The author, who has directed choirs in Schaffhausen and works as a concert reviewer, wants to bring people closer to classical music with this colorful little book. The musical terms listed, from "absolute pitch" to "magic", are spiced up with humorous comments, 14 special composers from Hildegard von Bingen to John Cage are given a special page, 350 are listed with their life dates and musical style and the orchestral instruments are drawn and named.

On every other page, Linda Grädel's lively drawings depict the dedication of musicians. Helpful and inspiring for young music students and concertgoers.

Gisela Zweifel-Fehlmann: Classical music is great! The musical glossary including a list of composers for beginners, with drawings by Linda Grädel, 160 p., Fr. 10.00, Edition ABCDEF..., Diessenhofen 2023, ISBN 978-3-03858-732-3 (print)

The reason why he will be missed was also evident when he left. For over 30 years, the Orpheum Foundation young musicians. At the concert on October 21, which also marked the handover of artistic direction, Howard Griffiths demonstrated in a short farewell speech what it takes for a successful artistic career in addition to talent. He described his Orpheum Supporters Orchestra as a "doctors' orchestra", a term that in no way sounded disrespectful coming from him, but only underlined the mischievousness and enthusiasm of his personality.

Find the unique ones

Personality is also the main criterion he looks for as a "talent scout" in addition to musical qualities, Griffiths emphasized in the previous telephone conversation. In recent years, the number of technically highly talented people has increased, but the "very special artistic personalities" remain as rare as ever. An assessment shared by his successor Oliver Schnyder. In a written interview, he emphasized that the interpretations of young artists are increasingly approaching a "widely accepted standard" due to the lack of time for organic development, and concludes with the remarkable sentence: "I'm not at all sure whether musical personalities such as Fritz Kreisler, Edwin Fischer, Clara Haskil or Pablo Casals would still assert themselves in a comparable way today."

So the two are in agreement on the matter. The Orpheum Foundation is all about picking out unique personalities from the large reservoir of talent. A task that has been successfully accomplished so far, as a glance at the archive shows: Truls Mørk, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Yuja Wang, Alisa Weilerstein, Nikolaj Znaider, to name but a few, have all benefited from the foundation's support. It is therefore fair to speak of a success story. And all the indications are that this will continue with Schnyder. Schnyder, who was once one of the "pupils" himself, sees himself first and foremost as a new member of a strong team. Continuity is therefore the magic word, only the setting of a few new priorities is to be expected.

Exploiting development potential

In terms of this new focus, the concert on October 21 can also be described as programmatic. The Danish-Ukrainian violinist Anna Agafia Egholm, born in 1996, did not appear as the all-conquering soloist, but played Beethoven's Triple Concerto together with the former Orpheum soloist Maximilian Hornung on cello and Oliver Schnyder on piano. The concert thus pointed the way forward: the purpose and funding model of the Orpheum Foundation is to bring young soloists together with well-known orchestras and conductors. "We will now also transfer this idea to chamber music and invite great mentors to rehearse and perform with the young musicians," says Schnyder, describing his vision for the future.

For this reason, it did not matter that no "top orchestra" played the evening. Even though the Orpheum Supporters Orchestra, made up of amateurs and a few professionals, did a good job, it is not an ensemble in the sense of the foundation's guidelines. The interplay with the two established soloists, on the other hand, was definitely a top performance. The comparison with Hornung in particular also revealed Egholm's potential for development. His more concise and vivid phrasing impressively demonstrated what can be achieved in the often misunderstood Triple Concerto.

Speaking of development potential: despite all the praise for the Orpheum Foundation's track record, it could also exploit some new opportunities. Not from the point of view of those who are satisfied with the status quo of the classical concert business: Famous performers play the well-known repertoire from the 18th and 19th centuries. For everyone else, however, it would be nice if the 800-year tradition of classical music, which is constantly being developed further, were also more strongly reflected in the promotion of young talent.

Howard Griffiths has tried to do this with the introduction of Composers in Residence, among other things, but cited the enormous effort involved, which a small foundation could hardly cope with organizationally. Oliver Schnyder explicitly referred to the foundation's purpose in this regard, but did not rule out a certain expansion of the repertoire due to the new chamber music formats. And yes, it is not the task of a single foundation to reform the classical music business. But is it presumptuous to place a little hope in a foundation that established a revolutionary funding concept just over 30 years ago?

Orpheum Foundation

The Aargau Cultural Association is relatively new. In November 2019, various cultural institutions and freelancers from the canton of Aargau joined forces. The dedicated board covers various sectors and has set itself the goal of making Aargau's cultural activities more visible and, above all, to make a name for them in political circles. one voice to lobby for culture. A new managing director, Daniel Hertli, has just been elected.

Under its first managing director, Michael Schneider, the association not only took a clear stance on decisions made by the Grand Council and on the Aargau Culture Concept 2023-2028, but also worked to better inform members of the Grand Council about the difficult framework conditions for culture. Thanks to Grand Councillor Markus Lang, a cultural group has been set up with around 40 members from various parties. Guided tours are organized for this group, allowing them to take a look behind the scenes.

The importance of culture

In his welcoming address at the opening of the forum, Mayor Markus Schneider emphasized that Baden is a self-confident and vibrant cultural city of which he is proud. And cantonal councillor Alex Hürzeler said in conversation with moderator Monika Schärer that culture is important for the cohesion of society and for the attractiveness of a location, especially in these geopolitically difficult times.

As a political philosopher, Katja Gentinetta reflected on the concept of culture in her opening speech. Culture is the further development of intellectual and moral forces, everything that makes our lives better. In her opinion, culture is no less systemically relevant than agriculture or healthcare. And a good corporate culture may not be measurable, but it is indispensable.

An interesting panel of speakers led a panel discussion after each presentation: for physicist Christian Brönnimann, founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dectris, culture has a lot in common with science. Both areas are associated with a great deal of effort and passion, and money is not the main focus. His company supports culture with a share of its profits. However, this is only possible if the business is successful.

For Maja Wanner, wife of Peter Wanner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the media company CH-Media, culture is the lubricant of society and a bulwark against brutalization. Getting together, the shared live experience, is becoming increasingly important. She, who is heavily involved in fundraising for culture, sees the growing anonymity of companies as a problem. There is a lack of independent and enthusiastic entrepreneurs who can be approached personally.

For Christine Egerszegi, former member of the Council of States and cultural ambassador, art is not charitable work, but a profession to be taken seriously. One problem in Aargau is that there are very few foundations here. She also argued vehemently that a proportion of every company's profits should be spent on culture. When you consider what the Migros Culture Percentage has achieved to date, you can only agree with Egerszegi.

What values does culture generate? And for whom?

Christoph Weckerle, Director of the Zurich Center for Creative Economies at the ZHdK, put the concept of values into perspective in his presentation by looking at it globally. And Nicola Forster, President of the Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft, emphasized that Switzerland, with its four language cultures, is a nation of will. It does not have one It is more the need for origin and homeland than a dominant culture.

Antonina Businger, a young artist who has successfully founded her own limited company, took part in the panel discussion. At this summer's Badenfahrt, she was the youngest festival organizer and artistic director the event has ever had. Original entertainment was also provided at the forum, and the linguistic acrobatics of author Simon Libsig were well received. When Monika Schärer asked whether there were any businesswomen and politicians in the audience, a number of hands went up. Georg Matter, Head of the Culture Division in the Aargau Department of Education, Culture and Sport, was also present and was asked by Schärer at the end about the role of business in promoting culture. He aptly said that this forum was also in a bubble. In his experience, many people have no idea about culture. This makes it all the more important to talk about it publicly and make it more visible. The packed hall made it clear that the Aargau Cultural Association and Forum Pro Argovia had made a start with this event.

Aargau Cultural Association: agkv.ch/

Silvia Conzett and her team have brought together around forty musical instruments from the museum's own collection, several local museums in Graubünden and the recently opened Haus für Instrumente in Kriens and supplemented them with numerous photos and sound samples. For in-depth study, small reference libraries with songbooks, playbooks and secondary literature are also available in each exhibition room.

The important vocal tradition in Graubünden - it is sung in five Romansh idioms, German, Italian and Rumantsch grischun - is presented in pictures, sheet music, audio stations and publications, including editions of the important folk song collection by Alfons Maissen. The life-size silhouettes of a group of seven singers invite visitors to sing along to one of the seven melodies. Instead of a catalog, the exhibition texts are freely available as handouts.

From the Tiba to the Schüblöt da marmel

Just like the traditional music of the whole of Switzerland, the folk music of Graubünden corresponds to a locally shaped alpine folk music, which however reflects the influences of the neighboring countries. The southern valleys have the bandella, a small wind band, with Ticino, Lombardy and Piedmont. In the Lower Engadine, the Tyrolean raffele, a Salzburger-shaped scraper zither, was still being plucked in the early 20th century.

The exhibition at the Rhaetian Museum also highlights sounding specialties from Graubünden. While the tiba, a conical natural tone instrument made of wood or tinplate, was almost forgotten fifty years ago, this alphorn is making a comeback in the Surselva. It is being built, played as an amateur instrument and has led to a new use, the tibadas. The players line up in the landscape and respond in turn to a central tibada player.

In addition to cattle bells and goat horns, shepherd's music in the Münstertal included a signaling instrument that is unique in Switzerland, the Schüblöt da marmel. It is cut from gypsum stones that fall into the Rambach in Santa Maria Müstair. The little vessel flute, which lies completely on the tongue for playing, would have died out if a bright vacation boy from Alsace had not copied the way it was made and played from an old shepherd.

The Graubünden style reaches the whole of Switzerland

The violin schools in the Safiental can be counted among the special features of Graubünden's musical tradition. As early as the 19th century, several teachers taught schoolchildren how to make and play string instruments and brought together young people living far apart in scattered settlements to form music-making groups. Recently, the dance manuscripts from the Safiental have been edited and published.

Before the standardization of the Ländler band, dance ensembles made up of local string and wind players were formed in the villages of German-speaking Switzerland and named after the first name of the respective band leader. The Fränzlimusik, named after the legendary blind violinist Franz Waser, gave rise to the typical Engadin line-up of the Fränzlis da Tschlin (Red. see SMZ 11/2022, p. 19 f.).

It was not until the 1930s that the instrumentation of the Ländlerkapelle was consolidated, in the so-called Bernese style (several Schwyzerörgeli and bass), the Central Swiss style (clarinet, Schwyzerörgeli, double bass and piano) and the Grisons style, depending on the major folk music regions, with two clarinets, two Schwyzerörgeli or accordion and bass. This "Ländler" style, first played by musicians from the Grisons in guest performances at Grisons clubs in the cities, later as members of Swiss-German bands, but above all through Radio Beromünster and records, became Swiss national music during the National Exhibition in 1939 and thus a spiritual national defense. This explains why the Bündner style is known and loved throughout Switzerland.

Boundlessly lüpfig. On the folk music of Graubünden. Special exhibition at the Rhaetian Museum (near St. Martin's Church) Chur, until March 3, 2024, Tue-Sun 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

In addition to the seven famous animal pieces, you can discover 14 little-known works in this booklet. They are easy (1st to 3rd position) to moderately difficult (up to high positions) to play. The piano accompaniment is well chosen in the style of the respective originals (17th-20th century and South American); here and there the violin also takes over the accompaniment. The keys range between two B-flats and two sharps, a third of which are in a minor key. The booklet could be suitable for a class recital.

Animals in Music, 21 original works for violin and piano, arranged by Wolfgang Birtel with fingerings and bowings by Barbara Leichtweis-Birtel. ED 23524, € 19.50, Schott, Mainz

What's worse than a recorder? Two! - One of the things addressed in this joke is the fact that intonation on the recorder is difficult and complicated with two, because there is always something "buzzing, whirring, chirping or humming along", as it says in the preface to the Trios for two is called. One reason for this can be found in the specific overtone spectrum of the recorder. When two (especially high) recorders play together, at least one so-called combination tone is produced. While one usually simply tries to intonate the two recorders reasonably well together, Adrian Wehlte makes use of precisely this principle. His notated duos, when intoned completely pure, produce a combination tone that exactly matches the two notes played; the duo becomes a trio.

The booklet with a progressive level of difficulty is intended as a practical guide to intonation security by consciously perceiving combination notes. These are therefore notated in a further staff as a virtual third voice, which fits in with the two upper voices in terms of compositional technique and results in a real trio of two. When the duo is recorded, it becomes audible that the third voice not only exists as an acoustic phenomenon in the ears of the musicians, but is actually present in sound. Three of the duos present a puzzle in which the invisible third voice combination produces a familiar melody.

Explanations of the overtone series and the combination and difference tones round off the booklet; if you want to know more, you can go to forum.floeno.de or discuss this phenomenon on the discussion platform.

The Trios for two is available in an edition for two soprano recorders (oboes or clarinets) and for two alto recorders (transverse flutes), whereby the booklets contain the same exercises and original compositions.

Adrian Wehlte: Trios zu zweit; Edition for 2 soprano recorders: EFL 1221; for 2 alto recorders or transverse flutes: EFL 1220; € 12.50 each; Edition Floeno, Dinkelsbühl

Harald Feller (*1951) teaches organ at the Institute for Church Music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Several of his compositions have been awarded prizes. He is also known for his interpretation of the famous organ part in the film Sleeping Brother. His catalog of works includes compositions for choir a cappella, vocal music with ensemble or orchestra, music for keyboard instruments, chamber music and orchestral pieces.

The present four-movement Sonata da Chiesa for cello (viola) and organ is based on the musical material of Feller's 2006 work Feldafinger Fair for 7-part mixed choir, strings, harp, percussion and organ. The movement titles of the sonata correspond to the structure of the mass: Kyrie eleison - Calm, expressive; Gloria in excelsis Deo - Lively, very rhythmic; Sanctus - Benedictus - Calm, solem; Communio - Adagio. Feller's compositional style is sometimes reminiscent of Maurice Duruflé, Flor Peeters or even film music.

The cello part offers predominantly rewarding, lyrical tasks, although in the third movement there are some demanding double-stop passages in the high register (range: G-f2). According to the composer, "a large part of the organ part must be played on two manuals, as the hands often overlap. Attention must be paid to when one voice should be prominent or when the two hands can be played equally on two or even one manual. It is important that the organ part always remains varied and transparent."

The sonata is suitable as liturgical music in church services, but can also be used as a concert piece. The not too rich repertoire of original literature for cello and organ is enriched in an original way with this technically demanding composition. A transposed version for viola is also available as a supplement.

Harald Feller: Sonata da chiesa for cello (viola) and organ, EW 1229, € 19.80, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

For the Beethoven anniversary year, the Viennese pianist Rudolf Buchbinder has recorded his 33 Variations on a waltz by A. Diabelli again, and for the third time. He came up with something very special: He combined Beethoven's gigantic cycle with settings by his contemporaries, who at the time also wrote variations on the given theme for the publisher Diabelli, including versions by Franz Schubert, Franz Xaver Mozart and the eleven-year-old Franz Liszt. In addition, however, Buchbinder encouraged contemporary composers to explore Diabelli's waltz. The list is impressive and includes eleven names from Lera Auerbach to Jörg Widmann.

Some of these works have now been published by Schott, for example Christian Jost's racy Rock it, Rudi! (ED 23535) or the Variation on a theme by Anton Diabelli by Rodion Shchedrin (ED 23536). The latter turns out to be a clever piece full of pirouettes and surprises and should be played entirely without pedal (although the middle pedal could be helpful here and there).

Toshio Hosokawa's contribution goes into greater depth. The composer, who was born in Hiroshima in 1955, not only seems to be inspired by Beethoven's Changesbut also on the variation that Franz Schubert contributed to the joint work at the time. Hosokawa's Diabelli variation with the title Loss is also in the key of C minor and bears other related traits. It is a meditation whose quiet sounds are repeatedly interrupted and questioned by brusque interjections. This "Adagio, sostenuto, with feeling and expression" allows Diabelli's theme to shine through clearly at all times and, with the exception of a fast cadenza, makes few pianistic demands. Towards the end, however, Hosokawa also indulges a preference of late Beethoven with two longer trills ...

This piece, captivating in its simplicity, was premiered together with the other contributions by Rudolf Buchbinder at the Vienna Musikverein in March 2020 and is available on the CD The Diabelli Project (Deutsche Grammophon 00028948377077).

Toshio Hosokawa: Verlust/Loss, Diabelli-Variation for piano, SJ 1211, € 7.50, Schott, Mainz

It's not often that you wait forty (40) years for a book. I first heard about Martin Staehelin's biography of the Zurich musician Hans Georg Nägeli (1773-1836) in the spring of 1983. Opus ultimum of the respected Swiss musicologist, who spent his life studying Nägeli and his Zurich circle. It was known that Nägeli was a "singing father", composer, publisher, Bach admirer, music aesthete and corresponded with Beethoven, but that Nägeli, a man of ideas, also ventured into pedagogical, philosophical and theological topics, wrote poetry, theorized and intervened in politics - but was not the composer of Rejoice in life was - that is what we learn from Staehelin's comprehensive study.

It is based entirely on written sources, primarily from Nägeli's Zurich and Winterthur estates, but includes a vast amount of contemporary writings and remote secondary literature. The 640-page text is easy to read, detailed but never lengthy, and the author knows how to guide the reader safely through the labyrinth of his far-reaching thoughts. As yet unpublished texts by Hans Georg Nägeli are available in a digital Volume II, which can be downloaded free of charge.

The fact that this double Nägeli monument could only be published thanks to the expert support of helpers due to the illness of its author is hardly noticeable in the book. Nevertheless, it seems as if Martin Staehelin and his co-authors regret not being able to fulfill his various requests for more detailed studies themselves. It was worth the wait: the book is not only a life's work, but also a milestone in Swiss music historiography.

Martin Staehelin: Hans Georg Nägeli (1773-1836). Insights into his life and work, Volume I, 789 p., Fr. 90.00, Schwabe, Basel 2023, ISBN 978-3-7965-4746-1

Anarchist-inspired DIY experiments, multicultural fusion sounds and atmospheric rap now represent something of a stylistic orthodoxy of Geneva (see SMZ 11/2023, The sound of squats). But the city also has all kinds of "outliers". At one end of the spectrum is the extreme metal band Rorcal, whose search for the "inexpressible" has landed them in a pitch-black storm of sound. At the other, we find Quiet Island, a quartet of four voices - one woman, three men - and an instrumentarium of restrained plucked guitars, cello, flute and a touch of synth. push/pull is her third album.

Back in the day, they once won the "Pop" category at the Demotape Clinic at the m4music festival. Yet their elegant, finely chiseled music is miles away from everyday pop froth. Light as gauze, the four-part vocal harmonies lay over Bossanova-like beats, leaving plenty of room for the unagitated riffs or the gentle plucking of a discreet, jazzy guitar. Curiously, the band has its most beautiful piece, Frozen Lakeburied at the very end of this enchantingly misty album. The sudden use of woodwinds is a veritable moment of brilliance.

Comparisons? The Swingle Singers perhaps, or Fifth Dimension and Simon & Garfunkel. Just everything performed in slow motion and beamed in from another firmament.

Quiet Island (Julien Dinkel, Voice, Drums, Guitar; Julien Henchoz, Voice, Guitar, Piano; Louise Meynard, Voice, Bass, Cello; Laurent Zito, Voice, Guitar,Transverse Flute): push/pull. Red Brick Records

In an article on Heinrich Sutermeister, in which she characterizes the composer quite clearly as a Nazi collaborator, musicologist Antje Müller writes that when considering "conformist" music from Germany between 1933 and 1945, it is not the "music, which is mostly poor anyway, that should be examined", but the reception, as the music alone would hardly convey all the associative accessories. This does not do justice to the music of the composer, who was born near Schaffhausen in 1910 and died in 1995 in his adopted home on Lake Geneva.

The fact is, however, that Sutermeister, who had studied in Munich with Walter Courvoisier and the arch-conservative Hans Pfitzner, among others, and whose friends included Carl Orff and Werner Egk, who were very close to the Nazi regime, seemed blind to life and politics in Germany. Two of his operas were successfully premiered in Dresden in 1940 and 1942, while a third, written for Berlin, could only not be performed due to the events of the war. It seems strange that the booklet of the new Toccata Classics CD makes no mention of this problem, as Othmar Schoeck is regularly criticized for his lack of distance from the National Socialist state.

The CD contains Sutermeister's great vocal cycles as well as an aria from the opera Romeo and Juliet (1940). There is no question that the composer understood his craft and was also able to develop a personal style based on late German Romanticism and remaining true to tonality and conventional instrumentation, with the harpsichord adding a few unusual touches of color. It is astonishing that the Seven love letters for tenor and orchestra from 1935 does not sound worlds apart from the Six love letters for soprano and orchestra from 1979. The choice of texts is actually original: they are love letters from the 16th and 18th centuries by mostly well-known personalities and poets who describe very different moods. The problem is the abundance of text, which is not always comprehensible, at least without a booklet in hand, and also seems a little long-winded. The same applies to the Consolatio philosophiae for high voice and orchestra on Latin texts by the Roman philosopher Boethius, which was written in memory of Ernest Ansermet and premiered by Peter Schreier in Geneva in 1979.

Despite competent interpretations by the soprano Juliane Banse, the tenor Benjamin Bruns and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz under the direction of Rainer Held, the CD is not a fiery plea for renewed concert performances of these works.

Heinrich Sutermeister: Orchestral Music Vol. 2, Works for Voice and Orchestra. Juliane Banse, soprano; Benjamin Bruns, tenor; Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz; Rainer Held, conductor. Toccata Classics TOCC 0608

What do African, Oriental and Caribbean music have in common? Nothing less than the "world rhythm formula". It reads:Only the pitch and the emphasis of the individual beats make the difference between the African, Oriental or Latin feeling. In the African version, the rhythm formula is

in the orientalin the CaribbeanThen there are the instruments that make up the specific sound. The playing techniques of the djembe (African), conga (Caribbean), darabukka (oriental) and other percussion instruments are explained concisely and vividly and demonstrated in the videos, which are available via the Helbling Media app.

The rock and pop patterns, on the other hand, defy the ternary sense of rhythm and are straight. Depending on the song, however, they fit better. The drumset is then spread across several percussion instruments and is therefore well suited to classroom music-making. Brazilian choro or samba have a different feel, not to mention the odd rhythms of the Balkans. All of these styles, each with their own accents and timbres, have their own Rhythm without borders found entrance.

The rhythmic formula of two dotted crotchets plus a crotchet forms the basis for the arrangements that accompany the sample songs. So for once it's the other way round: it's not rhythmic playbacks that accompany songs, but melodies and harmonies that support the rhythms played in the ensemble. Both the full versions of the songs and the playback versions without rhythm instruments can be viewed in the app.

Rhythms with or without songs

Author Gerhard Reiter is, on the one hand, a well-traveled musician who has learned the styles and their rhythms on site. On the other hand, he is a teacher and knows all about successful teaching techniques. This includes the rhythm language, which not only describes the rhythms themselves, but also the pitches of the rhythm instruments - an excellent aid for working out the accents and timbres of the percussion instruments. The arrangements are available in a basic and an extended version, whereby the simple version is fully sufficient for an exciting accompaniment to the eleven songs. However, the rhythm arrangements can also be played independently of the songs.

Conclusion: A few well-founded ingredients mixed well - that's the recipe for the authentic feel of great musical traditions. What more could you want?

Gerhard Reiter: Rhythm without borders. Percussion models to accompany songs from all over the world, for secondary school, 56 p., audio examples and 90 videos, Fr. 39.60, Helbling, Bern 2020, ISBN 978-3-99069-315-5

Already in the foreword to Finger flickwhich emerged from a reflection as part of her pedagogy master's degree at the Zurich University of the Arts, the author Anna-Barbara Rösch points out the aim of "working with young children (from kindergarten to third grade) on finger technique without specifically mentioning the subject of finger technique".

The first part contains twelve stories with the characters Flurina and Niels, who practise elementary building blocks of flute technique such as playing scales, changing fingerings and improvisation at the end of each story. For example, in the second story, "At school", the two climb the school stairs and are asked to climb them with the flute at the end (scale). At the same time, on the same page, there is a piece of music from the literature that fits the theme, in this case a scale excerpt from a maestoso by Franz Anton Hoffmeister. These musical examples of varying degrees of difficulty can be simplified for practicing. Colorful illustrations by Jasmin Céline Baumann make the musical stories even more vivid for children. The second part contains a series of exercises that promote the mobility and dexterity of the fingers, even without an instrument, some of which originate from occupational therapy. These include, for example, warm-up exercises, exercises for fine motor skills and posture.

The varied booklet, which is an enrichment for music lessons with young children and playfully practises technical elements without naming them, was originally designed for the transverse flute, but with a little creativity can also be used for practising with other instruments.

Anna-Barbara Rösch: Fingerflink - Musical finger exercises in the form of stories, illustrated by Jasmin Céline Baumann, 130 p., Fr. 35.00, self-published anna-barbara.com/fingerflink

Music lessons at elementary school are in a bad way. Why is that? How can the school subject of music be suitably revitalized? The public service union VPOD Zurich/Music organized a public and well-attended panel discussion on this topic on 23 September, which was moderated by Esther Girsberger.

Maja De Luca from the VPOD Zurich.music board began by saying that the federal government and cantons are committed to high-quality music lessons. The canton of Zurich has a music school law, and thanks to the popular initiative jugend + musik (youth + music), the broad promotion of music is enshrined in Article 67a of the Federal Constitution. In Curriculum 21, music lessons at elementary school have been significantly upgraded. It stipulates two weekly music lessons from year 1 to 6.

Why is that?

But today, ten years after the introduction of the constitutional article, the reality in the canton of Zurich is sobering. There is indeed a "basic musical education" in the lower grades of elementary school. However, this is taught by a specialist teacher and is voluntary; it is not included in Curriculum 21. Later on, music lessons depend on the teacher. For some, the subject of music is important and they teach it with corresponding commitment. Others do not, and their music lessons hardly take place at all. No one monitors this. What's more, music is no longer a compulsory subject at the University of Teacher Education; it is offered on a voluntary basis. Very few students choose music as an art subject.

In response to Esther Girsberger's question about how bad it really is, basic music teacher Sibylle Dubs said: "It's bad. The reason for this is usually individual: the teachers are often afraid of teaching music. They don't have the confidence to do it, especially not singing. This often has to do with childhood trauma. Many were told they couldn't sing and had no voice."

Are there ways out?

For Simone Kramer, head of a primary school in the city of Zurich, the quality of music lessons stands and falls with the school management. As she herself had a musical childhood, music is an important part of education for her. So, in collaboration with the music school, a day school with a musical profile was created. In concrete terms, this means that the children should have intensive contact with music at every level: basic musical education, choir singing and class music-making. There are two weekly lessons for this. In Year 5 and 6, they can join a choir or band. And if a child likes their instrument, they can continue with it.

The idea of the elementary school teachers taking part in these music lessons is an interesting one. As Kramer's elementary school is located opposite the Toni-Areal, she helps herself with music students. It soon became clear that it was better to bring in artistic people for music lessons. The ZHdK offers a corresponding course, the BA in Music and Movement. However, this course does not have a secure field of work. Although there are jobs, the local authorities decide on the funding to fill such positions. Couldn't these specialist teachers trained at the ZHdK teach at elementary school?

What is already possible in other cantons seems a long way off in the canton of Zurich. Myriam Ziegler, Head of the Department of Primary Education, clarified the political situation: "When the universities of applied sciences developed around 20 years ago, there was a discussion as to whether or not specialist teachers should be admitted to elementary school. The conclusion was that this was not wanted in order to retain the class teacher as a reference person." Today, a maximum of 3 specialist teachers are permitted at primary level.

What puts the brakes on? The finances!

Where can solutions be found? The ZHdK is currently discussing a further education course in classroom music-making for primary school teachers. According to Bernhard Suter, didactics lecturer at the PH Zurich, better cooperation between music and elementary school would also be important, but this would require more funding. In his opinion, the following option would be promising: "A person responsible for music could be employed in a school. This person could then be called in by the class teachers for music lessons." That sounds reasonable, it would just have to be done and properly remunerated.

Version dated October 23, 2023

Deep down in the Leventina, traffic roars along the Gotthard highway, but up in Sobrio, eleven hundred meters above sea level, you see and hear none of it. After driving up a steeply ascending road with countless hairpin bends, you end up in a different world here: a secluded mountain village, situated on a sunny slope between meadows and a wooded area, the houses covered in natural stone. A 14th century church, a restaurant with a beautiful terrace. The view of the mountains opposite is breathtaking.

Like most mountain villages in Ticino, Sobrio has lost a huge number of inhabitants over the course of the 20th century; in 2016 there were just eighty. But now new life has returned. "Villaggio della Musica", the village of music, is what it is called today, and a banner hangs on a railing at the entrance to the village: Sobrio Festival. From July to mid-October, instrumental courses for students and young professionals are held here, with instructors from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and La Scala Orchestra in Milan, among others.

There are rehearsals and practices, concerts and the Elizabeth Tchaikovsky piano competition - a distant descendant of the Russian composer has lent her name to the event. The activities are divided into two events that complement each other: the summer academy with its master classes and the Sobrio Festival. In addition to concerts by international artists, the latter also offers the best course participants an opportunity to perform and, conversely, some guest soloists teach in the courses. The Villaggio della Musica forms the common umbrella.

A village changes

A metamorphosis has taken place in Sobrio. Many houses have been sustainably renovated, but their exterior has remained untouched. On the walls of the houses are small brass plaques with their names: Casa Gioacchino Rossini, Casa Héctor Berlioz, Casa Franz Schubert. Around fifty of the old houses have now been "musicalized" in this way. Most of them belong to private individuals who contribute to the musical activities in various ways, including practicing and former musicians.

Two of these houses are owned by the organizers: one is the large Casa Francis Poulenc with double rooms for the young musicians and a spacious kitchen where they can cook and meet as self-caterers. There are a number of young trees on the extensive grounds; a new one is planted for each winner of the piano competition. The other house is the perfectly furnished Casa Mahler. With a small hall for chamber concerts, workshops and master classes, it forms the heart of the company. A larger concert hall with around one hundred and sixty seats is the San Lorenzo church, and for open-air concerts there is an area supported by old walls directly behind the Casa Mahler.

The realization of a dream

The initiator and creative mind behind the Villaggio della Musica is Mauro Harsch, pianist and lecturer at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. With this project, he has realized an old dream and found the ideal location for it in the small village of Sobrio, which he has known since childhood. "There are masterclasses and concerts everywhere, but Sobrio is unique, not only because of the landscape, but also because an entire village is involved in the music here." Harsch speaks enthusiastically about the atmosphere here: "You won't find this peace and harmony anywhere else. Here, in contact with nature and shielded from the banalities of everyday life, the young musicians can develop freely." This is not possible in a more touristy or urban environment.

Institutionally, the music village stands on two legs. The Ars Dei association founded by Harsch, which he heads, is responsible for artistic and organizational matters, while the Amici del Villaggio della Musica foundation takes care of all institutional aspects. These two bodies, plus a circle of friends with over two hundred members, also guarantee financial security. The music village is largely self-financed, but donations from third parties are welcome.

So that the village and music win

The music village is a long-term development project. This primarily concerns the expansion of the properties. Work has just begun on the conversion of an old albergo at the end of the village, and perhaps as early as next year a small hotel will be available to accommodate festival guests under the name "Hotel Symphony". A residential project for elderly musicians is already being considered, and new accommodation for course participants is also being considered.

But everything is being done in order, nothing is being rushed. Not least because those responsible are aware that the musical undertaking represents an intrusion into the village's long-established social fabric, including problems for the infrastructure. Consideration for the sensitivities of the locals and strict sustainability are therefore the first priority. Social tensions cannot always be avoided, which is why the individual development steps are carried out in collaboration with the municipality of Faido, to which Sobrio has belonged politically since 2016.

For example, there were difficulties with the plan to build a small concert hall on the meadow in front of the village. The architect Mario Botta had been commissioned to design the building and had already delivered a draft. But then some residents objected. They feared that village life could be turned upside down by growing cultural tourism and the project was shelved for several years. An agreement has now been reached and the search for sponsors for the construction costs of 3.5 million has begun.

The Sobrio music village is a socio-cultural adventure without equal. Here you can observe how an originally purely cultural idea can have an impact far beyond its own sphere and profoundly change social reality. It is a process with an open outcome. But if enthusiasm for the cause and social responsibility go so closely together, as seems to be the case here, then there is reason to believe that for both sides, the music and the village, the future has only just begun.

www.sobriofestival.com