Konrad Boehmer (24 May 1941 – 4 October 2014) was a German people-Netherlands composer, educator, and writer.
Life
Boehmer was born in
Berlin. A self-declared member of the
Darmstadt School, he studied composition in
Cologne with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Gottfried Michael Koenig. At the University of Cologne he studied
philosophy,
sociology, and
musicology, earning a PhD in 1966. Then he settled in
Amsterdam, working at Utrecht University's Institute for Sonology until 1968. In 1972, he became professor of music history and theory at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.
Musical style
His compositions characteristically employ
serialism organization or montage, sometimes with elements of
jazz and
rock music (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 commissioned Boehmer to write a composition for the rock band Sonic Youth, 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. He was taken to
Amsterdam, where he died on 4 October 2014.
Selected compositions
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Variation for chamber orchestra (1959–61)
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Position for electronic sounds, vocal sounds, and orchestra (1960–61)
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Zeitläufte for eight instruments (1962)
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Information (1964–65)
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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)
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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)
Cited sources
Further reading
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Boehmer, Konrad. 1967. Zur Theorie der offenen Form in der neuen Musik. Darmstadt: Edition Tonos. (Second edition 1988.)
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Boehmer, Konrad. 1970. Zwischen Reihe und Pop: Musik und Klassengesellschaft. J & V Musik. Vienna and Munich: Jugend und Volk.
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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. .
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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
