The following photo gallery complements the article by Brigitte Bachmann-Geiser Dulcimer in Switzerlandwho is in the Swiss Music Newspaper 5/2014 was published.

The pictures come from Brigitte Bachmann-Geiser's archive, which she has built up over 40 years of research. The images may not be copied. Anyone interested in individual illustrations should contact the owners of the pictures directly or contact contact@musikzeitung.ch turn.

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Since 1957, one canton or one school board around Lake Constance has organized the IMTA. Over 2000 schoolchildren, students and teachers from kindergarten to university from all areas of the canton of Thurgau will showcase their artistic creations in the fields of design/art, music, sport/dance and language/theatre on Wednesday, May 14, from 9 am.

The OC expects around 5000 visitors from the entire Lake Constance region. The public is cordially invited to all performances.

Detailed information and program at: www.imta-bodensee.com

The Swiss sextet Hildegard Lernt Fliegen beat the Dutch trio Tin Men and the Telephone in the final in Munich. In addition to the award, they will receive prize money of 10,000 euros; second place is endowed with 5,000 euros.

Four scholarships from the Friedl Wald Foundation, each worth CHF 14,000, will go to HKB Jazz students this year. The recipients are Marena Whitcher (vocals), Michael Haudenschild (piano), Benjamin Muralt (electric bass) and Valentin von Fischer (double bass).

"Die Entführung aus dem Serail" can currently be seen at the Stadttheater Biel and the Rythalle Solothurn. At the Birgitta Festival on August 14, 2014, the TOBS singers and the choir of the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn will present Mozart's masterpiece to Estonian audiences in the extraordinary atmosphere of the medieval Pirita Monastery in Tallinn.

TOBS will make another international guest appearance in the fall: As part of the Armel Opera Festival in Hungary, the opera "Figaro¿" by Christian Henking and Raphael Urweider, which premiered in Biel, will be performed at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem) in Budapest on October 10, 2014.

Bartolomeo Barbarino, whose exact life dates are not known, created sacred and secular vocal music at the transition from the 16th to the 17th century. The new edition of his motets published by Edition Walhall is an exceptional document of great interest to music history.

Barbarino was active both as a singer (he described his own voice as "hoarse and thin") and as a composer and was very fond of the innovations of recitar cantando, following Caccini.

In 1614 his Secondo libro delli motetti da cantarsi a una voce sola o in soprano o in tenore in Venice. In a dedication letter, Barbarino complains about singers who have "no experience in using the passages", and so he offers his monodies in two versions: simple and ornate. Each motet in the Secondo libro appears in two versions, worked out in detail by the composer himself. This special editorial feature gives us a concrete idea of how a melody was ornamented. Another special feature is the complete absence of any figuring of the basso continuo.
Barbarino always seeks an expressive interpretation of the text with his music, which he tries to express with the help of elements of figure theory, Lombard rhythms and chromatic movements in order to emphasize the pathos of particular words such as fear, misery, languishing or sweetness.

Although the collection was originally intended for soprano or tenor, mezzo-sopranos and baritones can rejoice: the monodies are all medium-range, without any notable top notes and are easy to sing even in the ornaments for a middle voice. However, if you want to follow the ornamented versions, you need a fairly familiar throat. The simple and ornamented versions are printed directly on top of each other so that you can jump between the two versions.

Bartolomeo Barbarino, Il secondo libro delli motetti, for soprano (mezzo) or tenor [c'-f''] & b. c., in two volumes edited by Jolando Scarpa; vol. 1, EW 891; vol. 2, EW 894; € 28.50 each, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg 2013

The 27 Bach transcriptions for classical guitar by Martin Hegel are a best-of collection with some of the old master's most famous melodies and pieces. This ranges from Air from the Suite No. 3 for orchestra up to the chorale prelude In dulci jubilo The focus is naturally on arrangements of movements for harpsichord (clavier) or other solo instruments. These include excerpts from the Goldberg Variations and the Well-tempered pianoas well as seven pieces from the music booklet for Anna Magdalena Bach. The cello suites and the sonatas and partitas for solo violin are also represented. The only pieces for lute or lute works are the catchy Bourrée in E minor from the first lute suite and the singular Prelude in D minor BWV 999 (originally in C minor) - both with remarkable fingerings.

Even the organ gets a chance: not only with the aforementioned chorale prelude suitable for the guitar, but also with the first three minutes of the mighty Toccata in D minor BWV 565, transposed to E minor. Transferring the numerous registers of the Queen of Instruments to the six strings of the guitar is a pretty bold undertaking in itself - especially with a piece whose original sound is so firmly anchored in the collective consciousness of music lovers that it is impossible to imagine playing or listening to it without it. But, according to the editor Martin Hegel, Bach's music "is so ingenious and clearly structured that it simply sounds good on any instrument".

Hegel's arrangements are lean, with plausible fingerings, almost no slurring and, in this respect, quite true to the style. Purists will be less interested in the booklet, but it has a lot to offer for unencumbered Bach fans who play the guitar. The edition is functional and carefully designed. A CD with recordings by the editor is available separately.

Bach for Guitar, 27 transcriptions for guitar arr. by Martin Hegel, ED 21601, € 14.99, Schott, Mainz 2013

The archive of Deutsche Grammophon (DG), which was taken over by Universal a long time ago, is inexhaustible. And these vast quantities of recordings seem to have survived the latest media change. Because now that the LP has been sidelined, the CD has its best days behind it and the DVD/Blu-ray generated only marginal shares in the music sector anyway, the synthetic, all-encompassing virtual formats are coming. And as with the CD, it is once again Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that is set to conquer the world of classical music as the measure of all things via app ...

At least that's how it seems once you've downloaded the "toy". There are four great recordings to choose from as a sounding history of interpretation: Fricsay (1958), Karajan (1963), Bernstein (1979, also as a video) and Gardiner (1992). You can zap back and forth, let a graphically animated action model of the orchestra flash, read along with the score (either a copyist's copy from 1825, the Bärenreiter edition that runs through without a page turner or a score generated from it).

So far so good, and after a phase of trial and error and some detailed studies, the app ends up in the corner after all. Why? For one thing, it is limited to a single work and is self-contained, does not allow you to make your own entries - and ultimately does not go into any depth. This is also due to the "story" told by David Owen Norris, both in terms of the background (graphically presented only as a "lead desert") and the explanations accompanying each bar of music, which oscillate between analysis and hermeneutics: "A moment of softness again: a look back ... and then head first ... before either going back to the starting line ... or on to the next exciting event." There is only room for one more saying: The layman is amazed, the expert is surprised.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony, App for iPad / iPhone (German version) by Touch Press LLP, Full Experience iPad Fr. 14.00; iPhone Fr. 6.00

Demo video

The chorale book was last shown at an exhibition at the Bach Festival in Weimar in 1964 and had been considered lost ever since. Herthum's chorale book contains works for keyboard instruments from the 18th century for cantorial use, including pieces by Georg Philipp Telemann.

During cataloging work at the Thuringian State Music Archive, a complete copy of the score of Bach's Christmas Oratorio was also discovered at the Weimar Academy of Music, which may be a manuscript previously only mentioned in old sales catalogs and which could come from the estate of the well-known Bach scholar Franz Hauser (1794-1870).
 

According to the team, the risk for musicians is 3.51 times higher than for the average person. Around three million reports were taken into account. Among those affected, 0.07 percent were professional musicians, a total of 2227 people.

It is the largest survey ever conducted on the subject. It makes it clear that the risks of musicians suffering from hearing loss or tinnitus are far higher than previously assumed.

Original article:
oem.bmj.com/content/early/2014/03/28/oemed-2014-102172.abstract?sid=71fe1a7f-873b-4abb-ab1c-a38473cc34b4

In view of the steady decline in income from recordings, the live business has become increasingly important for musicians. But no Swiss pop musician can make a living from concerts at home. Consequently, two panels at M4Music discussed whether Berlin could become a springboard for an international career.

Berlin has a pull effect, as Katja Lucker, Berlin's music commissioner, knows. The North German is also a newcomer. "Berlin is an incredibly diverse city where you can still live at prices that are okay," said Lucker in the introductory talk to the m4music panel Berlin - The new Swiss music capital?

Ueli Häfliger, Head of Music at FluxFM, explained that many years ago he had planned to become head of music at a Berlin radio station. "I emigrated for this dream." Even if that meant keeping his head above water with part-time jobs over a long period of time. And what did it take for him to realize his ambition? "A lot of drive," says the man from central Switzerland.

Tobias Jundt, singer of the Bonaparte collective, also praised the advantages of the German capital: "You can be internationally active in Berlin without ever leaving the city." But of course you have to make an effort to find your place in the metropolis. Jundt's method: he roamed Berlin in search of a place that appealed to him. No sooner said than done - and spontaneously rang the doorbell of his favorite house. And with success: the man from Bern was given a tenancy agreement.

Unlike Tobias Jundt, Eveline Fink, DJ and co-founder of Enough Music, is not yet able to make a living from her music business activities. "I was gripped by the lightness of the city," she enthuses, but also admits that at the beginning of her time in Berlin she had a lot of trouble with the harsh tone of the locals. "It's nice to know that Berlin can be pretty ugly," added Tobias Jundt.

Jazz musician Stefan Rusconi gave a very simple reason for his move to Berlin: "I didn't like it in Zurich anymore." That's why he now lives in the German capital, goes for walks a lot - for inspiration - and has set up his own studio. But not everyone finds it so - relatively - easy. Katja Lucker also emphasized: "Berlin is not least a stage for failure." Many come to the city, but only very few succeed.

New export strategies

Shortly before the internationally renowned music manager Tim Renner became State Secretary for Cultural Affairs in Berlin, he took part in several panel discussions on topics such as Export strategies for indie labels, artist management and DIY bands. As a representative of the jury that awarded the prize for label promotion by Migros Culture Percentage, Renner said: "A label should always have a clearly recognizable identity." In addition, the jury paid attention to whether a label's work reflected the change in the media and whether something like an export strategy was recognizable.

Oliver Jmfeld from YES Music, DJ Bobo's manager since 1989, talked about the beginnings of his company and how he and his client initially sailed under the British music flag. "Then as now, nobody waits for a band or a label from Switzerland." Ten years ago, DJ Bobo would have generated 70% of his turnover via sound carriers, but today this would only account for 10%. "The rest is made up of concert income, the DJ Bobo brand and ancillary business."

When asked by moderator Jean Zuber, Managing Director of Swiss Music Export, what young labels need to offer in order to assert themselves on the market, both Jmfeld and René Renner, Director of Metropolis Artist Management, said: "They need to have a lot of staying power."

The 18th M4Music will take place from March 26 to 28, 2015.

www.m4music.ch

The first part of the report on m4music by Markus Ganz was published in the Swiss Music Newspaper 5/2014, as well as his commentary on copyright law.

Very few friends of early music will have heard the title of the announced work: Fontana d'Israel - Israelis fountain. The work was written by the Leipzig Thomaskantor Johann Hermann Schein, who had it printed there in 1623. It is a collection of mainly five-part compositions for vocal ensemble and basso continuo. The texts are taken from the Old Testament, mainly from the Psalms, and formulate wisdom on life and death and the relationship between man and God in a language rich in imagery. Stylistically, the cycle moves between the madrigal and motet traditions.

Emotional interpretation
Gli Angeli Genève, under the direction of its founder Stephan MacLeod, blew the dust off the time-honored work. In Zurich's St. Peter's Church, the ensemble performed a brilliant interpretation of the - slightly abridged - cycle. MacLeod, who sang bass himself, formed a very expressive quintet together with the sopranos Dorothee Mields and Monika Mauch and the tenors Robert Getchell and Georg Poplutz, who were accompanied by the harpist Giovanna Pessi, the cellist Hager Hanana and the organist François Guerrier on his chest organ. All five singers are recognized specialists in early music and cultivated a straight but emotionally penetrating sound. The text arrangement was outstanding, capturing both the meaning and the mood of these biblical texts. Those who sow with tears will reap with joy is the third of the 26 pieces. The expressive chromatic lines in the "Tears" and the bouncing rhythms in the "Joys" made this content very clear. Gli Angeli Genève are truly not an anemic ensemble, their heartfelt interpretation, which also likes to operate with strong colors, aroused great enthusiasm among the audience.

The Fischermanns Orchestra is led by Thomas Reist and is one of the rare large formations in Central Switzerland. It has existed since 2007 and tours throughout Europe. According to its own description, the ensemble's music is "shaped by its musicians, who process their experiences from as far afield as South America and Africa and also experiment with contemporary forms of improvisation".

The prize was awarded by a jury of four experts headed by Hans-Peter Pfammatter, pianist and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. 

The Lucerne Jazz School Association (VJSL) established the Lucerne Jazz Prize in 2012 to mark its 40th anniversary. It honours an innovative and creative project, an organization, a label, a band or an individual musician with a connection to the Lucerne region.

The forum "Perspectives on musical learning and teaching in old age" on March 29 in Bern was the kick-off event for the CAS "Musical Learning in Old Age" offered at the HKB, which will enter its second round in fall 2014. In terms of the density of the information provided, this crash course itself had a high continuing education value.
According to recent research, neuronal plasticity continues into old age. This can now be proven beyond doubt using brain scanners. The long-held prejudice that older people can no longer learn anything new has therefore been permanently invalidated. This is especially true when it comes to learning an instrument. Demand in the 50-plus teaching segment is increasing and demographic data suggests that this is likely to be a growth market - reason enough to take a closer look at it scientifically.

It's never too late
"Lifelong learning is possible", emphasized the two hosts Regula Stibi, Head of the Continuing Education Department at the HKB, and Corinne Holtz, Head of the CAS "Musical Learning in Old Age" course. They welcomed an interested and committed group of participants and four guests.
Eckhart Altenmüller, Professor of Music Physiology at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, explained the effect of music on the brain and demonstrated this with images of scanned brains. When a person begins to make music, previously unconnected regions of the brain soon become rewired and the nerve cords expand. Stimulation of the auditory center during musical activities has been shown to have positive effects on emotional and social competence, language acquisition and cognitive processes. This also applies to older and very old people. In addition, regular music-making is said to have a healing or preventative effect: Among other things, making music makes it possible to build up a "cognitive reserve", which can significantly postpone any dementia. Although the brain shrinks with age, it retains the ability to adapt through new networks, compensate for lost abilities and find new strategies. This is particularly important in complex professions such as teachers, therapists, musicians and doctors.

The roots of the shakuhachi are unknown The instrument originated in China and, according to legend, came to Japan in the 13th or 14th century, where it was initially played by loosely organized mendicant monks. After the turmoil of the civil wars at the end of the 16th century, these monks formed an order that traces its origins back to the Chinese Zen master Fuke and whose emblem became the shakuhachi. Subsequently, however, a unique development took place in that the Fuke monks devoted themselves intensively to the instrument and created a unique form of meditative practice centered around breath and sound. As the breath is of central importance in meditation exercises, playing the shakuhachi serves to direct and control the breath. The music is played in this spirit. This practice resulted in very complex music, but it was considered a "spiritual exercise in tones". This is why it was not played in concerts and outsiders would never have heard the pieces ("honkyoku" - the "actual music"). What was thus created in isolation from society was a very peculiar music, which was based on Japanese scales, rhythms and forms, but which seemed strangely transformed and taken to extremes: a music that was committed only to the breath and the rich tonal possibilities of the instrument and which had no regard for the tastes of an audience that did not exist anyway - in other words, a truly absolute music.

The differences between the countries of Asia and the West are emphasized time and again, and of course they also manifest themselves in the music. But as different as the conditions under which music is created may be, and as different and strange as the compositions may turn out to be - honkyoku can stand for themselves, and it can only be an enrichment for any musician who is serious about his profession to leave the beaten track and venture into new territory. When he looks back, his view will be new and fresh.

More than thirty years ago, Andreas Gutzwiller was the first to bring the tradition of the bamboo flute shakuhachi from Japan to Europe and began teaching at the Institute for Non-European Music at the Basel Academy of Music. It is thanks to his initiative that five of his students in Basel, Zurich and Lucerne are now continuing this work. Eight years ago, the association Chikuyusha.ch Shakuhachi Society Switzerland (www.chikuyusha.ch) was founded to bring together the various traditions of playing this instrument (Geneva has been added as a teaching location), to stimulate contacts between players and to offer courses that complement the instrumental lessons and promote interaction with the stringed instruments shamisen and koto. This offers a concrete opportunity not only to read about Japanese music and, if necessary, to listen to it, but also to pick up an instrument and get to know it.