FW: Iannis Xenakis dead

Here is the news release as posted on "rec.music.classical.contemporary".
There was quite a bit of discussion of Xenakis on Usenet the past few weeks;
most of it was saying that he had Alzheimer's and had stopped composing a
few years ago. My own memories of his music are rather hazy. He was
certainly attuned to the Tetrachord and to Byzantine/Eastern Orthodox
ecclesiastical scales. There is a fairly large section in "Formalized Music"
on these subjects, and at one time he was probably the foremost authority on
them. I first discovered Xenakis about the same time I discovered Hiller,
Partch and Nikolais -- when I was an undergraduate (1959 - 1962). From the
dates given in the news release, he may have actually pre-dated Hiller in
algorithmic composition. In some sense, I think pure stochastic music is a
dead end, and it took someone of his stature to give it any viability.
Still, he was a genuine pioneer -- arrows in the back and all -- and he will
be remembered fondly by all who are interested in "new music".
--
Ed Borasky
http://www.aracnet.com/~znmeb
mailto:znmeb@aracnet.com

Q: What phrase will you never hear Candice Bergen use?
A: "My daddy didn't raise no dummies".

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: znmeb@aracnet.com [mailto:znmeb@aracnet.com]
> > Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2001 10:10 AM
> > To: znmeb@aracnet.com
> > Subject: (fwd) Re: Iannis Xenakis dead
> >
> >
> > From: "M. Edward Borasky" <znmeb@shell1.aracnet.com>
> > To: znmeb@aracnet.com
> > Subject: (fwd) Re: Iannis Xenakis dead
> > Organization: Aracnet Internet
> >
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> > Subject: Re: Iannis Xenakis dead
> > From: dsieber@medianet.one (Dave Sieber)
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> > Date: Sun, 04 Feb 2001 15:57:40 GMT
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> > Xref: typhoon.aracnet.com rec.music.classical.contemporary:19837
> >
> > Sunday February 4 9:54 AM ET
> > Musical Pioneer Yannis Xenakis Dies at Age of 78
> >
> > PARIS (Reuters) - Romanian-born French composer, architect and
> > mathematician Yannis Xenakis, who invented a new genre of music
> composed
> > with the aid of computers, died on Sunday aged 78.
> >
> > "France loses one of its most brilliant artists today," French
> President
> > Jacques Chirac said in a statement of condolence.
> >
> > Xenakis, born in Romania to a wealthy family of Greek origin, moved to
> > Greece in 1932 and subsequently fought with the Greek resistance during
> > World War Two, losing an eye in battle.
> >
> > Expelled by Greece in 1947 because of his political beliefs,
> > Xenakis moved
> > to Paris where he closely collaborated with modernist architect Le
> > Corbusier for the next 12 years.
> >
> > Parallel to this, he began studying composition at the Paris
> Conservatory
> > under illustrious composers including Olivier Messiaen and
> Darius Milhaud.
> >
> > Xenakis developed a new composing technique using computers and
> based on
> > the mathematical probability of the recurrence of notes and
> rhymes. This
> > yielded some of his breakthrough works, Metastasis in 1955 and
> > Achorripsis
> > in 1958.
> >
> > "By breaking free from the constraints of the classical norm, by
> > taking the
> > path of random music and by using the inputs of science, he
> > contributed to
> > the definition of a new area of freedom for musical art," Chirac said.
> >
> > Xenakis became a naturalized French citizen in 1965 and the
> > following year
> > set up the School of Mathematical and Automatic Music. He
> leaves behind a
> > wife and a daughter.
> >
> > -- end of forwarded message --
> >
> > --
> > znmeb@aracnet.com (M. Edward Borasky) http://www.aracnet.com/~znmeb
> >
> > What phrase will you *never* hear Miss Piggy use?
> > "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!"
> >
> >