HaLaPhon & Luigi Nono

Principle

The HaLaPhon, developed by Hans Peter Haller at SWR in the 70s and 80s, is a device for spatialized performances of mixed music, and live electronics. The first version was a fully analog design, whereas the following ones used analog signal processing with digital control. The HaLaPhon principle is based on digitally controlled amplifiers (DCA), which are placed between a source signal and loudspeakers. It is thus a channel-based-panning paradigm. Source signals can be tape or microphones:

/images/spatial/halaphon/halaphon_GATE.png

DCA (called 'Gate') in the HaLaPhon.

Each DCA can be used with an individual characteristic curve for different applications:

/images/spatial/halaphon/halaphon_kennlinien.png

DCA: Different characteristic curves.

Quadraphonic Rotation

A simple example shows how the DCAs can be used to realize a rotation in a quadraphonic setup:

/images/spatial/halaphon/halaphon_circle.png

Circular movement with four speakers.

/images/spatial/halaphon/halaphon_4kanal.png

Quadraphonic setup with four DCAs.

Envelopes

The digital process control of the HaLaPhon generates control signals, referred to as envelopes by Haller. Envelopes are generated through LFOs with the following waveforms:

/images/spatial/halaphon/halaphon_huellkurven1.png

Circular movement with four speakers.

Envelopes for each loudspeaker gain are synchronized in the control unit, resulting in movement patterns. These can be stored on the device and triggered by the sound director or by signal analysis:

/images/spatial/halaphon/halaphon_programm1.png

Quadraphonic setup with four DCAs.

Prometeo

Haller worked with various composers at SWR. His work with Luigi Nono, especially the ambituous Prometeo, showed new ways of working with the live spatialization of mixed music. The HaLaPhon's source movements could be triggered and controlled by audio inputs, thus merging sound and space more directly.

Construction for 'Prometeo' in San Lorenzo (Venice).

Sketch of spatial sound movements in 'Prometeo'.

References

2018

Christoph von Blumröder. Zur bedeutung der elektronik in karlheinz stockhausens œuvre / the significance of electronics in karlheinz stockhausen's work. Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, 75(3):166–178, 2018.
[abstract▼] [details] [BibTeX▼]

Composing within the electronic medium, i. e. modifying sound with the help of electroacoustic apparatuses, has been an essential determinating factor in the musical work of Karlheinz Stockhausen, as a spectrum of electronic pieces from Studie I (1953) to Kontakte (1958-60), Mixtur (1964), Hymnen (1966-67), Oktophonie (1990/91), and Cosmic Pulses (2007) documents. The article considers this seemingly well-known fact from a revised musicological perspective. Considerations from a broader compositional-creative context that include both instrumental and vocal components lead to insights into the origins and history of some of Stockhausen's electronic projects that have found less attention until now.
```
@article{vonblumroeder2018zurbedeutung,
    author = "Blumröder, Christoph von",
    journal = "Archiv für Musikwissenschaft",
    number = "3",
    pages = "166–178",
    publisher = "Franz Steiner Verlag",
    title = "Zur Bedeutung der Elektronik in Karlheinz Stockhausens Œuvre / The Significance of Electronics in Karlheinz Stockhausen's Work",
    volume = "75",
    year = "2018"
}
```

2015

Martha Brech and Henrik von Coler. Aspects of space in Luigi Nono's Prometeo and the use of the Halaphon. In Martha Brech and Ralph Paland, editors, Compositions for Audible Space, Music and Sound Culture, pages 193–204. transctript, 2015.
[details] [BibTeX▼]

@incollection{vonColer2015aspects,
    author = "Brech, Martha and von Coler, Henrik",
    editor = "Brech, Martha and Paland, Ralph",
    booktitle = "Compositions for Audible Space",
    pages = "193--204",
    publisher = "transctript",
    series = "{Music and Sound Culture}",
    title = "Aspects of Space in {Luigi Nono's Prometeo} and the use of the {Halaphon}",
    year = "2015"
}

Michael Gurevich. Interacting with Cage: realising classic electronic works with contemporary technologies. Organised Sound, 20:290–299, 12 2015. doi:10.1017/S1355771815000217.
[details] [BibTeX▼]

@article{gurevich2015interacting,
    author = "Gurevich, Michael",
    doi = "10.1017/S1355771815000217",
    journal = "Organised Sound",
    month = "12",
    pages = "290--299",
    title = "Interacting with {Cage}: Realising classic electronic works with contemporary technologies",
    volume = "20",
    year = "2015"
}

2011

John Chowning. Turenas: the realization of a dream. In Proceedings of the 17th Journées d\rq Informatique Musicale. 2011.
[details] [BibTeX▼]

@inproceedings{chowning2011turenas,
    author = "Chowning, John",
    booktitle = "{Proceedings of the 17th Journ{\'e}es d{\rq}Informatique Musicale}",
    location = "Saint-Etienne, France",
    title = "Turenas: The Realization of a Dream",
    year = "2011"
}

2010

Peter Moormann. Raum-musik als kontaktzone. stockhausens hymnen bei der weltausstellung in osaka 1970. Paragrana, 19(2):33–43, 2010. URL: https://doi.org/10.1524/para.2010.0023, doi:doi:10.1524/para.2010.0023.
[details] [BibTeX▼]

@article{moormann2010raum,
    author = "Moormann, Peter",
    doi = "doi:10.1524/para.2010.0023",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1524/para.2010.0023",
    title = "Raum-Musik als Kontaktzone. Stockhausens Hymnen bei der Weltausstellung in Osaka 1970",
    journal = "Paragrana",
    number = "2",
    volume = "19",
    year = "2010",
    pages = "33--43"
}

2008

Marco Böhlandt. “kontakte” – reflexionen naturwissenschaftlich-technischer innovationsprozesse in der frühen elektronischen musik karlheinz stockhausens (1952–1960). Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte, 31(3):226–248, 2008.
[details] [BibTeX▼]

@article{boehlandt2008kontakte,
    author = "Böhlandt, Marco",
    title = "“Kontakte” – Reflexionen naturwissenschaftlich-technischer Innovationsprozesse in der frühen Elektronischen Musik Karlheinz Stockhausens (1952–1960)",
    journal = "Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte",
    volume = "31",
    number = "3",
    pages = "226-248",
    keywords = "Karlheinz Stockhausen, electroacoustic, sound research, composing, music aesthetics, music history, musicology, psychoacoustics, realisation technology, sound studio technology., Karlheinz Stockhausen, Elektroakustik, Klangforschung, Komposition, Musikästhetik, Musikgeschichte, Musikwissenschaft, Psychoakustik, Realisationstechnik, Tonstudiotechnik.",
    year = "2008"
}

Jonas Braasch, Nils Peters, and Daniel Valente. A loudspeaker-based projection technique for spatial music applications using virtual microphone control. Computer Music Journal, 32:55–71, 09 2008.
[details] [BibTeX▼]

@article{braasch2008aloudspeaker,
    author = "Braasch, Jonas and Peters, Nils and Valente, Daniel",
    year = "2008",
    month = "09",
    pages = "55-71",
    title = "A Loudspeaker-Based Projection Technique for Spatial Music Applications Using Virtual Microphone Control",
    volume = "32",
    journal = "Computer Music Journal"
}