Rozalie Hirs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rozalie Hirs
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Katrien Rozalie Hirs |
| Born | 7 April 1965 Gouda, Netherlands |
| Genres | Contemporary classical, experimental poetry |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, poet |
| Instruments | voice, piano. Composer for: orchestra, ensemble, electroacoustic, spoken voice, vocal |
| Years active | 1997–present |
Rozalie Hirs (born April 7, 1965) is a Dutch composer of modern classical music and a poet. Her work explores how we listen, read, and imagine things. She creates music and poems that invite you to think differently about sounds and words.
Contents
About Rozalie Hirs
Rozalie Hirs started playing piano at age twelve and singing at seventeen. She went to school in Germany and the Netherlands. She studied chemical engineering at the University of Twente and finished her degree in 1990. During her science studies, she sang in operas and played in a new wave band called Boolean. Later, she focused on classical singing.
Music Studies
From 1991 to 1998, Hirs studied music composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. She learned from famous composers like Louis Andriessen. She earned a Master of Music degree there.
She continued her music studies in New York at Columbia University from 1999 to 2002. She studied with the French composer Tristan Murail. In 2007, she earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree. She also took courses in computer music.
Sharing Her Knowledge
Rozalie Hirs has taught music composition at several schools. She taught at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 2017, she was a visiting professor at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. She also taught creative writing workshops.
Rozalie Hirs's Music
Rozalie Hirs is a very active composer. She has worked with many famous groups. These include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klangforum Wien.
Musical Ideas and Sounds
Hirs's music often uses scientific ideas. She explores how sounds affect our ears and how sound waves work. She also uses mathematical ideas in her compositions. But even with these complex ideas, her main goal is always about the listening experience. Her music is often called "spectral." This means it focuses on the different parts of a sound.
Her music shows a deep love for sound and detailed structures. It also has a classic style, like the "Hague School" of music. Listeners don't need to understand the math behind her music. They can simply enjoy the beautiful sounds and poetry.
For example, in her piece In LA, she uses the "Cocktail party effect." This is how our brains can focus on one voice in a noisy room. In Book of Mirrors and Roseherte, she explores how we hear "combination tones." These are extra sounds our ears create when we hear certain notes together.
Using Microtones
Most music uses 12 notes in an octave, like on a piano. This is called "equal temperament." But Rozalie Hirs likes to use even more notes. She composes music using a wide range of frequencies. This means she uses notes that are "in between" the usual notes. These are called Microtones.
She often writes her music using quarter tones. These are notes that are halfway between the usual notes. Sometimes, she even adds tiny adjustments to notes. Her electronic sounds help musicians play these very precise pitches. The electronic sounds are part of the music. They also guide the musicians on how to play the notes perfectly.
Musical Works List
Rozalie Hirs has created many different types of musical pieces.
Orchestral Music
- Book of mirrors, for chamber orchestra (2001)
- Platonic ID, for chamber orchestra (2005–06)
- Roseherte, for symphony orchestra, electronic sounds (2007–08)
- Ain, silabar ain, for jazz orchestra (2013)
- Lichtende Drift, for string orchestra (2014)
- Atlantis ampersand, for chamber orchestra, choir, electronic sounds (2015)
- The honeycomb conjecture, for large ensemble, electronic sounds (2015)
- lightclouds, for large ensemble, electronic sounds (2019)
- avatar, for orchestra (2022)
- bron, for symphony orchestra (2023)
Ensemble Music
- Sacro Monte, for ensemble (1997)
- a-book-of-light, for ensemble, electronic sounds (2003)
- Little whale and the ice, for ensemble (2010)
- Venus [evening star] [invisible] [morning star], for percussion sextet, electronic sounds (2010)
- Zenit [north] [east] [south] [west], for string quartet (2010)
- Arbre généalogique, for soprano, ensemble, electronic sounds (2011)
- Nadir, for string quartet, electronic sounds (2014)
- parallel world [breathing], for ensemble, electronic sounds (2017)
- parallel sea [to the lighthouse], for ensemble, electronic sounds (2018)
- dreams of airs, for voice, ensemble, electronic sounds (2017–18)
- hand in hand, for soprano, string quartet (2020)
- artemis, for soprano, ensemble, electronic sounds (2022)
- adonis blue, for string quartet (2023)
- charms, symmetries, for ensemble (2024)
Chamber Music
- article 0 [transarctic buddha], for percussion solo (2000)
- article 1 to 3 [the] [aleph] [a], for piano solo (2003)
- article 4 [map butterfly], for violin solo (or viola solo) (2004)
- article 5 [dolphin, curved time], for soprano solo (2008)
- article 7 [ways to climb a mountain], for bass clarinet, electronic sounds (2012)
- article 6 [waves], for electric guitar, electronic sounds (2013)
- article 8 [infinity], for flute, electronic sounds (2014)
- Infinity Stairs, for flute, electric guitar, bass clarinet, electronic sounds (2014)
- On Tenderness, for piano & electronic sounds (2017)
- meditations, for piano & electronic sounds (2017)
- article 10 [prismes], for violoncello solo (2021)
- bee sage, for violoncello, contrabass clarinet (2023)
- codex lilium, for string trio (2025)
Music with Spoken Voice
- Slaaplied voor een duivel, for narrator & music box (1994)
- In LA, for six spoken voices or spoken voice & soundtrack (2003)
- A throwaway coincidence that determined everything, for spoken voice & soundtrack (2004)
- Klangtext, Textklang, for spoken voice & live electronics (2004)
- Van het wonder is word, for spoken voice & soundtrack (2005)
- Aan de zon, de wereld, for spoken voice & soundtrack (2006)
- Pulsars, movement IV, for spoken voice & soundtrack (2006–07)
- Vlinders, gras, for spoken voice quartet (2007)
- Poetry pieces I-III [heaven bleak] [dolphin] [family tree], for spoken voice & soundtrack (2008)
- Curved space, for spoken voice, ensemble & live electronics (2009)
- Bridge of Babel, for spoken voice & soundtrack (2009)
- Curvices, ten compositions and an interlude for sound app (2013)
- In state of [war], for twelve voices (2013)
- Tijd en sintel, for spoken voice, 31-tone organ & soundtrack (2016)
- dreams of airs, for voice, ensemble & soundtrack (2017–18)
- all that green and blue, for voice & soundtrack (2022)
Electronic Music
- For Morton Feldman, electroacoustic (2000)
- Geluksbrenger, electronic music for website (2008)
- Pulsars, movements I-III, V, electroacoustic (2007)
- Interlude for Curvices, electroacoustic (2013)
- Hilbert’s Hotel, 31-tone MIDI controlled player organ, electronic sounds (2015)
- Luisterhuis, electroacoustic composition for architectural installation/sculpture (2017)
- Ways of Space, quadrophonic electronic music composition for sound sculpture (2019)
Rozalie Hirs's Poetry
Rozalie Hirs's poetry often plays with sound and layers of meaning. This creates a "fluid" poetry. Readers can choose how they want to read and understand her poems. This idea of many reading possibilities is a special part of her poetry. It also connects to her music. In 2010, she released a CD called "Pulsars." On this CD, she explored using many languages and different meanings in her electronic music.
Early Poetry Books
Rozalie Hirs first shared her poetry in public in 1991. She won a prize and was invited to publish her work. Her first poetry book, Locus, came out in 1998. It was followed by Logos (2002) and Speling (Leeway, 2005). Her poems have appeared in many collections and magazines.
Locus (1998)
In Locus, Rozalie Hirs uses different characters or "masks." Her poems are like monologues from figures in Greek myths or philosophy. They also refer to films and plays. For example, a poem might refer to the movie Man Bites Dog. The book explores how we face unclear situations in the world.
Logos (2002)
Logos, Hirs's second poetry book, takes the reader on a journey through the human body. The book includes a drawing of the body by artist Noëlle von Eugen. This drawing helps readers navigate the poems. It's like the book itself is a body, and the poems are its parts. An online version of Logos was also created.
Speling (2005)
Speling shows how poetry creates its own rules. A key part of this collection is the long poem In LA. This poem is about music and memory. It uses a lot of empty space on the page. The way the words are placed makes the poem feel powerful. "LA" stands for Louis Andriessen, one of her teachers. The poem is a tribute to his words.
Later Poetry and Style
In her later books, Hirs continued to develop her unique writing style. These books include Geluksbrenger (Lucky Charm, 2008), gestamelde werken (work in stuttering, 2012), verdere bijzonderheden (further particulars, 2017), oneindige zin (infinite sense, 2021), ecologica (2023), and dagtekening van liefdesvormen (2024). She plays with many meanings and ways to read her poems. Her work has been translated into many languages.
Geluksbrenger (2008)
The poems in Geluksbrenger are built like "counterpoint" in music. Hirs seems to layer different poems on top of each other. She mixes them and lets them flow together.
gestamelde werken (2012)
Hirs aims for the highest points in her work. As a composer, her best poems "sing" and have a strong melody. She is like an artist who shows how her work was made. She writes sensitive poems that connect romantic ideas with mathematics.
verdere bijzonderheden (2017)
In this collection, Hirs celebrates life in a very sensory and musical way. Her voice is clear and modest. She uses the musicality and meaning of language. Her work explores the entire universe, or maybe even many universes at once.
oneindige zin (2021)
This poetry is full of feeling and seeks meaning. It can also be read as one long sentence without punctuation. Hirs's "infinite sense" connects to an endless existence. She captures parts of this flow in her poetry. She makes the heartbeat of language clear. She invites the reader to create an imaginary world with her.
ecologica (2023)
ecologica is one of her most daring and personal collections. The poet's voice is stronger than ever. Hirs has turned the urgent problem of climate change into a lyrical flow of words. She combines the magic of poetry with the sharp humor of protest. Her words are like music, flowing rhythmically.
Digital Poetry
Rozalie Hirs also creates digital poetry. She works with visual artists and designers. Examples include Logos online (2003) and Curvices app (2013).
Lucky charm online included poems, recordings, and music. It also had interactive poetry apps. These apps make the reading experience more visible. When you read, you make choices, even without realizing it. Digital poetry can show how you interact with the text. It can reveal how you recreate the text as you read.
Discography
- R. Hirs: Sacro Monte (CD single; 1999)
- R. Hirs: In LA (CD single; 2003)
- R. Hirs: Platonic ID (portrait CD; 2007)
- R. Hirs: Pulsars (portrait CD; 2010)
- R. Hirs: article 7 (2012), part of Ladder of Escape 11 (2014)
Personal Life
Since February 14, 2007, Rozalie Hirs has been married to the Dutch architect Machiel Spaan. They live in Amsterdam.
