For playing on the single-keyed transverse flute, the baroque recorder and the baroque oboe, Hotteterre's Principles is still of such fundamental importance that today's players cannot avoid studying this work and "integrating its basic concepts into their own work". The flutist and editor Karl Kaiser, who specializes in early music, notes this in the preface. Kaiser has translated the textbook anew in order to "convey Hotteterre's aims and also his specific orientation for today's musicians". However, he also points out that every musician must find their own artistic position. At the same time, he enriches the translation with numerous commentaries in which he provides detailed additions and explanations to the original text. Hotteterre himself wrote in the foreword that he wanted to smooth out the initial difficulties, "which are usually among the most difficult", and that his textbook could also be used for self-study.

The flautist divides his work on the basic concepts, the "Principes", into two "Traités" for transverse flute and recorder and concludes with a short "Méthode" for oboe. In the detailed traité on the transverse flute, Hotteterre first describes the posture (chapter I) in order to "combine beautiful grace with agility" and the embouchure (chapter II) and recommends practicing his advice in front of a mirror. In chapters III and IV he goes into the fingering of the transverse flute, first systematically explaining the "natural notes" without accidentals and the trills on these notes and recommending a specific fingering for each fingering. In chapters V and VI he proceeds in the same way with the raised and lowered notes and adds special fingerings in chapter VII. At the end of the textbook there are clear tables of fingerings in today's notation and with all the variations described in the text. In chapters VIII and IX, Hotteterre devotes himself to articulation and ornamentation, which in his opinion are "absolutely necessary for the perfection of playing". Of course, the aspects dealt with here, such as inegale playing and ornaments like battements, flattements etc., are also important for other instruments. Hotteterre dealt specifically with inegale playing in 1719 in his second textbook L`Art de Préluderwhich has already been published by the same publishing house in a new translation by Dagmar Wilgo (EW 815; cf. Review by Matthias Arter SMZ 6/2012 S. 30). The "Traité pour la flûte à bec" is much shorter and only gives brief instructions on posture and finger position, and the "Méthode" for oboe is also only a few pages long, which may have something to do with the fact that Hotteterre was mainly a flautist.

In the end, the question arises as to why this textbook is still overshadowed by the Try an instruction to play the flute traversiere by Johann Joachim Quantz from 1752, which described the aspects dealt with by Hotteterre and numerous other aspects in much greater detail, but largely adhered to his textbook in the structure of the basic chapters and mentioned it specifically in the "First Main Section".

Jacques Martin Hotteterre, Principes de la Flûte, annotated version from the French with introduction and summary as well as fingering charts for transverse flute, recorder and oboe by Karl Kaiser, EW 924, € 24.50, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg 2014-06-12

In his trio collection, Florian Bramböck publishes a combination of arrangements of well-known titles and original compositions, a variety of musical styles from all over the world. These include, for example, an Alpine folk song, Schlager, Scottish traditionals as well as South American and African melodies. With the Scottish folk songs Danny Boy and My Bonnie lies over the ocean catchy Celtic melodies are heard, the latter of which is charmingly arranged in waltz style with an added introduction. With the swing song With me you are beautiful Bramböck skillfully arranges a number one hit from the thirties for flute trio. As an introduction to Afro-Latin jazz, the booklet offers swinging grooves from cha-cha to boogaloo. Exotic may be the Danse marocain with its unusual harmonies. The arrangement of Pata Pataa rhythmically pulsating hit by the singer Miriam Makeba. Bramböck makes an excursion into alpine folk music with the dance song The way to my dirndl is stoani.

The level of difficulty of the individual pieces varies from easy to moderately difficult, as some pieces present rhythmic challenges and the range goes up to g"'. All the pieces, which enrich the trio repertoire in a refreshing way, can also be played by the choir in ensemble formation.

Florian Bramböck, Flute Trios from around the world, for three flutes, score and parts, UE 35 579, € 19.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2013

Snapping, patting, hitting, stamping, rubbing hands, clapping. On and with your own body. This is called body percussion and has been en vogue in school music in recent years - at any level, whether kindergarten, primary or secondary school. It is easy to learn because there are no prerequisites and the result is motivating for the pupils. "Simple" also in the sense that the instrument, the body, is always involved. The body percussion patterns, on the other hand, can be complex. Polyphonic arrangements with intricate movement sequences are something that teachers also have to practise before they can get a group grooving. On the other hand, rhythm lessons can start at a simple level and yet quickly lead to a sense of achievement. And it corresponds to children's and young people's need for movement.

At the beginning of BodyGroove are warm-ups, simple and energetic. Up and down and left and right - let's clap the same speed. The pulse is and remains fundamental. Rhythms are only added once this is running on its own, until the whole body becomes the drums. The next step is melodies and lyrics, which in turn support and illustrate the rhythms. This shows the proximity of body percussion to rap and beatboxing. The lyrics of the arrangements could be a bit more sophisticated, more interesting: "This is my chair, yes this is my chair" - that seems a bit staid, a bit tidy.

Demonstrate - imitate, that is the most natural teaching method here. But not only that. The "Tips for development" provide information on how this pattern can be varied and expanded. For example, a pupil can be the game leader. Or the pupils can invent their own body percussion patterns. The performance pieces presented on the DVD, like the circle games, canons and rhythmicals, show how it could be done. A great variety of sounds becomes visible, which are created by the different clapping techniques alone. Let us play the groove!

From "easy" to "medium" to "challenging": Maurizio Trové's book has a straightforward didactic structure. The first part introduces binary and ternary rhythms as well as basic rhythmic patterns and clapping combinations. The basic pulse in the feet, rhythms in the hands, accentuations, sound extensions through various clapping techniques, beat shifts, combinations of 8, 6 and 4-beat rhythms, polyrhythms. The exercises become increasingly complex and challenging. Train both sides of the brain! Head, hands and feet are equally challenged. So practicing is the order of the day - but not only that: the "group games" loosen things up and open up the space for improvising and interacting. It's fun, relax! But now it really starts. The clapping rhythms are distributed over the body, chest, thigh and cheek beats are heard, and the variety of sounds creates a lively rhythm that encourages dancing. The video clips show this clearly and concisely. However, they could be a little longer so that the reader has the opportunity to practise the rhythms together with the clips. A loop function that repeats the patterns endlessly would be helpful. Also missing is the count-in function so that you can start correctly.

The Latin grooves and the pop/rock grooves in the third part are arranged in such a way that they are suitable for class music-making or can accompany choral pieces rhythmically and percussively. Here and in the arrangements in the second part, you can see what body percussion is capable of: discovering the sounds of your own body with verve and imagination. The book provides many ideas for this.

Richard Filz and Ulrich Moritz, BodyGroove, Bodypercussion for children and young people aged 9-13, HI-S6903, with DVD (video and audio), Fr. 38.90, Helbling, Bern et al. 2013, ISBN 978-3-86227-102-3

Maurizio Trové, Bodypercussion - Mein Instrument, 111 p., with DVD, € 28.50, Academia-Verlag, St. Augustin 2014, ISBN 978-3-89665-627-8

Hermann Suter is nothing like an old acquaintance. He was active in Switzerland, conducting the Basler Gesangsverein, the Basler Liedertafel and the symphonic concert series of the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft. In addition to his many conducting engagements, to which he added the directorship of the Basel Music School and the Basel Conservatory from 1918-1921, he only produced a small compositional oeuvre. If anyone knows Suter, it probably goes back to his encounter with the oratorio Le laudi di S Francesco d'Assisi (1925) and the violin concerto op. 23 (1924) dedicated to the violinist Adolf Busch.

The three string quartets published in the Musiques Suisses series now provide a beautiful insight into the chamber music and the composer's career. Suter composed his first quartet in D major in 1901, his second in C sharp minor in 1910 and the last, so-called "Blackbird Calls" quartet op. 20 in G major in 1918. None of the three are progressive. Points of reference are primarily Johannes Brahms, on a second level Richard Wagner alongside Max Reger and on a third level the influence of Beethoven, whom Suter always admired, is palpable. The quartets are not as deeply enigmatic as Beethoven's late works. But they do contain surprises. Even in the first - particularly clearly at the beginning of the second movement "Moderato, con svogliatezza" - there are unusual twists and turns that cannot be explained by the German reference points.

At least a certain independence is noticeable. In the third string quartet, it turns into a somewhat disconcerting obstinacy. Shortly after the end of the First World War, Suter retreats, as booklet author Georg-Albrecht Eckle rightly puts it, "almost childlike into the idyll that he revives in a cheerfully melancholy, extremely detached three-movement quartet".

In addition to such historical "transverse positions", there are also some intonational slants. Since the Beethoven Quartet are seasoned professionals, the microtonal enrichments are probably due to time constraints during the recording. Despite some reservations: The CD remains an eloquent treasure trove for a Swiss music history that has yet to be written.

In Switzerland, Tobias Jundt once successfully wrote songs for himself and other pop singers, as well as music for jazz bands, string quartets and orchestras. Nevertheless, he moved to Berlin in 2008 because in Switzerland you can only survive with mainstream pop music or in heavily subsidized genres such as jazz or classical music. However, he wanted to write songs in a niche area that were not played on mainstream radio and therefore demanded a "much larger playing field". He has succeeded in doing this from Berlin: he performs with his band Bonaparte even in faraway countries such as China, and his new album is even being released in the USA.

It is no coincidence that the fourth Bonaparte album is self-titled, as Tobias Jundt is looking for new artistic paths and a more independent expression. He has obviously realized that the hectic, garish party sound of the last few albums suits his wild shows, but otherwise wears out quickly. On Bonaparte his electro-pop still mostly sounds edgy, rough and excited. However, there are also quieter and more complex songs on it that you can also enjoy listening to at home.

This has a lot to do with the lyrics. Jundt rarely plays around with words, but rather muses more often, as in Me So Selfie, which addresses the compulsion to present oneself. Outstanding is the thoughtful Song Into The Wildfor which an impressive video clip can be found on the Bonaparte website. According to Jundt, there will be such a video clip for eight of the new songs, which comes very close to his aim of creating a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk. The artistic reorientation is also evident live. At a concert in Zurich, Bonaparte focused less on the show and more on the music with a smaller line-up, which nevertheless went down well with the audience.

Bonaparte: 'Bonaparte', Warner Music. www.bonaparte.cc

Matthew Gee particularly impressed the jury with "Solo for Trombone and Orchestra" by Luciano Berio (2000), writes the BUA. Matthjis Broersma, Monika Cekala, Miriam Prandi (cello) and pianist Arturs Cinguievs also successfully completed their Master's degree in Specialized Music Performance.

The Tschumi Prize, which is awarded annually for the best soloist examination at the Bern University of the Arts, is worth CHF 12,000.

Last March, the university's own orchestra had already accompanied the Master Specialized Performance students Monika Gajdos (flute), Esra Kerber (viola) and the Tschumi Prize winner Matthew Gee, trombone.

Around 60 highly talented young music artists from America, Germany, Georgia, Israel, Romania, Russia, Taiwan, Urkaine and Switzerland will meet this year for the master classes at the Music Island Rheinau. Workshops are held in addition to individual lessons. The team of instructors under the direction of Youth Classics Founder Philip A. Draganov is made up of Jens-Peter Maintz, Igor Ozim, Nora Chastain, Jose G. Flores, Louise Hopkins, Tamara Kordzadze, Tim Kliphuis and Volker Jacobsen.

Concert series
The masterclasses include public concerts that prepare the young talents for examinations and competitions. This year's gala concert at the Tonhalle Zurich will take place on July 22. On July 20, a Sunday matinée with brunch will be held directly on the Rheinau Music Island and on July 18 and 19, two further concerts will be held in the Rathauslaube in Schaffhausen.

Last year, after much deliberation, the municipal council decided to close the Palace cinema in summer 2014 and subsequently consulted the users on the renovation. In particular, the visibility and acoustics in the auditorium are to be improved and the technology renewed.

The costs for the renovation are estimated at around CHF 5 million, with around half of this amount to be covered by contributions from the lottery fund and third parties. The renovation is scheduled for 2016.

The Spectacles français Foundation, which already organizes the guest performance season at the Palace, is to take over the operation and rental of the Palace. The Palace is to be rented out to event organizers and private individuals on attractive terms. The Palace Hall, with its 580 seats in the immediate vicinity of Biel/Bienne railroad station and in the middle of the language border, is of great importance for the region. It complements the municipal theater and completes the city's infrastructure for the performing arts.

The Demotape Clinic is the biggest competition for up-and-coming Swiss musicians. For the 16th edition, newcomers from all over Switzerland submitted 825 songs from the pop, rock, urban and electronic categories. A jury listened to all the songs and presented the best ones at the m4music festival on March 28 and 29. Industry professionals commented on the tracks publicly in front of the festival audience and gave the bands tips.

The most exciting demos, including the winners of the Fondation Suisa Awards, are brought together for the ninth time on a CD compilation. With Somnambulant Cannibal the deathcore band Conjonctive from Nyon won the main prize "Demo of the Year 2014".

The CD The Best of Demotape Clinic 2014 offers a unique insight into the work of up-and-coming Swiss pop music artists. The CD will be distributed to decision-makers in the Swiss music scene. At www.demotapeclinic.ch the compilation can be listened to as a stream and, while stocks last, ordered as a CD free of charge.

From 2016, the city is to spend CHF 20.83 million per year on the institutions jointly financed with the canton and regional municipalities in the area of the Presidential Directorate; the majority of this will go to Konzert Theater Bern. This amount includes an increase of around CHF 500,000 in total, spread across the eight institutions.

In future, CHF 6.27 million is to be spent on the eleven new institutions subsidized exclusively by the city; this includes a gross subsidy increase of CHF 316,000.

Finally, the credits for direct promotion (project contributions, cultural exchange, investment contributions and others) are to be significantly increased, namely by around CHF 670,000. This is not least in response to a long-standing request from the City Council to increase the proportion of direct funding in the total volume.

Overall, the planned increases amount to 4.7 percent; the premiums for multi-year contracts remain constant over the entire term.

The consultation on the four-year plan will last until the end of August 2014. The new service contracts should be submitted to the municipal council as early as December 2014. The corresponding credit decisions by the city council are planned for March 2015, the referendum on June 14, 2015.

More info: Consultation draft
 

The company is demanding that the cultural and audiovisual sectors be excluded from the negotiations. In Europe, culture is also a public good, the protection of which is mandated in Germany by the Basic Law, the state constitutions, the European treaties and, last but not least, a UNESCO convention.

The Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft is also opposed to the introduction of an investor-state dispute settlement procedure, including the possibility of recourse to private arbitration tribunals. Both the EU and the USA have some of the most highly developed judicial systems in the world.

The Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft is convinced that the fundamental importance and dimension of the social areas covered by the free trade agreement require maximum transparency with the substantial involvement of national politics and civil society. This means that the conduct of negotiations and voting on them should not only be in the hands of the EU. National parliaments should also have a say.

Gross tariff income amounted to CHF 47,557,035 (+8.35%) in 2013. The organization has 12,585 members and clients (+11.32%) and supported cultural and social projects worth CHF 4,388,982 in the reporting year. Administrative expenses amounted to 8.40 % (2012: 8.28 %). The organization had an average of 18.83 employees (previous year: 18.58) in 15.43 full-time positions (previous year: 15.55).

2,749,329 broadcast events (previous year 2,712,972) with 166,471 recordings in the audio sector (previous year 168,780) and 53,824 evaluated broadcast events (previous year 73,921) with 4,688 works in the audiovisual sector (previous year 4,730) were evaluated.

Substitute elections for various committees also took place at the delegates' meeting. Jörg Glauner (Warner Music) was elected to the Phonographic Producers specialist group, Rolf Simmen was elected to the Board of Trustees as a representative of the performers, and Peter Frei (previously), Marco Zanotta (previously) and Maurizio Dottore (new) were elected to the Board of Trustees of the Phonographic Producers Foundation.

Swissperform is the collecting society for ancillary copyrights (also known as related rights) in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein and is subject to state supervision. The society asserts the claims of holders of neighbouring rights against users arising from secondary uses of their performances. Its next Assembly of Delegates will take place on June 16, 2015 in Zurich.
 

According to the official press release, Steineggerr intends to continue the long-established company under the new name Krompholz Musik AG. The new location at Effingerstrasse 53 in Bern will offer acoustic and electronic keyboard and string instruments as well as sheet music from October 1, 2014.

The staff at the Krompholz piano workshop will continue to service and repair the instruments. However, the sale of string instruments will be discontinued in future.

The sale of the activities of Musikhaus Krompholz will lead to a special write-down of around one million francs on the inventory. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

According to Suisa, the Swiss Cooperative Society of Authors and Publishers of Music, income from the exploitation of copyrights in Switzerland and abroad rose by 3% to CHF 135.7 million in 2013 (previous year: CHF 131.7 million). Total sales including ancillary revenues amounted to CHF 144.9 million in 2013, which corresponds to an increase of 2.7% compared to the previous year (CHF 141 million). With administrative expenses of CHF 26.9 million, the average cost deduction amounted to 12.47%.

The online growth shows that Suisa is also playing an increasingly important role for authors and publishers of music in this market, writes the cooperative. In addition to the existing agreements with market-leading providers such as Spotify, iTunes and YouTube, more will be added this year. Suisa agreed international licenses with online providers for the first time last year.
The Internet music services thus receive a direct license for use outside Switzerland.

However, income from the online business cannot compensate for the continuing decline in the production of sound recordings. According to Suisa, income from blank media royalties is lagging behind the market trend. Although this income did not decline for the first time in many years (4.1
million francs). Due to a pending decision by the Federal Administrative Court, no compensation for smartphones could be invoiced for private copying.

Suisa was able to record significantly higher income from the concert sector (performance rights) last year. In 2013, this area grew by 11% to CHF 47.2 million (previous year: CHF 42.5 million). However, broadcasting rights again accounted for the largest share of revenue in 2013 with income of CHF 60.8 million.

In place of Jean-Michel Valet, who is stepping down from the Board after seven years, the Annual General Meeting elected Christian Fighera, co-director of the Lausanne-based company Two Gentlemen, to the Board.

The following were honored Stomp is backa rhythmic, musical theater of the curative education school, Stiftung Schürmatt, Zetzwil, The secret of the seven pearlsa music project by the Dolenzelg Windisch elementary school, a Christmas musical by the Merenschwand upper school and a production of Bastien and Bastienne by the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau. There was also a prize for animated films from Untersiggenthal elementary school.

Every year, "outstanding art and cultural projects are honored as part of Funkenflug. Projects that have been realized with innovative artistic approaches and demonstrate what new approaches in cultural education make possible".

The winners will each receive prize money of CHF 5000. Further projects may be published by the jury as special practical examples. The prizes will be presented to the schools at a public awards ceremony.

More info:
https://www.ag.ch/de/bks/kultur/kulturvermittlung/kultur_macht_schule_1/funkenflug/funkenflug.jsp