shown, one after the other, in the night sky. Stockhausen also prepared a number of versions for various specific forces: vocal versions for five different voice ranges (high soprano or high tenor, Nr. 41; soprano or tenor, Nr. 41; mezzosoprano, alto, or low tenor, Nr 41; baritone, Nr. 41; bass, Nr. 41⁶/₇ all 1975), version for chamber orchestra, Nr. 41 ⁷/₈ (1977), version for clarinet and piano, Nr. 41⁸/₉ (1981), a "trio version" for clarinet, flute/piccolo, and trumpet/piano, Nr. 41⁹/₁₀ (1983), a "version 2003" for soprano or tenor with chording instrument, Nr. 41 ¹⁰/₁₁ (2003), and, finally, two orchestral versions of five melodies each, titled ''Fünf Sternzeichen'', Nr. 41¹¹/₁₂, and ''Fünf weitere Sternzeichen'', N. 41¹²/₁₃. The latter was his last completed composition, finished on 4 December 2007, the night before he died. Stockhausen was planning further work in January 2008, which was probably the orchestration of the remaining two pieces, "Cancer" and "Leo".

Discography

* ''Allar Kaasik, tšello: A. Pärt, A. Ellerhein-Metsala, K. Stockhausen''.Version for cello and organ. Allar Kaasik, cello; Ines Maidre, organ. LP, Melodiya C10 28381 000. * ''Assolo''. Version for clarinet (and bass clarinet) solo. Massimo Munari, clarinet and bass clarinet. CD Lanner Edizioni. * ''Blaise Calame: Bartók, Stockhausen, Berio''. Version for violin solo. Blaise Calame, violin. LP, Pavane Records ADW 7142. * ''Bühler Flötenkreis: Miniaturen aus vier Jahrhunderten''. Version for recorder ensemble. LP, Gema A-4979. * ''The Contemporary Lute''. Version for two lutes. Peter Söderberg and Sven Åberg, lutes. Alice Musik Production CD ALCD 004 * ''The Contemporary Solo Double Bass'', version for solo double bass. Bjørn Ianke (double bass) CD Simax PSC 1039. * Duo version of melodies 3, 4, 6, 7, and 11, for guitar and electric guitar. Gilles Ballet, guitar; Patrick Brun, electric guitar. CD Cybelia CY 1127. * ''Gidon Kremer: '' LP, Ariola-Eurodisc 201 234–405. Version of six of the melodies ("Aquarius", "Pisces", "Aries", "Cancer", "Leo", "Sagittarius", and "Aquarius" (reprise)) for solo violin. Gidon Kremer, violin. Also released on DENON 28CO-1862. * ''Giuliano Rizzotto: Bone Zone''. Version for trombone solo. Giuliano Rizzotto, trombone. CD L'Eubage 5. * ''Historical Russian Archives: Gidon Kremer Edition''. Version of six of the melodies ("Aquarius", "Gemini", "Pisces", "Libra", "Sagittarius", "Leo", and "Aquarius" (reprise)) for violin solo and two violins. Gidon Kremer and Tatiana Grindenko, violins. 10-CD set. Brilliant Classics 8712. Also released on ''Russian Legends: Legendary Russian Soloists of the 20th Century''. 100-CD set, Brilliant Classics 8173. Reissued on ''The Russian Archives: Gidon Kremer Plays 20th-Century Composers''. 3-CD set. Brilliant Classics 9242. N.p.: Brilliant Classics, 2011. * ''Incontri/Encounters''. Version for guitar of "Aquarius", "Leo", and "Libra". Piero Bonaguri, guitar. CD Phoenix Classics PH 00617. * ''J. S. Bach: Partitas; K. Stockhausen: "Zodiac"''. Version for violin solo of six of the melodies. Rony Rogoff, violin. 2 LPs, CBS/Sony 50AC 1188-9. * ''Jean-Guy Boisvert: Zodiac''. Version for clarinet and piano. Jean-Guy Boisvert, clarinet; Louise-Andree Baril, piano. CD SNE 586. * ''Kamikaze Ground Crew: Covers''. Two melodies, "Capricorn" and "Leo". Doug Wieselman, clarinets,saxophones, guitar, balalaika,organ; Gina Leishman, saxophones,bass clarinet, accordion, vocals; Steven Bernstein, trumpet, slide trumpet; Peter Apfelbaum, tenor and soprano saxophones; Art Baron, trombone; Marcus Rojas, tuba; Kenny Wollesen, drums. CD, Koch Records, Koch Jazz 7882. * ''Karlheinz Stockhausen Piano Music''. Version for piano solo. Elisabeth Klein, piano. CD TIM Scandinavian Classics 220555. Also released on Classico CLASSCD 269. * ''Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis''. Bruno Heinen Sextet (Bruno Heinen, piano; Filvio Sigurta, trumpet; Janes Allsopp, bass clarinet; Tom Challenger, saxophone; Andrea Di Biase, bass; Jon Scott, drums). CD Babel Label BDV13119. London: Babel Label Records, 2013. * ''Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis—Melodies des douze signes celestes (improvisations autour du zodiaque)''. Pascal Lefeuvre, vielle a roue electro-acoustique, Erik Baron, basse fretless & bow basse. CD Alba Musica Musidisc MU 245 202 * ''Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis; Oberlippentanz''. Markus Stockhausen, trumpet and piano; Kathinka Pasveer, flute;

, clarinet (recorded 1985). CD Acanta 43201; LP Acanta 23531. * ''Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis/Zodiac''. Dominik Susteck, organ (recorded 30 September 2008, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Cologne) Cologne. CD Wergo WER 67362. Mainz: Wergo, 2011. * ''Katerina Zlatinikova Zymbal-Musik vol.2''. Version for flute(s) and cimbalom. Katerina Zlatnikova, cimbalom; Willy Freivogel, Stephan Zilka, Elisabeth Deinhard, flutes; Gerhard Braun, recorder. CD Podium POD WOW-008-2. * ''Knut Sönstevold plays Stockhausen''. Version for bassoon and piano. Knut Sönstevold, bassoon; Kina Sönstevold, piano. CD Nosag 42. * ''Live in Berlin: Accroche Note''. Ensemble Accroche-Note (

Armand Angster Armand Angster (born 20 January 1947) is a French clarinetist. With Françoise Kubler (soprano), he is the founder of the ensemble "Accroche Note", research and creative formation in contemporary music. Career Born in Strasbourg, Angster's mast ...

, contrabass clarinet, bass clarinet, clarinet;

Françoise Kubler Françoise Kubler (born in 1958) is a French operatic soprano who has distinguished herself both as an interpreter of New Music and in the field of free improvisation. Career Kubler, who studied at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg and then met ...

, voice, melodica, percussion; Emmanuel Séjourné, vibraphone, marimba, percussion; Benoît Dunoyer de Segonzac: double bass; Abdellatif Chaarani, darbuka, bendir, tar, chimes). CD, Free Music Production FMPCD 083. * ''Music For Two: Neue Musik für Blockflöte und Gitarre''. Version for recorder and guitar of four pieces ("Aquarius", "Gemini", "Virgo", and "Capricorn"). Hans-Martin Linde, recorder; Konrad Ragossnig, guitar. CD, Wergo 60142-50. * ''Musik mit Schlaginstrumenten 3''. Six melodies ("Capricorn", "Aquarius", "Pisces", "Taurus", "Libra", "Leo"), arr. Gabriel Bouchet for percussion ensemble. Ecole des Percussions de Strasbourg; Christian Hamouy, cond. LP, Sound-Star-Ton SST 0184. * ''Oberlippentanz; Ave; Tierkreis, Trio-Version''. Markus Stockhausen, trumpet and piano; Kathinka Pasveer, flute;

, clarinet (recorded 1991). CD, Stockhausen Complete Edition 35. * ''Piccolo XX''. Version for unaccompanied piccolo. Roberto Fabbriciani, piccolo. CD Arts 47557. * ''Stockhausen Tierkreis: Zodiac''. Two different versions for bass clarinet, trombone, accordion, drums, cello and double bass. Michael Riessler, bass clarinet; Mike Svoboda, trombone;

Stefan Hussong Stefan Hussong (2 November 1962) is a German classical accordionist. He has received numerous awards for his performances, including the Gaudeamus International Competition for Performers for contemporary music, and was named best instrumentalist ...

accordion; Michael Kiedaisch, drums; Scott Roller, cello; Wolfgang Fernow, double bass. CD Wergo 66592 * ''Stockhausen: Bass Clarinet and Piano''. Version for bass clarinet and piano. MDG 613-1451Volker Hemken, bass clarinet; Steffen Schleiermacher, piano (with toy piano and music box). * Stockhausen: '' In Freundschaft'' for oboe; ''Linker Augentanz''; ''Taurus''; ''Taurus-Quintett''; ''Kamel-Tanz''; '' Rotary-Bläserquintett''. Edurne Santos, bassoon (in ''Taurus'', recorded 10 December 2011 at Sound Studio N, Cologne);

Ensemble Musikfabrik The Ensemble Musikfabrik (music factory ensemble) is an ensemble for contemporary classical music located in Cologne. Their official name is Ensemble Musikfabrik Landesensemble NRW e.V. (Ensemble Musikfabrik of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, ...

: Melvyn Poore, tuba;

Marco Blaauw Marco Blaauw is a Dutch trumpet soloist known for his work in the field of new music and with Cologne-based contemporary music group Ensemble Musikfabrik. He plays a double bell trumpet, an invention that has allowed for numerous new compositions ...

, trumpet; Heidi Mockert, bassoon; Christine Chapman, horn; Bruce Collings, trombone (in ''Taurus-Quintett'', recorded 22 May 2015 at Sound Studio N, Cologne). CD recording, 1 disc: digital, 12 cm, stereo. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 105. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 2015. * ''Stockhausen: Jubiläum für Orchester; Tierkreis: Zehn Sternzeichen für Orchester; Tierkreis für das historische Glockenspiel des Kölner Rathauses''. BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond.

Oliver Knussen Stuart Oliver Knussen (12 June 1952 – 8 July 2018) was a British composer and conductor. Early life Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra, and a ...

(''Jubiläum''). Orchestra Mozart (Bologna), cond. Oliver Knussen (''Tierkreis'' for orchestra); Cologne Town Hall Carillon, programmed by Bert Augustus (adaptation of a version of ''Tierkreis'' by Kathinka Pasveer and

). Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 100. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 2010. * ''Stockhausen: Musik für Klarinette, Baßklarinette, Bassetthorn: Suzee Stephens spielt 15 Kompositionen''. Includes version of ''Tierkreis'' for clarinet and piano. Suzanne Stephens, clarinet; Majella Stockhausen, piano. 3-CD set, Stockhausen Complete Edition 32 A-B-C. * ''Stockhausen: Musik im Bauch''. Les Percussions de Strasbourg. Includes complete ''Tierkreis'' on music boxes. LP, DG 2530 913. Also released on CD, Stockhausen Complete Edition 24. * ''Stockhausen: Tierkreis''. Version for clarinet and piano. Jean-Phillipe Vivier, clarinet; Tamayo Ikeda, piano. CD Solstice SOCD 197. * ''Tétraclavier''. Version for piano and celesta of two pieces ("Scorpio" and "Pisces"). Jean-Jacques Dünki, piano; Pierre Sublet, celesta. CD Jecklin szene sCHweiz JS 289-2. * ''Tierkreis''. Version for violin with various instrumental accompaniments. Ivan Zenaty, violin; Jiri Mazanek, sitar; Daniel Mikolásek,vibraphone, crotales, marimba & bells; Josef Hála. piano, celesta & harpsichord; Pavel Dreser, accordion; Rudolf Dašek, guitar; Ales Bárta, organ; Jana Boušková, harp. ARTA Records, Prague F1 0030-2. * ''Tierkreis: Schlagwerk Nordwest Percussion Ensemble spielt Karlheinz Stockhausen, Axel Fries''. CD recording. Antes Edition BM-CM 31.9210. Bühl: Bella Musica Edition, 2007. * ''Tierkreis; Vision; Die 7 Lieder Der Tage''. Version for tenor and synthesizer. Hubert Mayer, tenor; Antonio Pérez-Abellán, synthesizer; Karlheinz Stockhausen, sound projection. CD, Stockhausen Complete Edition 77. * ''12 × 12 – A Musical Zodiac: Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis; Ars Nova & Ars Subtilior''.

Capilla Flamenca Capilla Flamenca is a vocal and instrumental early music consort based in Leuven, Belgium. The group specialises in 14th to 16th century music from Flanders and takes its name from the historical Flemish chapel (capilla flamenca), the choir of the c ...

and Het Collectief. Recorded at Campus of the Arts "deSingel", Antwerp, October 2010. CD recording. Etcetera/Klara KTC 4042. he Netherlands Coda BVBA, 2012. * Version for marimba/vibraphone and piano. Johan Eriksson, marimba and vibraphone; Johan Fröst, piano. CD Tingshuset Musik CMCD 003. * ''Zeit(t)räume: Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio''. Includes ''Tierkreis'' for soprano and piano. Claudia Böttcher, soprano; Jovita Zähl, piano. Recorded February 2012 at Loft, Cologne. CD recording. Wergo WER 6749 2. Mainz: Wergo, 2013.

References

Cited sources

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External links