▼ Karlheinz Stockhausen (b.1928) is one of the most well-known and influential composers of the past fifty years. From his earliest music, dating from 1950, he has exploited the use of percussion and has, therefore, contributed immensely to the growth of the genre. Although much has been written about Stockhausen and his music, most of it is theoretical and/or biographical in nature. There has been relatively very little scholarship regarding the interpretation and performance practice of his music. This thesis is an in-depth study of Stockhausen's three percussion solos Zyklus (1959), Nasenflügeltanz (1983), and Komet (1999) from an interpretive standpoint. Each of these pieces presents unique interpretive problems that are manifest in indeterminate elements whose decisions profoundly affect the final realization. Stockhausen leaves these decisions to the discretion of the performer therefore giving him/her a large responsibility in matters such as form, aesthetic, and instrumentation. The Intention of this study is to create an interpretive guide to the aesthetic and technical demands that these works make on the performer and how to tackle these demands for the best possible interpretation. Advisors/Committee Members: Otte, Dr. Allen.