Pousseur, Henri (
b Malmédy, Belg., 1929). Belg. composer. Taught mus. at Brussels sch. 1950–60. Until 1959 worked in EMS in Cologne and Milan where he was influenced by Webern, Boulez, Stockhausen, and Berio. Comp. his first elec. work in Cologne, 1954. Founder, 1958, and dir. Studio de Musique Electronique, Brussels. Has written many articles on contemp. mus. and trans. Berg's writings into Fr. Taught at Darmstadt summer courses 1957–67. Prof. of mus., State Univ. of NY at Buffalo, 1966–9. Prof. of comp., Liège Cons., from 1970 (dir. from 1975). Teacher at Liège Univ. 1983–7. Works incl.:OPERAS:
Votre Faust (1961–7);
Die Erprobung des Petrus Hebraïcus (1974);
Leçons d'enfer (1989–91).ORCH.:
Symphonies for 15 instrs. (1955);
Phonèmes Couleurs croisées (1967);
Les Ephémérides d'Icare II (1970);
Icare apprenti (1970);
L'Effacement du Prince Igor (1971);
Le seconde apothéose de Rameau, chamber orch. (1981);
Nuits des Nuits (1985).CHAMBER MUSIC:
Quintet in mem. Anton Webern (1955);
Répons (1960, re-composed 1965);
Ode, str. qt. (1960–1);
Madrigal II, fl., vn., viola da gamba, cembalo;
Madrigal III, cl., vn., vc., 2 perc., pf. (1962);
Echoes I, vc. (1967).VOICE(S) & INSTR(S).:
Miroir de votre Faust, pf., sop. ad lib. (1964–5);
Mnemosyne 1, monody for v. or instr. or ch. (1968);
Echoes II de votre Faust, mez., fl., vc., pf. (1969);
Chronique berlinoise, bar., pf. quintet (1976);
Chronique illustrée, bar., orch. (1976);
Humeurs du futur quotidien, reciter, orch. (1978);
Tales and Songs from the Bible of Hell, vv., tape, and live elec. (1979);
Agonie, elec. vv. (1981);
La Rose des voix, v., ch., narr., instr. (1982);
La Passion selon guignol, vocal qt., orch. (1982);
Traverser la Forêt, narr., 2 vocal soloists, ch., 12 instr. (1987);
Déclaration d'Oranges, narr., 2 vocal soloists, orch., tape (1989).ELECTRONIC & TAPE:
Seismogrammes (1953);
Scambi (1957);
Rimes pour différentes sources sonores (1958–9);
3 Visages de Liège (1961).PIANO(S):
Mobile, 2 pf. (1956–8);
Caractères (1961);
Apostrophes et 6 Réflexions (1964–6).
