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German composer and avant-garde musician Karlheinz Stockhausen gives directions during a rehearsal for the performance of his composition 'Michaelion' in Kuerten near Cologne, Germany, 5 August 1998. A progressive composer Karlheinz Stockhausen has consistently ventured into unknown musical territory. He was fascinated by the new concept of "serialism" being pioneered by Webern, Messiaen, and Boulez. While studying with Messiaen in 1952, and meeting with Boulez around the same time, Stockhausen came into contact with early forms of electronic music. Stockhausen made electronic music the focus of his career and his favourite form of instrumentation. Notable achievements include the composition "Klavierstueck XI" which consists of 19 note groups which are meant to be played in any order that the pianist chooses, and "Mixtur", which melts the sounds of a conventional orchestra with the electronic melodies of ring modulators and a sine-wave generator. Years ahead of his time, Stockhausen set the stage for the rise of a whole floriculture of electronically based popular music. Among many other works, he composed and conducted "Lucifer's Farewell", "With Farewell", "Orchestra Finalists" and "Sunday from Light". He was born in Burg Moedrath in Germany, August 22, 1928. (KEYSTONE/EPA/Roland Scheidemann)