Process in the aesthetical and theoretical thought of Karlheinz Stockhausen

Abstract

Process is the key aspect of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (1928–2007) musical discourse. In this paper, I aim to present the composer’s understanding of the word process and mark the place that this word has in the aesthetical and theoretical thought of said composer. The basis for this research is literature and other sources in which process is explained as the recurrent theme when discussing the composer and his music. Hence, the first part of the paper will deal with the definition of the theoretical positioning of this phenomenon. The second part of the paper will deal with the explanation of process-music, a term that includes not only Stockhausen’s music, but also the music of other composers. Lastly, in the light of the main subject of this paper, a review of the composition Prozession (1967) will be central to the third part of this paper.