Bernhard Billeter Has Died
Pianist, organist, and musicologist Bernhard Billeter died on August 4 in Zurich at the age of 90.
Billeter, born in Zurich in 1936, was one of the defining figures of Swiss musical life. He taught piano at the Lucerne Conservatory and organ, fortepiano, clavichord, and performance practice at the Zurich Conservatory—now the Zurich University of the Arts—until his retirement in 2001. From 1984 to 1997, he was editor-in-chief of the Swiss Journal of Music Education, and subsequently a member of the editorial board of the Swiss Music Newspaper, where he represented the Swiss Association of Music Educators (SMPV). As the author of numerous books and essays—including works on Frank Martin, Paul Hindemith, and Olivier Messiaen—Billeter made significant contributions to music theory and music practice.
The obituary appeared on August 13 in the NZZ. A detailed obituary will follow later in a print edition of the Swiss Music Newspaper.
