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The Prizewinners of 2001
Burt Bacharach, Robert Moog
and
Karlheinz Stockhausen | ||
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| Burt Bacharach | Robert Moog | Karlheinz Stockhausen |
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Bacharach's songs, whilst being sophisticated and elegant, at the same time have an ingenious natural feel about them. During the past five decades, they have been performed and recorded in countless versions and in an incredible range of musical styles. A tremendous array of chart hits, gold and platinum discs, Grammy awards and Oscars comprise further proof of the long and successful career, both commercially and artistically, that Bacharach has enjoyed. Bacharach's most acclaimed songs are far too many to mention. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, I Say A Little Prayer, This Guy's In Love With You and Walk On By are just some golden examples. That's What Friends Are For, which was performed by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder in the 1980's, became the theme tune for the fight against AIDS. The line-up of the many illustrious performers who have recorded Bacharach songs also include Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Herb Albert, The Carpenters, Christopher Cross, Patti Labelle, Michael McDonald, Isaac Hayes, Rod Stewart, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, Perry Como, The Drifters, Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley and The Beatles, to name but a few. In addition to his exceptional success as a composer, Bacharach has been a trendsetter as a record producer and arranger, thanks to the acoustic images he paints with such proficiency. There can be no doubt that Burt Bacharach's creations have enriched the twentieth century and, by the same token, it is just as certain that his indisputable craftmanship will continue to inspire future generations. |
Robert Moog, born 1934, from the United States, became the leading figure in the development of the electrically-powered analogue synthesizer, which together with computerized music, constituted the most important innovation within musical technology in the second half of the twentieth century. During the pioneering days of electronic music from 1948 to 1965 electronic tones were generated primarily by laboratory instruments and equipment designed for radio and telephonic purposes. A studio built up in this way proved to be difficult to use, the equipment unwieldy and impracticable. Thus, by the beginning of the 1960's, the need for developing a specially designed machine or instrument became more and more apparent. Robert Moog, with the launching of his MiniMoog, moved the synthesizer from the laboratory into the musical arena. The MiniMoog boasted a compact design and a functional minimum of sound-generating devices controlled by a keyboard. The unit was built to be sturdy. At the same time, it could be moved and set up easily, just as any other musical instrument. This basic concept has continued to be an integral part of all later innovations, from the MiniMoog to today's sophisticated computer programmes for generating and working with sounds and musical tones. The MiniMoog had the added advantage of not requiring any special knowledge or expertise within the field of engineering or electronics and it could be played like any other instrument. The synthesizer paved the way towards new realms of sound and a new kind of structural thinking in the creation of music. It would soon revolutionize music in all its genres, from symphonic and chamber music to jazz, rock and rhythm & blues. |
Ever since his first compositions in the 1950's, Karlheinz Stockhausen, born 1928, from Germany, has stood at the forefront of musical development. Concurrently, he has regularly found himself in the midst of controversy. While no contemporary composer has generated as much heated discussion as he does, no one can deny Stockhausen's importance and pivotal role. Before embarking upon his public career, Karlheinz Stockhausen had completed thorough studies in piano and composition with, amongst others, Martin and Messiaen, as well as in languages and philosophy. He enthusiastically joined the group of young composers who felt that it was time to break with the Goebbels era and rediscover pre-1930 avantgardism and primarily the work of Webern. The result was serialism, which was introduced at the famous Darmstadt summer courses and the Donaueschingen festivals. From their inception Stockhausen was one of the leading personalities associated with these activities. At that time, Stockhausen became acquainted with Professor Werner Meyer-Eppler of the University of Bonn, a physicist who advocated using electronic equipment for generating music, in order to gain complete control of musical and acoustic parameters. These ideas led to the design of the first electronic musical studio at public broadcaster WDR in Cologne. Stockhausen's early development, with the advent of and even after serialism, can be assessed from his series Klavierstücke I - XI, composed between 1951 and 1957, and Gesang der Jünglinge, which he composed in 1957. The latter work first brought electronic music to the public eye and is still considered to be one of the masterpieces of its kind. At the start of the 1960's, Stockhausen turned his interest toward live electronics, with works ranging from Mikrophonie I, where a solitary tomtom provides the basic sound, to the magnificent Mixture, in which an entire symphony orchestra is connected to the electronic modification instruments. At the same time, he began exhibiting an interest in oriental philosophy and religion and became a pioneer of world music and the meditative form. This is best illustrated in Hymnen, a work of electronic music, based on songs and national anthems from around the globe. Since 1977, Stockhausen has been working on his soon to be completed, Licht-Oper, the greatest musical endeavour since Wagner’s Ring. In this venture, the days of the week are portrayed individually in varying lengths and with their own special combination of instruments. |
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Citations The prize committee´s citation for: | ||
| Burt Bacharach | Robert Moog | Karlheinz Stockhausen |
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The Polar Music Prize for 2001 is being awarded to the American composer, arranger, record producer and pianist, Burt Bacharach, one of the primary architects of contemporary music. Bacharach has been a principal player on the international music scene since his debut in the late 1950's, producing a host of timeless classics stemming from his infallible feeling for powerful, memorable and unmistakably personal melodies and for brilliantly designed harmony. |
Robert Moog is being awarded the Polar Music Prize for 2001 for his design of the MiniMoog, the first compact, easy-to-use synthesizer, which paved the way to the realm of electronic sounds that has revolutionised all genres of music during the past half-century. |
Karlheinz Stockhausen is being awarded the Polar Music Prize for 2001 for a career as a composer that has been characterized by impeccable integrity and never-ceasing creativity, and for having stood at the forefront of musical development for fifty years. |
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Burt Bacharach Web Site: studentweb.tulane.edu/~mark/ |
Robert Moog Web Site: www.moogmusic.com |
Karlheinz Stockhausen Web Site: www.stockhausen.org |
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Blasieholmstorg 8, SE-111 48 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN | Phone: +46 8 629 53 38 | E-mail: info@polarmusicprize.com | |
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