Among the many fine deeds of the well-traveled Bernese author, anthropologist, ethnomusicologist and audiovisual artist Thomas Burkhalter, the founding of Norient probably stands out. Under the aegis of a globally dispersed team, this working group presents, among other things, an excellent website with audiovisual contributions about underground, urban music scenes from all over the world. Like Burkhalter, Daniel Jakob is also a veteran of the Bernese scene. His first band Merfen Orange was followed by the electronic pioneers Filewile, after which he turned to dub/reggae and also worked with Lee Perry. Now the two have joined forces creatively. The double vinyl version of their album debut is a computer-artistic feast for the eyes, which succinctly signals that we are not dealing with an ethnographic museum project here. Burkhalter and Jakob are responsible for the music and some of the lyrics. Guest singers such as Joy Frempong, Christophe Jaquet from Lausanne and Bhangra veteran Balbir Bhujhangy from Birmingham contribute their own words - other text passages are taken from interviews conducted by Burkhalter during his travels. Musically, the project moves between pounding dance beats with poppy vocal melodies, trancy techno, ambient sounds and - a highlight - the menacing percussive intensity reminiscent of the Young Gods of Pressure From All Sides. The global dimension of the project can only be felt in the music. The voices, on the other hand, reflect this loud and clear. They speak in equal parts of dreams, frustration and creative inspiration (the Kenyan Boutross Munene is usually overcome by such inspiration at four o'clock in the morning when he has had his first coffee). Whether you need to listen to the interview excerpts more than twice remains to be seen - nevertheless, they form an integral part of a fascinating sound mosaic.

Melodies In My Head: Joy Anger Doubt. melodiesinmyhead.com

The Christmas Drum Book 2 contains a variety of Christmas play-alongs in different styles of pop, swing, hip-hop and funk. It includes traditional American songs as well as some classics from the German-speaking world.

Except for Jingle Bells the drumset titles are open, i.e. there are various grooves to choose from that match the piece. The chart only shows the form and sequences of the song with details of the feels and possible fill-ins. This is very practical, clear and leaves room for your own interpretations.

As with the first volume, some pieces are specially arranged for the snare drum so that young drummers can play something in front of the Christmas tree without having to get the whole drum set out of the cellar. Here, too, there is an open chart for each title, as well as three levels of difficulty: easy, intermediate and difficult. So there is something for every level and there is also enough freedom here to let your own creativity flow.

In the foreword, the author Gerwin Eisenhauer writes: "I firmly believe that it makes a lot of sense (even for very young students) to explore grooves outside of the usual 4/4 time signature in order to get a broader view of our wonderful rhythmic world." Many of the songs therefore focus on odd time signatures.

The songs have been elaborately recorded to a high standard and can be downloaded as MP3s with various audio and play-along versions.

This book is a great musical Christmas package for beginning and advanced drummers. There is enough material for the teaching period from November to Christmas to practise technique, musicality and different feels while bringing some Christmas spirit into the classroom.

Gerwin Eisenhauer: The Christmas Drum Book 2, D 420, with audio download, € 18.80, Dux, Manching

Playing basso continuo on keyboard instruments requires various skills: playing technique, understanding of harmony, the ability to read and react when accompanying and also improvisational imagination, as the vast majority of notes are not written in the sheet music. The greatest initial difficulty is playing without precise notation, but this is much easier when playing together with other voices, provided the music is not too demanding.

This is exactly where Greensleeves and Pudding Pies . In the context of ensemble pieces with one or optionally two upper voices from the mostly English dance music of the early Baroque, beginners at the lowest level (Level 1) can take their first steps in continuo improvisation without much preparation: 1.) with the same bass notes (and chords) struck repeatedly, 2.) with pendulum basses, 3.) first step sequences, 4.) on organ points with changing harmonies, whereby figures can already be read, up to 6.) bass movements with sustained chords of the "right hand". On this simple basis, there are no limits to the creativity of the "continuo beginner": rhythmically, harmonically, figuratively, melodically, ornamentally, etc. All you need is an instrument, a fellow player and, of course, the inviting booklet by the Hamburg harpsichordist, harpist and recorder player Monika Mandelartz. Levels 2 and 3 are already waiting with the sequel!

Monika Mandelartz: Greensleeves and Pudding Pies. Figured Bass and Historic Improvisation, 50 Pieces for 2 or more Instrumentalists, Level 1, EW 1220, € 26.50, Walhall, Magdeburg

Together with the bassist, drummers often form the rhythm section of a band and thus its foundation. From the drummer and composer Marcol Savoy's point of view, however, things can be quite different: the musician, who trained at the Haute Ecole de Jazz de Lausanne and the Lausanne Conservatory, likes to be at the center of the sound and to constantly integrate new elements into his playing with the jazz drums. For his new album Improspections he has teamed up with French pianist Alfio Origlio, who is characterized, among other things, by incorporating chanson characteristics into his jazzy playing. As can be gathered from the cover of the album, the 17 tracks are all improvisations. In keeping with the duo's background, the pieces are not only influenced by jazz, but also by world music and classical music. Together, the two embark on a journey into a contemplative world of sound, with a particular focus on resonance and silence. None of the compositions reaches 4 minutes, some even remain under 120 seconds, which makes them seem like snapshots.

While the music in Songes cautiously groping through an unknown dream world, the subsequent Nuits not only more elegiac, but also increasingly self-assured. You can literally feel the dialog between drums and piano gaining momentum, deepening and at times intensifying and finally culminating in pieces such as the subtly performed Différé or the increasingly rumbling Sables flows. What is particularly enjoyable to listen to is the continuous development process of the music, which never rests on its laurels and always remains curious. This results in ever new moods and shades, sometimes meditative, sometimes buzzing. Conclusion: If you are looking for Improspections will be rewarded with almost forty minutes of nuanced musical artistry.

Improvisations. Marcol Savoy, drums; Alfio Origlio, piano.marcolsavoy.com

Béla Bartók's eminently difficult string quartets have long since ceased to be the bugbears of a classical-romantic audience, but have become an integral part of the stage repertoire and a welcome challenge for professional string quartets. The protracted genesis and complex publishing history of the 2nd String Quartet op. 17, premiered on March 3, 1918 by the Waldbauer-Kerpely Quartet in Budapest, made the present new edition by G. Henle in collaboration with Editio Musica Budapest considerably more difficult.

The first motifs and drafts of individual passages were already written in 1914. Bartók continued to develop the piece in 1915 before taking a break and only entering the final phase of composition in the spring of 1917. The beginning and end of the process roughly coincide with the key dates of the First World War, the turmoil of which had a major influence on the composition. It was not Hungary's folklore that inspired him this time, but impressions from a trip to Algeria with his wife Márta before the war. Bartók put the famous collector-phonographer in front of "country dwellers" from various oases who had been taken by surprise. The results of the research trip, which was prematurely cut short due to unbearable heat and the composer's health problems, are reflected in the second movement, which is rhythmically and melodically Arabic in character. The resigned final movement, which his friend Zoltán Kodály gave the imaginary title "Sorrow", could be understood as a swan song to the sunken world of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy or even the European order by means of a senselessly murderous war with countless victims.

The increasing chaos during the last third of the war made communication between Bartók and Universal Edition in Vienna more difficult. Not all of the printed editions produced in the process of corrections survived. Even the composer himself was unable to clear up all discrepancies by the year of his death in 1945, which is why the new edition is based on the most likely final version according to Bartók's wishes. Nevertheless, some of the errors in the Universal, later Boosey & Hawkes edition have been eliminated, and performers can look forward to a revision that is convincing in all respects. Kodály's accessible notes on Bartók's work, which he had completely ignored in his publications for inexplicable reasons, are also exciting.

A great and extremely pleasant advance has been made with regard to the equalization of the music. For example, the part for the 1st violin has been extended from 11 pages to 17.

Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 2 op. 17, edited by László Somfai; Parts: HN 1422, € 24.00; study score: HN 7422, € 14.00; G. Henle, Munich

The oratorio Le Laudi based on St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun and composed by Hermann Suter (1870-1926) was premiered in Basel exactly one hundred years ago and made him internationally famous. The popular piece is still performed from time to time, but the large personnel and financial outlay for such a late romantic "ham" often exceeds the possibilities of smaller choirs.

Urs Stäuble, who has already made a name for himself with other reductions, has now published a skillful chamber version with Musikverlag Hug in Zurich. He has reduced the original score to a string quintet, which can adapt to the size of the choir, a percussionist and organ, which takes over the relevant wind parts. The vocal parts remain unchanged so that the existing piano score (also by Hug) can continue to be used. In addition to a suitable performance venue, where a well-positioned organ must be close to the performers, experienced players are needed for the string parts, some of which are very virtuoso.

A highly recommended chamber version that makes this moving work accessible to smaller choirs.

Hermann Suter: Le Laudi di San Francesco d'Assisi (Canticle of the Sun), chamber version by Urs Stäuble, score, Hug Musikverlage, Zurich

If you go to the opera as a young woman, you have to watch and listen to all kinds of things: Women on stage are abducted, murdered, driven mad, patronized or portrayed negatively, literally sacrificed on the altars of opera. In Mozart's Magic flute Pamina seems to be merely a pawn between the vengeful Queen of the Night and Sarastro and falls behind her male counterpart Tamino.

What to do with operas from past centuries that contain sexism, racism and discrimination of all kinds? The Critical Classics initiative, which was founded by theater manager and director Berthold Schneider and is supported by the North Rhine-Westphalia State Music Council, has taken up this question and set itself the task of critically reading libretti from earlier centuries and revising them according to modern standards in terms of non-discriminatory language and presentation. The Critical Classics team, consisting of opera, music and theater professionals, authors and diversity consultants, has published a new edition of the Magic flutelibretto, which is now freely available online.

The most performed opera first

With Mozart and Schikaneder's Magic flute makes sense. It is probably the most famous opera of all and contains many problematic aspects. Firstly, there is the role of Monostatos, whose skin color and origin are interpreted negatively throughout. The description of him as an "evil Moor" and his statement "And I should avoid love because a black man is ugly!" are depictions based on racist stereotypes that no longer have any place on the operatic stage. In the new edition by Critical Classics, Monostatos becomes an evil servant who is also the illegitimate son of Sarastro. The latter does not want to recognize him as his heir, which results in a plausible conflict that is not racially motivated.

In Schikaneder's libretto, subordination to men is the greatest duty for Pamina, Papagena and the nameless Queen of the Night. This portrayal of women, which is supported by generalizations such as "A woman does little, chats a lot", gives way to a more positive, self-determined image of women in the new edition. Papagena, for example, asserts herself self-confidently and repartee against Papageno, and the previously "shy doe" Pamina is given an additional aria in the fourteenth entrance of the first act. Mozart's concert aria Accept my thanks, you fair patronsThe new text gives Pamina the opportunity to be self-reflective and to critically question what has happened.

Resources for individual solutions

The new edition is convincing because it remains true to the original text despite the changes, offers well thought-out alternatives, explains contexts and documents and justifies every change without exception. The replacement of "Weib" and "Mädchen" with "Frau" is not entirely consistent. In addition, the new version refers to Sarastro's "pure descent", in contrast to Monostatos' illegitimate origin. This formulation should be reconsidered, as it also has problematic connotations.

According to Critical Classics, the new edition is not intended as an absolute version, but as a suggestion for productions in which own adaptations are possible. The strength of Critical Classics lies precisely in this: in creating resources for performances and in sparking debates about what exactly libretti from earlier times convey and how they should be dealt with. The new edition of the Magic flute shows that opera texts are not sacrosanct, but must change so that opera can continue to exist.

Next, Bach's St. John PassionBizet's Carmen and Puccini's Madama Butterfly be revised. Libretto and piano scores with the modified Magic flutes-Text, sheet music of the inserted aria and further information at:
criticalclassics.org

It was only two years ago that the opera, completed in 1856 Samson by the composer Joachim Raff, born in Lachen/SZ in 1822, was premiered in Weimar. Graziella Contratto and her label Schweizer Fonogramm have now presented the more than three-hour work in a lavish, artistically remarkable studio production (recording director: Frédéric Angleraux), including a trilingual libretto and detailed introductory text, as a premiere recording in collaboration with Bühnen Bern and the Joachim Raff Society Lachen. It is doubtful whether the opera will be able to hold its own on stage in the future - Raff's dramaturgy is too oratorical and some scenes are too lengthy. Musically, however, this work is definitely worthwhile with its colorful instrumentation, the direct juxtaposition of masses of sound and fragility and the cantabile, demanding solo parts

As Franz Liszt's assistant, Raff witnessed the world premiere of Wagner's Lohengrin up close in Weimar, which led him to his opera Samson inspired. The Lohengrin can be heard not only at the end of the first act in the chorus "Heil dem Helden von Dan", but also in the demanding, high-lying title role. Magnus Vigilius combines lyrical mellifluousness with great radiance. In individual passages such as "So sind zerrissen", he lacks a little flexibility. Olena Tokar is a multi-layered Delilah, whose rich soprano voice only loses some of its balance in the dramatic high notes. With Robin Adams as Abimelech, who moves between self-confidence and despair, Christian Immler as the high priest with natural authority and Michael Weinius as Micha, Delilah's spurned lover, the good ensemble of soloists is complete.

Conductor Philippe Bach works out many rewarding details with the Bern Symphony Orchestra, such as when the clarinet mocks Samson or when a Mendelssohnian lightness emerges in the flutes during the children's dance. The string accompaniment is catchy and the brass provide impressive scenic moments, such as when the high priest appears. The Bühnen Bern chorus turns the people into a beautiful-sounding community that is ready to escalate at any time, and one can also be afraid of them.

Joachim Raff: Samson, music drama in three sections, libretto by the composer, first recording. Magnus Vigilius, Olena Tokar, Robin Adams, Christian Immler, Michael Weinius, Berner Symphonieorchester, Chor der Bühnen Bern, musical director Philippe Bach. 3 CDs, Swiss Fonogram.

In recent years, Bärenreiter Prague has published several works by Josef Suk (and incidentally also by his wife Otilie, Dvořák's daughter). These editions are all convincing in their care and provide interesting background knowledge. The most recent of these publications comprises "Easy Piano Pieces and Dances".

Editor Jonáš Hájek aptly comments on this title: "The designation 'Easy Piano Pieces' should be treated with caution. These are rather less demanding pieces from Suk's piano oeuvre, but they require not only a certain level of technical preparation, but also flexibility due to the subtle emotional changes in a relatively small space." Speaking of "light": it may be one of Suk's special talents to be able to convey both the "light" and the "profoundly heavy" in equal measure and sometimes even simultaneously.

The collection begins with a waltz-like Humoresque, followed by an elegiac Album page. The third number, an expressive Adagio, ma non troppocomes from the piano compositions op. 12 and is dedicated to his later wife Otilie. The following Andante comes from a collection, namely the Suite op. 21.

The following Village serenade and Minuet show Suk's love of dance and folk music. Also No. 9 Ditty and no. 11 Polka from Vysoká belong in this area, although the latter is not really a composition by Suk. The polka was apparently "played by musicians for Master Dvořák 30 years ago". Suk then wrote it down from memory and arranged it for piano.

No. 7 is untitled and comes from the cycle Spring op. 22a. A short, melancholy piece, as impressive as the following one entitled How a mother sang to her sick child at night (from the collection From the little mother op. 28). Suk wrote these for his son in memory of Otilie, who died at an early age.

Spanish joke appears here in print for the first time. It is a joking greeting to a friend, sent on a postcard from Madrid. The short piece begins with racy Spanish rhythms and ends with a quotation from the popular song Where is my homewhich later became the Czech part of the Czechoslovak anthem. Incidentally, Suk wrote a witty commentary on the quote, in which he expressed his "longing for dumplings".

On Christmas Eve finally, probably quotes a Slovakian melody. It is an extended version of the song Greetings to the students in Slovakia. This atmospheric piano piece is the pearl of the whole booklet and was published on January 4, 1924, exactly on the composer's 50th birthday. And so it has just turned one hundred years old ...

Josef Suk: Easy Piano Pieces and Dances, edited by Jonáš Hájek, BA 11575, € 14.95, Bärenreiter, Prague

Fanny Hünerwadel was born into the wealthy Hünerwadel family of Lenzburg in 1826. For a woman of that time, it was not a matter of course to dedicate her life to music, but her culturally interested family made it possible for her. Her talent was discovered at a young age, particularly as a singer and pianist, and she continued her training in Zurich with piano virtuoso Alexander Müller. During this time, she came into contact with Richard Wagner and also met other well-known figures from the world of music such as Franz Liszt, who even composed the short piece à Fanny H. dedicated herself to it. She traveled to Paris and London and spent long periods in Italy, where she also began to compose.

Fanny moved in the highest echelons of society, but always remained down-to-earth and unassuming. She fell ill with typhoid fever in Rome and died on April 27, 1854, aged just 28. Two to three hundred people paid their last respects at her funeral.

Hanna Siegel, Tabea Furrer and Jessica Berger studied the singer, pianist and composer Fanny Hünerwadel intensively as part of their Matura thesis at the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau. The result is a short documentary film that portrays the musician's biography, her works and her environment. Although Fanny Hünerwadel celebrated international success in her short life, hardly anyone knows her name today. The three were determined to change this. During their research, the students not only learned a lot about Fanny Hünerwadel herself, but also about the history of Lenzburg. As an extension of their project, they organized a concert with pieces composed by Fanny Hünerwadel and the film vernissage of the documentary.

Link to the movie (duration 12'19")

Contact Jessica Berger: jessi.berger@outlook.com

With the German Publishing Award The "independent publishers for their commitment to culture and democracy" are honored with this award. This was emphasized by Culture Minister Claudia Roth at the award ceremony during the 76th Frankfurt Book Fair. 84 publishers were honored for their exceptional programming, creativity and cultural commitment. Prize money of 18,000 euros went to the Fidula publishing house.

Fidula publishing house

For over 75 years, the third-generation music publisher has been shaping the musical education of children, young people and adults. With a wide range of songs, dances, music education books and school musicals, it is an important point of contact for music teachers and choirs

The publisher's credo "simple but sophisticated" is reflected, for example, in the internationally successful children's musical Tuishi Pamojawhich can be seen over 120 times a year on stages around the world. In total, Fidula school musicals are performed over 1000 times a year, with more than 25,000 children singing, acting and taking away an unforgettable memory. The pieces correspond to the healthy vocal range of children and are tested before publication.

For almost 50 years, the publishing house has published the quarterly magazine music practice with contributions for all those who want to actively incorporate music into their work with children. The annual Fidula conference offers music teachers further training and fresh ideas.

Publisher Katharina Holzmeister, the granddaughter of the founder of the publishing house, is an advocate for young female entrepreneurs and the compatibility of work and family life. She is also chairwoman of the "Small Music Publishers" working group in the German Music Publishers Association.

Fidula - Specialist publisher for music education, choral music and musicals

For more than 160 years, the Köchel catalog has provided a precise insight into the works of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart. The first edition of this catalog of works was published by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel at Breitkopf & Härtel in 1862. In order to reflect the rapidly growing knowledge of Mozart's oeuvre, several new editions were subsequently published.

Originally, the Köchel catalog contained 626 chronologically arranged works. From the beginning, the catalog was supplemented and expanded by various appendices. New insights into the chronology of the authentic works were reflected in new work numbers in the later editions of 1905, 1937 and 1964. The resulting number construct with countless cross-references became increasingly complicated.

626 "old" and more than 90 "new" numbers

A fundamental decision in the new edition was to simplify the numbering. The confusing multiple numbering has been reversed. 95 compositions, which had not received their own entry in any of the previous editions, are now numbered from KV 627 onwards. A thematic overview by work group, a concordance and a chronological overview facilitate access. Newly structured appendices provide an overview of Mozart's arrangements of other works, cadenzas to his own and other works as well as studies, teaching material and all other musical notes.

New Mozart pieces discovered

New works were also discovered during the work on the new edition. Since the Mozart Year 2006, several piano pieces by the young Mozart have been found for the first time or identified as works by the young composer. These include Mozart's first concerto movement, which is listed without an author's name in the so-called Nannerl-Notenbuch, the piano book of his sister Maria Anna, and is now recorded as K. 636. In addition, a Serenade ex C from the music library of the Leipzig Municipal Libraries can be verified as a youthful work by Mozart.

Quiver directory online

The Mozarteum Foundation is presenting the first stage of a new digital service to coincide with the launch of Breitkopf & Härtel's printed catalog, providing easy and free access to Mozart's works and the new Köchel catalog: Köchel digital

Ludwig Ritter von Köchel: Köchel-Verzeichnis (KV). Thematic catalog of the musical works of W. A. Mozart, edited by Neal Zaslaw, commissioned by the International Mozarteum Foundation, presented by Ulrich Leisinger, BV 300, 1,392 pages; introductory price until 31.12.2024: € 459.00, thereafter € 499.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2024, ISBN 978-3-7651-0300-1

Podcast by Breitkopf & Härtel on the new Köchel directory

Your music for the feature film In the Land of Saints and Sinners (directed by Robert Lorenz, starring Liam Neeson) is a homage to Ireland, western music and romantic orchestration. It plays with the typical codes of a western and incorporates traditional Irish instruments. A symphonic orchestra and a choir create a mysterious 70s feel. An important distinguishing feature is the harmonica, played by "Pfuri" Baldenweg.

The film celebrated its world premiere in Venice last fall. At the beginning of the year, the siblings were nominated for the "Score of the Year" category at the Movie Music UK Awards. At the World Soundtrack Awards, which are considered the "little brother of the Oscars", the music is now nominated in the coveted "Discovery of the Year" category as well as in the "Public Choice" category, alongside fellow contenders such as Hans Zimmer (Dune 2), Anthony Willis (Saltburn) and Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things), nominated.

The Advisory Board of the World Soundtrack Academy, consisting of leading international film music agents, publicists and studio executives, selects five composers each year as "Discovery of the Year". The Baldenwegs were the first Swiss composers to make it into this round.

The selection of the best film scores for the "Public Choice" category is co-determined by the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA), which is voted on globally by fans and film music lovers. They have also made it into the five nominees here.

The film was shown at the Zurich Film Festival in 2023 and can be found on various streaming platforms. The film music was released digitally in April 2024 (Sony Music Masterworks). The physical CD will be released on October 1 (Caldera Records).

You-Tube clip about the creation of the film music

The University of Teacher Education Northwestern Switzerland (PH FHNW) is planning to reduce the number of instrumental lessons for future teachers from 1,021 to 615 full-time equivalents from the fall semester of 2025. Tandem lessons are to take the place of individual lessons, which are highly valued by students. This will further reduce the already limited training time in music.

Teachers need sound training in order to be able to offer high-quality music lessons in kindergarten and elementary school, as required by Article 67a of the Federal Constitution. However, many future teachers themselves have only received inadequate music lessons, and in some cases no music lessons at all at upper secondary and grammar school. Differentiation in music lessons at the PH is therefore essential in order to meet the individual requirements and needs of students. However, the planned cuts will undermine precisely this.

In a petition, the VPOD Aargau/Solothurn is calling on the political decision-makers in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn and Aargau, as well as the management of the PH FHNW, to reverse these cost-cutting measures and to make the financial resources available again in full:

vpod.ch/campa/petition-instrumental-lessons/

In the 19th century, the landscape painter Alexandre Calame described the area around Brunnen in Schwyz and the view of Lake Uri as "Le plus beau pays du monde". And this is reminiscent of the German violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan's dictum about Dreilinden in Lucerne: "The most beautiful place ever given to a conservatory." Music and landscape seem to interact, both in Brunnen and in Lucerne. However, Othmar Schoeck never studied in Lucerne - the conservatory was only founded in 1952 - but in Zurich and Leipzig (with Max Reger).

His father, the painter Alfred Schoeck, himself the son of a wealthy Basel silk merchant, visited Brunnen in 1870, married the hotelier's daughter Agathe Fassbind there and had a studio and home built for himself on the "Gütsch" with the meaningful name "Villa Ruhheim". With Agathe, he had four sons: Paul (architect and playwright), Ralph (professor of mechanical engineering and officer), Walter (hotelier in Brunnen and talented amateur cellist) and the composer and conductor Othmar (1886-1957), the baby of the family.

Othmar and his brothers: "four elements"

Theater director Alvaro Schoeck - a great-grandson of the aforementioned Alfred - and musicologist Chris Walton, author of a dissertation on Othmar Schoeck, have published an accompanying book for the fifth Othmar Schoeck Festival Brunnen from the beginning of September 2023, which sheds light on family aspects of the Schoecks and thus provides information about Othmar's environment and home. This ranges from the whimsical notes of the nanny, who refers to the Schoeck sons as "the four elements", to the who's who in Brunnen and Ingenbohl from 1900 onwards, entitled Othmar is here! from Katrin Spelinova to the novella-like fragment At night with the Schoeck brothers by the Schwyz writer Meinrad Inglin from 1968.

The atmospheric landscape oil paintings on the cover and in the book are all by Alfred Schoeck and are complemented by many contemporary black and white photos of the Schoeck family.

Le plus beau pays du monde? Othmar Schoeck's environment in Central Switzerland, book accompanying the Othmar Schoeck Festival 2023, edited by Alvaro Schoeck and Chris Walton, 180 p., Fr. 20.00 (+ postage), Müsigricht, Steinen 2023, ISBN 978-3-9525658-2-7