Mauricio Kagel dies in Germany at 76.

[afterstasis]

Argentine-born composer Mauricio Kagel, whose experimental body of work also ranged into theater, has died in Germany, his publisher said Thursday. He was 76.

The C.F. Peters musical publishing house said Kagel died overnight in Cologne following a long illness, but did not give details on the cause of death.

Kagel was born in Buenos Aires on Dec. 24, 1931, into a Jewish family of German-Russian origin.

A self-taught composer who learned to play instruments including the piano, organ and cello, he studied literature and philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires and at age 18 became an adviser to an avant-garde group, Agrupacion Nueva Musica.

In 1955, he rose to become a director at the Argentine capital's Teatro Colon.

Two years later, he went on a student grant to Germany, where he settled — working in chamber and electronic music. His musical theater piece "Sur Scene" — first performed in 1960 — established a genre of "instrumental theater" that became a prominent part of his work.

Kagel was known for a humorous approach to art, with works such as "Fantasie fuer Orgel and Obligati," which included a toilet flush as an instrument.

Information on survivors and funeral arrangements was not immediately available.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9c-JhCTMY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVNvNbzcnQc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD-Rzmt9iTs

[afterstasis]

i'm really bummed about this. i was a pretty big fan.

[rhubarb doom]

Thank you for sharing the news as well as your appreciation for this artist. He lived to a fine old age and made such a contribution to the world of music. I was familiar with the name and know i'd heard his works somewhere before, but this is the first i could put a face to the music.

Pardon my ignorance if this is a ridiculous notion, but would Kagel be considered akin to someone like John Cage?

[afterstasis]

Thank you for sharing the news as well as your appreciation for this artist. He lived to a fine old age and made such a contribution to the world of music. I was familiar with the name and know i'd heard his works somewhere before, but this is the first i could put a face to the music.

Pardon my ignorance if this is a ridiculous notion, but would Kagel be considered akin to someone like John Cage?

they definitely had their similarities, particularly in their unusual approaches based on a pure love for "just sounds".
they also were similar in that they were able to find (and purposefully insert) humor and innocence in their music, despite cries from crybaby critics of their pretentiousness.