Zyklus (Cycle)
by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Composed in 1959 for a competition at the Kranichsteiner Musikinstitut, Darmstadt, Zyklus (Cycle) is one of the foundational works of the solo percussion repertoire and a landmark of musical serialism and graphic notation. The score is written on a single spiral-bound page that the performer may begin at any point and read in either direction — the "cycle" of the title refers to this circular structure. The piece requires an enormous battery of instruments arrayed in a circle around the performer: vibraphone, marimba, gongs, tam-tam, cowbells, crotales, and various drums. The graphic score notation allows certain freedoms within strict proportional guidelines.
Editions
Universal Music Publishing
Stockhausen Verlag, 1960
Original publication; the single spiral-bound spiral score in Stockhausen's graphic notation. The definitive performance text.
Stockhausen Verlag
Karlheinz Stockhausen, 1993
Revised edition from the Stockhausen Complete Edition with additional performance notes by the composer.