Stimmung

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Stimmung

performed by Singcircle

What was important for the creation of Stimmung was the fact that I'd just come back from Mexico where I'd spent a month walking through the ruins, visiting Oaxaca, Merida, and Chichenitza, and becoming a Maya, a Toltec, a Zapotec, an Aztec, or a Spaniard - I became the people. The magic names of the Aztec gods are spoken in Stimmung. . . . And then the space. I sat for hours on the same stone, watching the proportions of certain Mayan temples with their three wings, watching how they were slightly out of phase. I relived ceremonies, which were sometimes very cruel. The religious cruelty isn't in Stimmung, only sounds, the whole general feeling of the Mexican plains with their edifices going into the sky - the quietness, on one side, and the sudden changes, on the other. (Karlheinz Stockhausen from Stockhausen - Conversations with the Composer by Jonathan Cott)

Stimmung is divided into 51 sections. In each section a new overtone melody or 'model' is introduced and repeated several times. Each female voice leads a new section eight times, and each male voice, nine times. Some of the other singers gradually have to transform their own material until they have come into 'identify' with the lead singer of the section; they do this by adopting the same character as the leader in tempo, rhythm and dynamics. When the lead singer feels that 'identity' has been reached, he or she makes a gesture to another singer who leads the next section. Each model is a set of rhythmic phonetic patterns, often with actual words used as their basis, such as 'Hallelujah' or 'Saturday'.

In 29 of the sections, 'magic names' are called out. These are the names of gods and goddesses from many cultures - Aztec, aboriginal and Ancient Greek, for instance - and have to be incorporated into the character of the model. The erotic and intimate love-poems that are recited were written by Stockhausen "during amorous days" in 1967.

Different versions of the work result from the order of models and choice of magic names decided upon by the performers. The first version of Stimmung made by the Collegium Vocale is known as the 'Paris version', and has recently been published as work Number 24 1/2. The ensemble has performed this version hundreds of times throughout the world. The 'Singcircle version' of 1977 evolved over many months of rehearsal in London prior to its first performance at the Round House on November 21st. This version was revised after consultations between the composer, Gregory Rose and Simon Emmerson in April 1978.

The word 'Stimmung' has many meanings in its original German. Literally it means 'tuning', but can also indicate 'being in tune with', good or bad atmosphere, and so on. Die Stimme = voice. (Gregory Rose & Helen Ireland) Tracklisting:

1. warming up, leading to Model 1, Bass {3:03}

2. Mezzo. "Gott nochmal" -- Soprano 2. GROGORAGALLY: Sun god (Australian aboriginal) {1:31}

3. Soprano 2. "Vishnu" -- Baritone. ELYON: God of Storms (Hebrew) {0:52}

4. Soprano 1. -- Tenor. USI-AFU: God of the Earth (Timor, Indonesia) {1:18}

5. Baritone. "Saturday", "Saturnstag", "Samstag", "complement nous" -- Tenor. CHANG-TI: Director of the Cosmos (Chinese Buddhist) {1:05}

6. Tenor. {0:32}

7. Baritone. "Hallelujah" {0:28}

8. Soprano 1. -- Mezzo. UEUETEOTL: God of Fire (Aztec) {1:37}

9. Bass. "Phoenix" -- Tenor. USI-NENO: Sun god (Timor, Indonesia) {1:11}

10. Soprano 1. "Komit" (like screech owls) {1:10}

11. Bass. "moo", "moo-coo" (like cows), "Guru" (a dove) -- Baritone. AHURA-MAZDA: God of Wisdom (Persian) {1:08}

12. Tenor. {2:54}

13. Baritone. -- Soprano 2. ABASSI-ABUMO: Creator of Heaven (Ibi. Africa) {1:35}

14. Soprano 2. "hippy" -- Mezzo. CHALCHIHUITLICUE: Goddess of the Sea and Salt Water (Aztec) {1:22}

15. Mezzo. -- Soprano. WAKANTANKA: God of Thunder (Sioux Indian) {1:50}

16. Bass. {0:46}

17. Soprano 1. "The male is basically an anymale" {0:49}

18. Tenor. {1:44}

19. Bass. "Sontag", "Sunday" -- Soprano 1. DIONYSOS: God of Fertility and Wine (Greek) {1:08}

20. Soprano 2. {1:29}

21. Baritone. {0:36}

22. Mezzo. {1:10}

23. Baritone. {1:50}

24. Soprano 2. -- Soprano 1. VENUS: Goddess of Love (Roman) {1:15}

25. Mezzo. "Wotansday", "Mittwoch", "We(d)nesday" -- Baritone. YAH-WEH: God of Israel (Hebrew) {2:27}

26. Soprano 1. "Tuesday" -- Mezzo. QUETZALCOATL: God of gods (Aztec) {1:06}

27. Tenor. {0:59}

28. Bass. -- Soprano 2. MUNGANAGANA: God of wind (Australian aboriginal) {0:58}

29. Baritone. -- Mezzo. TLALOC: God of Rain (Aztec) {1:03}

30. Soprano 1. {0:55}

31. Mezzo. {0:51}

32. Baritone. {4:19}

33. Soprano 2. "Friday", 'Freitag" -- Baritone. OSIRIS: God of Fertility and Death (Egyptian) -- Tenor. ALLAH: Almighty Creator (Islamic) -- Soprano 1. RHEA: Mother of Zeus (Ancient Greek) {1:35}

34. Soprano 1. "Niemals" -- Tenor. "VISHNU: The Bringer of Good (Hindu) {0:51}

35. Bass. "Sehr hell", "Helena" -- Soprano 1. GAIA: Goddess of the Earth (Ancient Greek) {1:19}

36. Tenor. -- Mezzo. TETEOINNAN: Mother of the Gods (Aztec) {1:30}

37. Mezzo. -- Soprano 2. SUSSISTINAKO: God of Heaven (Sia, American Indian) {1:37}

38. Soprano 1. "Salemaleikum", "Salami-e", "Come-on" -- Bass. RANGI: God of Heaven (Maori, Polynesia) {1:39}

39. Mezzo. "Moonsday" -- Baritone. ATUM-RA: Goddess of the Sun (Ancient Egyptian) {0:55}

40. Baritone. {0:50}

41. Bass. "Thorstag", "Thursday", "Donnerstag"; "Freitag Samstag Sonntag Montag Dienstag Mittwoch Donnerstag" -- Soprano 2. YADILQIL: Heaven-Man (Navajo, American Indian) {1:01}

42. Baritone. "Nemesis", "Artemis" -- Tenor. VARUNA: God of Wisdom (Hindu) {0:59}

43. Tenor. neighing (like a horse) {0:39}

44. Bass. {2:37}

45. Soprano 2. {0:55}

46. Tenor. -- Soprano 1. CHRONOS: God of Time (Ancient Greek) -- Mezzo. CHICOMECOATL God of Food (Aztec) {1:20}

47. Soprano 1. -- Tenor. BUDDHA: The Enlightened One (Buddhist) {1:38}

48. Mezzo. "Maria" -- Bass. TANGAROA: Sun God (Maori, Polynesia) {1:26}

49. Tenor. {0:50}

50. Soprano 2. {0:58}

51. Tenor. {2:10}

(1) or (1)