Furthering the Death of Classical Music

Karlheinz Stockhausen, whose electronic works made him one of the most important composers of the postwar era, has died at age 79. His avant-garde style made him world-renowned.

Stockhausen was considered by some an eccentric member of the European musical elite and by others a courageous pioneer in the field of new music. Rock and pop musicians such as John Lennon, Frank Zappa and David Bowie have cited him as an influence, and he is also credited with having influenced techno music.

Stockhausen sparked controversy in 2001, when he described the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States as "the greatest work of art one can imagine" during a news conference in the northern German city of Hamburg, where several of the suicide pilots had lived. The composer later apologized, but the city still canceled performances of his concerts.

Stockhausen's life ended on an innovative Andalusian cadence.

[Yahoo! News]