In the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland only a few lines recall the Solothurn composer Alois Franz Peter Glutz von Blotzheim (1789-1827). But there are all kinds of anecdotes about the songwriter from Beethoven's time, who went blind as a child. This wealthy musician is said to have repeatedly distributed large quantities of porridge to needy fellow countrymen. The truth is that the patrician's son could afford to take a musically gifted blind guide with him on his forays from village to village. Ludwig Rotschi, the future music teacher at the college and music director in Solothurn, accompanied Alois Glutz for years, once as far as Schwyz, where the wandering musician died six months after Ludwig van Beethoven "in transit" (as the death register puts it). Rotschi notated the songs written and set to music by Glutz and also assisted the visually impaired composer with their publication.

These songs in a folk style, which can be compared with the contemporaneous new creations of the artist couple Gottlieb Jakob Kuhn and Ferdinand Fürchtegott Huber and which are sometimes reminiscent of a famous contemporary, Franz Schubert, live on in the collection In the Röseligarte (1908-1925), yes, even in school hymnals of our time. It is often forgotten that the folk song that is still popular today Early in the morning, before the sun rises goes back to Alois Glutz.

It is surprising that the work of the street musician with the guitar on his back and the flageolet in his bag, who was widely known during his lifetime and who also composed for flute, guitar and fortepiano, has only recently become available in a three-volume edition. Verena Bider, the outgoing director of the Solothurn Central Library, initiated the inventory of the songs and instrumental works. However, it is above all the versatile librarian Christoph Greuter who is to be thanked for the practical use of the booklets. As a lutenist trained at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, a professional guitarist and an experienced collaborator in music editions, Greuter is able to present a collection of all the discoverable works by Alois Glutz von Blotzheim.

The recently published music enriches the repertoire of Swiss folk songs and the literature for sophisticated amateur music-making. The songs and dances also invite musicologists to analyze and compare them. This new edition also points out missing parts and works and can be described as advanced preliminary work for a future complete edition. In the meantime, we can enjoy a treasure that has been freed from oblivion and remember a lovable Swiss musical personality of the Romantic period while playing and singing.

Alois Franz Peter Glutz von Blotzheim: Lieder und Instrumentalmusik, edited by Christoph Greuter, (Musik aus der Zentralbibliothek Solothurn, Heft 9), Heft I: M&S 2399, Heft II: M&S 2451,Heft III: M&S 2452, Fr. 32.00 each, Müller & Schade, Bern 2017

Yi-Chang Liang won the prize of CHF 12,000 with his interpretation of Toshio Hosokawa's composition "Sorrow River" for recorder and string orchestra. Born in Taiwan in 1992, the recorder player studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory and at the Bern University of the Arts in the class of Michael Form.

He has already performed as a soloist with various ensembles, including La Cetra Barockorchester Basel and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Maurice Steger. He won 2nd prize at the Moeck/SRP Solo Recorder Playing Competition in 2011. In 2016 he played the world premiere of the commissioned work "Ten Dipoles".

The two violinists Mateusz Kasprzak-Labudzinski and Daniele D'Andria (violin classes of Monika Urbaniak and Bartlomiej Niziol) as well as Yan Yao (accordion class of Teodoro Anzellotti) and Mami Miyamoto (clarinet class of Ernesto Molinari) also successfully completed their Master's degree in Specialized Music Performance Classical Music.

On the Julier Pass, Russian photographer Alex Plotnikov shows portraits of young Russian dancers in historic St. Petersburg interiors. At the Hotel Löwe, a series of life-size cardboard figures refer to the illustrious guests of the venerable post hotel. In Riom, the castle opens its doors and hosts the costume exhibition "Noah's New Clothes", an installation by Martin Leuthold with music by Lorenz Dangel. In the "Cabinet of Visions" in the gymnasium of the Riom school building, development projects and future prospects for Riom are presented.

The Wakker Prize is awarded to the Graubünden cultural institution "for its exemplary approach to the existing building culture" in the mountain village of Riom. Origen also presented the Malancuneia project: Four vacant buildings are to be restored and given a new lease of life. The abandoned parish hall is to become the festival center, while the historic Frisch House will accommodate staff and guests. Workshops will be set up in a vacant, modern barn, costumes will be sewn and local sheep's wool will be processed. The school building will become an education center and will be available for international collaborations, master classes and contemporary theater creations.

The necessary investment in infrastructure for the project amounts to CHF 7.6 million. Origen wants to finance as many construction measures as possible by the time the Wakker Prize is awarded in August 2018. Corresponding supporters, patrons and sponsors will be listed on a plaque at the community center. The government of the canton of Graubünden has promised the foundation around one million francs if Origen succeeds in raising the remaining funds. The municipality of Surses is contributing by granting building rights.

The term "positive economy" refers to models and considerations on how artists and designers bundle their various opportunities into suitable entrepreneurial arrangements. As in the previous reports, information on the number of employees and company size in the submarkets is presented, supplemented by maps on the regional concentration of the industry in Switzerland. 

The report aims to contribute to the understanding of new business models. It deals with issues surrounding digitalization and examines how this influences the business models of artists and designers. According to Christoph Weckerle, co-author of the study and Director of the Department of Cultural Analysis and Mediation at ZHdK, it becomes clear that business models in the creative economies hardly separate creation and production processes and thus differ from "conventional" entrepreneurial models.

Embedded in the report are portraits of players in cultural professions worldwide: based on over 120 interviews, they provide an insight into various artistic lifeworlds and their entrepreneurial strategies. The report can be ordered online and is now available for download in English. French and German versions will also be available to download from fall 2018.

Order at www.creativeeconomies.com

The three will each receive prize money of CHF 10,000 and a scholarship in the form of participation in the Lucerne Festival Academy worth a further CHF 10,000. The Lucerne Festival Academy Fund of the Friends of Lucerne Festival Foundation will also receive an extraordinary donation of CHF 500,000 from Renate and Fritz Gerber in 2018.

Born in Madrid in 1989, saxophonist Sara Zazo Romero completed her Master's degree in Pédagogie Instrumentale at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne in 2017, having previously completed her Master's degree in Interprétation musicale there.

French violinist Alexandre Guy was born in La Rochelle in 1995. He completed a Master of Arts in Music Performance at the Haute École de Musique de Genève. With the Meteorôs Quintet, founded in 2016, he won first prize at the Norwegian Academy of Music's chamber music competition in Oslo in 2017 and 2018.

Swiss percussionist Thomas Soldati was born in Vercorin in 1996. He is currently studying at the Haute École de Musique de Genève and has taken part in masterclasses with composer and marimba player Keiko Abe and percussionist Peter Sadlo, among others.

The "Fritz Gerber Award" was announced for the fourth time via the Lucerne Festival Academy. In addition to the musicians' applications to the open call, recommendations from universities and well-known artists were also accepted. This year's jury once again consisted of Michael Haefliger, Director of the Lucerne Festival, composer and conductor Heinz Holliger and lecturers from the Academy's Teaching Faculty. Young artists up to the age of 28 who have Swiss citizenship or have lived in Switzerland for at least five years are eligible to take part in the award.

The first "Music Summit" in the editorial offices of the Berlin Tagesspiegel, a meeting of representatives of the music industry and politicians, was a position-taking event. Music industry associations, creatives and political players discussed the future viability of the music industry in times of digitalization and bureaucratization. Copyright and music promotion were important topics. There were no simple answers.

Photo: Tagesspiegel Verlag

Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters

In her opening speech, Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters spoke out against the degradation of music as a commodity. Music is a cultural asset, an expression of creativity and a measure of a society's capacity for innovation. She emphasized the responsibility of creatives and the entire music industry because music has a social value that goes beyond its economic value. In this context, she welcomed the end of the "Echo" music prize, as the ringing tills could not be the measure of prize-worthiness. Brutalization must not become socially acceptable and compatible with the schoolyard.

The minister also sees the danger of musical diversity shrinking to easily consumable mainstream music. Studies show that in times of click culture, music as such is changing. The first 30 seconds of playback time count, which is why musicians put the catchy bits before the chorus, take less time and dare to experiment less. Her company has set up support programs for music genres that oppose the logic of the click economy. Creativity, originality and diversity should have a chance on the music market.

With regard to copyright and IT platforms, Monika Grütters emphasized that conflicts of interest between users, authors, the IT sector and the music industry are normal and that the interests within the groups are not homogeneous. Compromises had to be found. Their position: platforms should not have the opportunity to impose their business models at the expense of creators. At the same time, creatives do not want to do without platforms as a distribution channel and public relations tool. We need to regulate without destroying and are on the right path.
 

Photo: Tagesspiegel Verlag

Christiane Wirtz, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Justice

Christiane Wirtz, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Justice, signaled an ability to compromise and emphasized the successes that had already been achieved for rights holders thanks to European copyright law. At the same time, the presence and availability of music had grown enormously. The legal framework posed fewer questions than the implementation. How to get a grip on regulation so that authors can participate fairly in value creation? Her position: strengthen authors, maintain platforms. Streaming is now the predominant medium for music consumption and the entire world repertoire of music is available. Gema, the Society for Musical Performing and Mechanical Reproduction Rights, has large additional revenues. However, the regulatory challenges are not streaming providers such as Spotify, but hybrids such as YouTube, where users upload content themselves. Users do not want to give up this practice. Should the platforms be liable under copyright law for the content? That would lead to their closure. One option would be upload filters or the provision of metadata by rights holders in order to check licenses. However, SMEs and small platforms in the European single market should have a fair chance and be exempt from the high license fees - a way to promote innovation in Europe.

In the subsequent opinions expressed by stakeholders on the regulation of online platforms, the tenor was clear: European regulations are needed to prevent the so-called value gap, i.e. that authors are disproportionately disadvantaged in the creation of musical value. Florian Drücke, Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of the German Music Industry Association (Bundesverband Musikindustrie e.V.), opposed compromises in dealing with platforms and called for the EU Copyright Directive to be used as a lever in the digital single market to oblige platforms to license. Germany must position itself for a functioning cultural and creative industry! He appealed to MEPs to make decisions in line with the "Make the Internet fair for creators" initiative. Specifically, it must be made clear that "user-uploaded content" platforms such as YouTube "are involved in the reproduction and making available of our works in the sense of copyright law". It should therefore be ensured that regulations on the exclusion of liability ("safe harbor") do not apply to such platforms, as these regulations are intended for purely technical intermediaries.

Micki Meuser, film composer, music producer, bassist, from the Professional Association for Media Musicians and board member of the German Composers' Association, spoke clearly from the heart of the authors. Piracy had robbed musicians of their livelihood. Powerful global structures were cashing in on artists' work. The artists manufactured products and the proceeds ended up in IT. He called on European legislators to enforce a licensing obligation for every type of use of the works. In response to the proposal to exempt SMEs and start-ups below a certain size from royalty payments, he replied that it was unacceptable for composers and artists to finance start-ups by foregoing their remuneration. The promotion of start-ups was a matter for the state and not for creative people! The demand for compliance with copyright law is not an obstacle to the economy. It is business!
 

Many requests were also made to politicians regarding the promotion of music, starting with the strengthening of music lessons including active music-making in pre-school and school institutions (four hours per week), which Udo Dahmen, Artistic Director and Managing Director of the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg and Vice President of the Deutscher Musikrat e.V., presented, through to the demand for subsidies for concert tours abroad.

There was a consensus that art can only be free if artists are able to make a living from their work.

The keyword "basic income for artists" came up, but was not discussed. Musicians must be enabled to think administratively and economically; this should be part of their training. It is unacceptable that musical training institutes are leading their cohorts into poverty in old age. Further demands: Development of tailor-made funding instruments for the self-employed and SMEs at state level to supplement federal funding; promotion of the club landscape by expanding programmes in rural areas as well; grants to promote mobility and internationalization in order to open up new markets and expand international competitiveness; Protection of cultural spaces with regard to noise emissions in accordance with the principle that new buildings should provide their own noise protection; establishment and expansion of programs to promote technological and digital skills; recognition of the importance of music technology innovations; live music and club life should become part of urban development policy.

It became clear that although the federal structure of the Federal Republic of Germany provides many funding instruments, it leads to a lack of competence and confusion in programs at federal, state and municipal level.

Representatives from 15 associations came to this music summit and compiled their list of demands. However, the political experts were only present as speakers, if at all, and not as listeners. In the Bundestag, the CSU is in the process of chaoticizing the country, said Renate Künast, member of the Bundestag for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, in the Davoneilen. The politicians returned from the music summit to the Bundestag with grave fears. This shows how fragile agreements and framework conditions are in the present day. The political maneuvering of a minister can jeopardize stability in Germany and the EU, and we don't even want to think about the consequences.

Nevertheless, the certainty about the future viability of the music industry had climbed one point higher at the end of the day than at the beginning. This showed that musicians are true optimists.
 

Today's national anthem of Lesotho is based on a sequence of notes that the Basel music teacher Ferdinand Samuel Laur (1791-1854) wrote down in Basel almost 200 years ago. It is a run-of-the-mill melody of the kind produced by dozens of choral conductors at the time: catchy and triumphant, but also harmless and interchangeable. The song spread as a school, drinking and patriotic song with varying lyrics, first in Switzerland and then in France.

Matthias Schmidt, head of the Department of Musicology, and his assistant Andreas Baumgartner are interested in how this ordinary piece of music was able to become an important piece of national identity much later. They researched Lesotho's archives and documented how local choirs sang different versions of Laur's piece of music. "The intensity of the singing was impressive, because music is still very present in everyday life in Lesotho today," the researchers summarize their impressions.

More info (with videos): 
https://www.unibas.ch/de/Aktuell/News/Uni-Research/Lesothos-Nationalhymne-wurde-in-Basel-komponiert.html

The picture shows the Basel musicologists Matthias Schmidt and Andreas Baumgartner (outside) with the Lesotho choir "Black is Beautiful" (Lehlonolo Kele, Lebohang Ntloi, Katleho Tlali, Mathebe Kopo and Alain Amstutz from Swiss TPH).

The building will be erected as a "music box" close to the city center, on Sankt-Karli-Strasse directly on the Reuss. The canton had acquired the plot for the realization of the then planned "Spange Nord" project, but decided against it and sold the plot to Urban Frye 15 years ago. He wanted to build a residential building for young families, but had to abandon his plans as the canton now wants to build a four-lane highway bridge over the Reuss directly across the property. The earliest start of construction of the bridge is 2032.

Frye therefore changed its plans and is now constructing a temporary wooden building for young music students. The five-storey wooden building will have 23 studio apartments with their own kitchen and bathroom - five of which are specially equipped for the disabled. The rental costs will be between 750 and 850 francs and include the use of the communal and rehearsal rooms, which offer space for chamber music formations and jazz combos, as well as all the technical equipment.

One rehearsal room and the entrance lobby will be equipped with a grand piano. Students will also have access to a small mobile stage, a drum set, guitar and bass amplifiers and a small vocal system. The large rehearsal room also offers the opportunity for sound recordings. The entire building will be handicapped-accessible and equipped with a high-performance WLAN, and the individual accommodation units will also have their own Internet connection.

In a letter dated July 12, 1791, Mozart asks his friend and choir director Anton Stoll to send him the sheet music for two works that they had previously performed together in the church in Baden. He took great pains to embed the request in a typically Mozartian web of jokes.

Mozart had performed one of his masses together with Stoll in Baden on July 10, 1791 (presumably the Mass K. 275). Mozart left his original score to his friend, but asked him in this letter to send him the specially prepared parts so that he could also perform the work in Vienna. The fact that Mozart also performed a work by Michael Haydn in the last year of his life is evidence of his lasting esteem for his former Salzburg colleague.

On the second page is a letter from Mozart's pupil and assistant Franz Xaver Süssmayr, which also refers to the return of the aforementioned sheet music. However, Mozart also wrote this text himself, imitating Sussmayr's handwriting.

The Mozarteum Foundation is gradually making its historical holdings freely accessible online. The newly acquired letter will also be available digitally online via the Bibliotheca Mozartiana website (http://digibib.mozarteum.at).

The award-winning Raphael Honegger studied orchestral conducting at the ZHdK under Johannes Schlaefli and physics at the ETH Zurich.

The Orchester vom See forms a bridge for young professional musicians and music students from their music studies to membership of one of the major orchestras (including the Tonhalle Zurich, Philharmonia Zurich, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) or to a career as a soloist. It performs challenging works from the baroque, classical, romantic and modern periods as well as works by the Wädenswil organist Fritz Stüssi (1874 - 1923).

Young professional musicians or music students under the age of 30, with at least a Bachelor's degree, who would like to play in the Orchester vom See from the November 2018 project can apply by July 5, 2018 with a detailed CV by e-mail:  us@orchestervomsee.ch
Addendum September 13, 2023: The orchestra is now called the Zurich Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra: https://www.zuercherkammerphilharmonie.ch/orchester

It is managed by Dominic Limburg.

Urban Mäder has been committed to the entire spectrum of new and experimental music for decades. He explores the boundaries of sound, tone, rhythm and space and thinks critically about social contexts. As an "outstanding mediator and sought-after educator", he knows how to open up musical, literary and artistic worlds to students and experienced musicians, writes the city.

Urban Mäder is co-founder and president of the "Forum Neue Musik Luzern" and is very well networked both nationally and internationally and is always in demand for the development of new compositions and concepts. He lives with his family in the city of Lucerne.

According to the city's press release, Martin Gössi is representative of Lucerne's subculture and the associated institutions and projects. He was caretaker of the municipal music center Sedel and is the singer of the Moped Lads, but also a graphic artist, poster designer and illustrator. As an organizer, he repeatedly brings punk legends to Sedel for a concert. The recognition prize is endowed with 10,000 francs.

For over thirty years, the International Culture Exchange in Freiburg has been based on a simple idea: "We invite organizers, producers and event professionals to Freiburg and give them the opportunity to view a large number of different productions and artists live in a concentrated form over a few days. At the same time, we enable artists, or the agencies representing them, to present themselves and their work to a professional audience via a stand in the exhibition hall, independently of a live performance." (Source: www.kulturboerse-freiburg.de, retrieved on 11.6.2018).

The next Kulturbörse will take place from January 20 to 23 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Performance artists can apply for live performances (theater, variety, cabaret, jazz, pop & rock, world music, dance) as well as agencies, service providers, associations and trade media for the trade fair. This is rounded off by a supporting program with special exhibitions and information events.
The Fondation Suisa and Pro Helvetia invite Swiss players to present themselves at the Swiss joint stand. The stand costs will be covered. The registration deadline is June 30.

Further information and link to registration:
www.fondation-suisa.ch/de/messen-events-im-ausland/internationale-kulturboerse-freiburg-ikf
 

17 applications were received in the music category. The winners are: Kali (Urs Müller, Raphael Loher, Nicolas Stocker, album 2019 and release tour, CHF 20,000), Hanreti (Timo Keller, Rees Coray, Mario Hänni, Jeremy Sigrist, album "Heading your Way" and showcases, CHF 20,000) and Fischermanns Orchestra by Thomas Reist and Simon Petermann (CD production, film and tour, CHF 20,000).

According to the canton, cuts in cultural funding in 2018 can be offset thanks to a temporary solution with funds from the proceeds of the supplementary lottery and one-off contributions from the "Verein zur Förderung der Freien Kulturszene Luzern (FFK)". This will enable a second round of calls for proposals in 2018 in the fields of music, theater/dance as well as for work contributions in the liberal arts and applied arts: illustration and animation.

The contributions from the music tender can be awarded to publications from January 2019 as well as the associated expenses for promotion and distribution. A total of CHF 60,000 is available for this purpose.

The projects of Brigitta Luisa Merki, artistic director of tanz&kunst Königsfelden, are complex because they stimulate and challenge all the senses of those involved on stage and the audience in the Königsfelden Windisch monastery church. This year's 70-minute performance required a stage set, choreography, lighting design, music and texts: Everything was developed by pupils under the expert supervision of professional artists and rehearsed until it was ready for performance.

This time, three 5th graders from Angelrain Lenzburg elementary school enjoyed the event. Two years ago, school leavers were also involved, children and young adults met. This time, it was exclusively eleven to twelve-year-olds, who performed with enthusiasm and eagerness, without any adolescent inhibitions, in a relaxed yet highly concentrated manner. The density of the choreography only became apparent during the song sung from 72 children's throats. Thereʼs a Place I Found aware of how young they still are.

December 2017 marked the start of the project, which was integrated into the regular school day. At the performances, the audience experienced a veritable fairytale land: video projections based on drawings and collages created with the children evoked a magical world. The live music was individually and enthusiastically incorporated into the contemporary dance and hip-hop, which was performed with astonishing confidence by various groups in alternation or even in small solo performances.

One of the goals Merki pursues with her projects is worth considering: "I'm interested in the fact that the children are dealing with artists, people who lead a different life, who function differently." So it's not "just" about encouraging children's creativity, but about understanding other ways of life that are dedicated to creative processes.
 

The children approached the "head over landscapes" dancing, reciting or singing and playing. At the beginning, a white feather-light cloth billowed on the floor, under which four girls hid, only to appear through openings like nymphs. There was a palpable ice age, the playing area was completely immersed in blue, the spherical music of composer Christoph Huber (sax, piano, effects), singer and cellist Corinne Huber and percussionist Julian Häusermann underscored the scenario. For the children, this initially meant moving in slow motion.

Video interludes (visual art: Eliane Zgraggen, Karl Egli, Doris Haller, Regina Bänziger) and hip-hop interventions (production: Patrick Grigo) quickly melted the ice. "Kopfüberland" was reached, where dance scenes, gymnastics acrobatics (contemporary dance: Teresa Rotemberg, Lucia Baumgartner) or - particularly touching - a musical sequence delighted the audience. Children sat on stools and used ukuleles to create a carpet of sound for the grooving Christoph Huber on saxophone. The performance was light and airy, with trees painted by the children hanging in the church sky.

"The headland is an island of chocolate trees, people eat absorbent cotton and sunbeams, and they drink the moonlight." This is how one of the children poetically defined the enchanted place in the monastery church. For another, Kopfüberwelt is "a chill island, the inhabitants are chilled, their language is chilled, they chill on clouds". Writer Andreas Neeser created these witty texts with the children in a workshop at the Literaturhaus Lenzburg.

Merki designed the performance as an escalation run, so that only at the end did everyone stand on stage together. She comments on the development process: "I supervise and observe the young people in all the workshops and develop the dramaturgical concept during this time. I create dance images in which the rehearsed dance variations and the creative elements of the young people are incorporated. At the same time, the musical composition is created during this time."

Upside down functions as teamwork in which everyone is valued and given a role. Especially with fifth graders, where the intellectual and creative level is still very heterogeneous, this is as much a challenge as it is a pleasure for everyone to see what has been achieved. Listening to and looking at each other is a must for the children, and they did this well. And the audience also felt like they were in a midsummer night's dream, where some things went topsy-turvy!
 

Noble is convinced that Mozart did not indulge in alcohol excessively, as later biographers have suggested. Assumptions about alcoholism in the case of Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Brahms or Beethoven are similarly unfounded.

The only source for the claim that Ravel suffered from syphilis was merely the report of a nurse who claimed to have had access to Ravel's blood tests three years after the composer's death. Claims that Britten had syphilis were also made up out of thin air. Medical records available to Noble, on the other hand, showed that Britten had suffered from a heart valve problem.

Original article:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/05/17/mozart-not-alcoholic-british-surgeon-claims