 He was educated at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and the University of Cologne , later studying with Olivier Messiaen in Paris and with Werner Meyer @-@ Eppler at the University of Bonn . One of the leading figures of the Darmstadt School , his compositions and theories were and remain widely influential , not only on composers of art music , but also on jazz and popular music . His works , composed over a period of nearly sixty years , eschew traditional forms . In addition to electronic music — both with and without live performers — they range from miniatures for musical boxes through works for solo instruments , songs , chamber music , choral and orchestral music , to a cycle of seven full @-@ length operas . His theoretical and other writings comprise ten large volumes . He received numerous prizes and distinctions for his compositions , recordings , and for the scores produced by his publishing company . 
