Delz Christoph
(03. 01. 1950 - 13. 09. 1993)
Delz Christoph
Gotthelfstr. 9
CH-4054 Basel (BS)
Schweiz
Tel: +41 (0)61 302 92 22
www.delz.ch/de/delz/
Gotthelfstr. 9
CH-4054 Basel (BS)
Schweiz
Tel: +41 (0)61 302 92 22
www.delz.ch/de/delz/
Genre: Classical Music
Biography
* 03. 01. 1950, † 13. 09. 1993.
Born in Basel, Christoph Delz received his teachers and piano diploma for concert before his undergraduate education at the Humanities College. Between 1974 and 1989 he lived in Cologne where he studied piano under Aloys Kontarsky, composition under Karlheinz Stockhausen, electronic composition under Hans Ulrich Humpert and conducting under Volker Wangenheim, he graduated in 1981. He studied composition further under Henri Pousseur in Lüttich. From 1989 until his death Delz lived as a freelance composer in Riehen, Basel. Besides his activities as a pianist performing his own works he also performed, often in world premiere performances, the music of numerous other contemporary composers, as well as being committed to the more standard repertoire of Schumann, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Debussy and Schoenberg. From his eighteen years of compositional output Delz left behind a relatively small oeuvre where works for choir and piano concertos take precedence. Having always been interested in heterogeneity and the inclusion of stylistic quotes and the more distressing fragments from daily life, Delz stressed these moments in his final work 'Istanbul' such that decay and decomposition become the guiding principle in the compositional process. His illness due to AIDS is not so much a subjective element in the work, but becomes objectivised in a more ancestral spirit, hailing perhaps from the world of Constantinople / Istanbul; a spirit that is present in all religions and throughout all epochs, at once destroying and renewing.
Born in Basel, Christoph Delz received his teachers and piano diploma for concert before his undergraduate education at the Humanities College. Between 1974 and 1989 he lived in Cologne where he studied piano under Aloys Kontarsky, composition under Karlheinz Stockhausen, electronic composition under Hans Ulrich Humpert and conducting under Volker Wangenheim, he graduated in 1981. He studied composition further under Henri Pousseur in Lüttich. From 1989 until his death Delz lived as a freelance composer in Riehen, Basel. Besides his activities as a pianist performing his own works he also performed, often in world premiere performances, the music of numerous other contemporary composers, as well as being committed to the more standard repertoire of Schumann, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Debussy and Schoenberg. From his eighteen years of compositional output Delz left behind a relatively small oeuvre where works for choir and piano concertos take precedence. Having always been interested in heterogeneity and the inclusion of stylistic quotes and the more distressing fragments from daily life, Delz stressed these moments in his final work 'Istanbul' such that decay and decomposition become the guiding principle in the compositional process. His illness due to AIDS is not so much a subjective element in the work, but becomes objectivised in a more ancestral spirit, hailing perhaps from the world of Constantinople / Istanbul; a spirit that is present in all religions and throughout all epochs, at once destroying and renewing.
Work list
"Sils", op. 1 (1975)
Instrumentation: for piano
Duration: 12' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Piano quartet, op. 2 (1975-1976)
Duration: 12' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
"Siegel", op. 3 (1976)
Instrumentation: for wind ensemble, percussion and piano (pic.Ebcl.cl.bcl.cbn/tpt-d.tpt-c.tbn/4perc)
Inspired by the lectures of Albrecht Fabers ‘Laut- und Gebärdensprache bei Insekten’ (Phonetic and Gestural Language of Insects), Stuttgart, 1953.
Duration: 23' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
"Kölner Messe", (Mass of Cologne) op. 4 (1976)
Instrumentation: for electronic tape, mixed choir and boy's choir
Duration: 24' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
"Die Atmer der Lydia", (The Sighing of Lydia) Transcomposition for Orchestra, op. 5 (1979-1980)
Instrumentation: (2pic.2(afl).2.ca.Ebcl.2.bcl.2.cbn/4.2.2.0/6perc/12.12.8.8.4)
Duration: 24' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
"Im Dschungel. Ehrung für Rousseau den Zöllner" (In the jungle. Tribute to the Custom Officer Rousseau) op. 6 (1981-1982)
Instrumentation: for large orchestra (5(2afl, 3-5picc).3(obda).ca.3(2+3Ebcl).bcl.2.cbn/6(incl.2BbWtba+2Wtba-F).3.Ebbtpt.3.cbtba.3sax/hp/6perc/12.12.8.8.8(incl. 2 5-stringed db))
Duration: 30' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
String quartet, op. 7 (1982)
Duration: 13' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Arbeitslieder (work songs), op. 8 (1983-1984)
Instrumentation: for tenor, 4 falsetto basses, mixed choir, piano (with amplification) and wind quintet
Duration: 27' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
1st. Piano Concerto, op. 9 (1984-1985)
Instrumentation: (solo-pf; pic.3(3pic).2.ca.2.Ebcl.bcl.2.cbn/2.2.tpt-D.Ebbtpt.3(3.btbn).1/4perc/amppf.eorg/12.12.8.8.6(2 5-stringed db))
Duration: 24' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
"Solde. Lecture d'après Lautréamont", op. 10 (1985-1986)
Instrumentation: for solo voices, choir and percussion
Texts: Lautréamont
‘Solde. Lecture d’après Lautréamont’, op. 10a
‘Ausverkauf. Lesung nach Lautréamont’, op. 10b
Duration: 17' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
2 Nocturnes, op. 11 (1986)
Instrumentation: for piano and orchestra (2(2pic).2(2ca).2.2/2.0.0.0/str(or a simple score for wind), string quartet)
Free distribution of additional instruments such as: Electronic sirens, two pairs of claves, fixed crotal, guiro and temple block.
Sponsored by the SME Lucerne.
Duration: 15' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
"Jahreszeiten" (The Seasons), op. 12 (1988-1989)
Instrumentation: for piano and small orchestra (2(pic:bfl).3.(2ca.3heckelphone).3(2Ebcl.3Bcl+cbcl).1.cbn/2.2.2(1btbn).0/2-3perc/pf(a quarter-tone lower)pf.cel.3.3.3.1(5-strings))
Duration: 29' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Joyce-Fantasia, op. 13 (1990-1991)
Instrumentation: for soprano, choir, two pianos and an harmonium
Texts: James Joyce
op. 13a: Deutsche Fassung op. 13b: English version
Duration: 40' 00"
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
"Istanbul", op. 14 (1992-1993)
Instrumentation: for piano, soprano, bass, choir and orchestra (2 pic.2.2.aob.ca.2. Ebcl.bcl.2.cbn/4.2.2.0/2hp.baroquehp/4perc/str)
'Istanbul', six extracts for Soprano, Bass and a-cappella choir 'Istanbul', three extracts for piano or synthesizer.
edition gravis Musikverlag
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Wesselinger Str. 2-8
D-50321 Brühl
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)2232 96 930
Fax +49 (0)2232 96 93 66
info@editiongravis.de
www.editiongravis.de/
Discography
Christoph Delz - Franz Liszt (FONO Nr. FCD97 743, 1991)
With more works of: Franz Liszt
Interpreters:
Delz, ChristophWorks:
Delz, Christoph: 1. Klavierkonzert, op. 9 (1984-1985)With more works of: Franz Liszt
Christoph Delz (Grammont Porträt Nr. 18-2)
Delz, Christoph: Streichquartett, op. 7 (1982)
Delz, Christoph: Arbeitslieder, op. 8 (1983-1984)
Works:
Delz, Christoph: Klavierquartett, op. 2 (1975-1976)Delz, Christoph: Streichquartett, op. 7 (1982)
Delz, Christoph: Arbeitslieder, op. 8 (1983-1984)
Info: www.fonoteca.ch
Bibliography
Gartmann, Thomas: Re-komponierte Welten - Christoph Delz' "Siegel" op. 3 (1976), in: Entre Denges et Denezy...", Dokumente zur Schweizer Musikgeschichte 1900-2000, hrsg. von Ulrich Mosch, Mainz 2000, S. 311-318
Brotbeck, Roman: Zwischen Transkomposition und Zitat. Zum Komponieren von Christoph Delz, in: Christoph Delz (1950–1993), hrsg. von Udo Rauchfleisch, Bad Schwalbach 1998, S. 100–116
Sackmann, Dominik: "Am Ende von Sackgassen bedeutet das Einlegen des Rückwärtsganges eben nicht nur Regression.", in: Christoph Delz (1950-1993), edition gravis, Bad Schwalbach 1998, S. 122-139
Brotbeck, Roman: Musikliterarisches Konglomerat. "Instanbul" von Christoph Delz, in: Dissonanz, Nr. 49 (August 1996) 49 (1996), S. 33 [Internet]
Brotbeck, Roman: Zwischen Transkomposition und Zitat. Zum Komponieren von Christoph Delz, in: Dissonanz 48 (1995)
Gartmann, Thomas: Böser Umgang mit der Tradition. Im Gespräch mit Christoph Delz, in: MusikTexte 51 (1993), S. 15
Sackmann, Dominik: Artikel "Christoph Delz", in: Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz
Last updated: 2020-10-06 16:48:10