Gehlhaar, Rolf (Rainer)

Gehlhaar, Rolf (Rainer), German-born American composer; b. Breslau, Dec. 30, 1943. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1953 and in 1958 became a naturalized American citizen. He took courses in philosophy, science, and music at Yale Univ. (B.A., 1965) and in music at the Univ. of Calif, at Berkeley (1965–67). From 1967 to 1970 he was the personal assistant to Stockhausen. In 1976 he settled in London. He founded the electronic music studio at Dartington Coll. in 1976, and that same year he served as director of the composition course in Darmstadt. In 1977 he was composer-in-residence at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music in Sydney. In 1978 he returned as director of the composition course in Darmstadt. He worked at IRCAM in Paris in 1979. In 1981 he worked there again and created the first composition utilizing digitally generated “3-dimensional” sounds, Pas à pas…music for ears in motion. In 1984 he commenced research on a computer-controlled interactive musical environment which resulted in his Sound=Space series. In 1995 he opened the Sound=Space Centre in London, the first permanent installation devoted to his creative workshops.

Works

CHAMBER: Cello Solo (1966); Klavierstiick 1–1 for Piano (1967); Helix for Quintet (1967); Klavierstuck 2–2 for 2 Pianos (1970); Wege for Amplified Piano and 2 Strings (1971); Musi-Ken for String Quartet (1972); Spektra for 4 Trumpets and 4 Trombones (1974); Linear A for Marimbaphone (1978); Camera oscura for Brass Quintet (1978); Strangeness, Charm, and Colour for Piano and 3 Brass (1978); Fluid for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1980); Pixels for 8 Instruments (1981); Nairi for Amplified Violin or Viola (1983); Suite for Piano (1990); Grand Unified Theory of Every thing (GUTE) for Flute, Bass Clarinet, Alto Clarinet, and Piano (1992); Angaghoutiun for Piano Quartet (1994); Amor for Flute (1994); Quantum Leap for Piano (1994). M i x e d M e d i a : Der, die oder das Klavier for Piano and Film (1967); Sound-Space, interactive musical environment (1985); Copernic Opera for 15 Dancers in a Sound=Space (1986); Eichung for 3 Instruments in a Sound=Space (1986); Sudden Adventures for 2 Dancers in a Sound=Space (1988); Head Pieces for 2 Heads in a Sound=Space (1988). ELECTRONIC : Beck-enstiick for 6 Amplified Cymbals (1969); Cybernet I and II, interactive electronic environment (1971); Solipse for Cello and Tape Delay (1974); 5 Deutsche Tänze for Tape (1975); Rondell for Trombone and Tape Delay (1975); Polymorph for Bass Clarinet or Clarinet and Tape Delay (1978); Sub Rosa for Tape (1980); Pas à pas…music for ears in motion for Live Electronics (1981); Infra for 10 Amplified Instruments (1985); Origo for 5 Amplified Instruments (1987); Diagonal Flying for Keyboards and Electronics (1989); Strange Attractor for Computer-controlled Piano (1991); Chronik for 2 Pianos, 2 Percussionists, and Electronics (1991); Maree for 6 Percussionists and Live Electronics (1991); Cusps, Swallowtails, and Butterflies for Tape, Amplified Cymbals, and Live Electronics (1992). ORCH.: Phase for Orch. (1972); Protoypen for 4 Orch. Groups (1973); Resonanzen for 8 Orch. Groups (1976); Lamina for Trombone and Orch. (1977); Tokamak for Piano and Orch. (1982; rev. 1988). VOCAL: Liebeslied for Alto and Orch. (1974); Isotrope for Chorus (1977); Particles for Soprano, Chamber Orch., and Electronics (1977–78); Worldline for 4 Voices and Live Electronics (1980); Das Madchen aus der Feme for Soprano, Flute, and Piano (1983).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire