Music from the monasteries in Switzerland
In september 2005 the Swiss National Fund fort he promotion of scientific reserch approved the project music from the monasteries in Switzerland submitted by Lucca Zoppelli from the chair of musicology in Fribourg and made a firm pledge of a considerable sum. In cooperation with the Swiss RISM office, the Swiss Musicological Society, the Swiss National Sound Archives and an international research committee this project is aimed at sorting out an examining a significant number of musical sources of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries which have been conserved in different monasteries in Switzerland. A further goal of this project is to interpret the historical an liturgical context of these sources and to make them accessible for researchers and performers. The research project therefore has the endeavour to explore a field mostly unknown and to open an entry fort these assets into the general memory and conscience of music.
The research of this repertoy is well advanced. Three volumes of critical editions of selected works have already been published. Due to the catalogization of the music inventories in the monasteries of Einsiedeln, Engelberg, Disentis, Müstair, Neu St. Johann, the collegial church of Beromünster and the convent of the Benedictine sisters of St. Andrew in Sarnen the Swiss RISM office has performed essential prepatory work to make these sources accessible. Thanks to this effort we have knowledge of the impressive amounts of manuscripts and prints of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries which exist in these libraries. The research and transcription of a certain number of selected pieces of these assets suggests itself for many reasons:
- the uniqueness of written music for specific local liturgy, for example the compositions „Sanctus and Agnus angelicum“, composed for the „Engelweihe“ (anniversary of the "Miraculous Dedication" of the Lady Chapel ) in the monastery of Einsiedeln,
- the overall view of the history of musical prints in certain centres of Switzerland: the opera 1 and 2 of Johannes Evangelista Schreiber (1716 – 1800), frair of the order of St. Urban, published by Hautt in Freiburg in 1747 and 1749 as well as his opus 3 published by the monastery in St. Gallen,
- the presence of compositions of composers with great reputation not being members of a Monastery, such as the masses of Hans Huber (1852 – 1921), composed for the monastery of Einsiedeln,
- finally there are unique scores which present a singular historic an aesthetic value, such as the sacred works of Giovanni Battista Sammartini (ca. 1700 – 1775) in the music library in the monastery of Einsiedeln, which are handwritten sources in a close to complete collection.
Present-day research of this topic presents itself mainly with a great lack of editions. Therefore the main task of the project is the publication of music editions based on the catalogue of the Swiss RISM office. Luca Zoppelli and his assistants, Giuliano Castellani and Christoph Riedo, musicologists of the university of Fribourg, are in charge of the editions for the relevant music sources - selection, transcribtion into scores according to philologic criteria, analysis, classification of the stylistic, historic and liturgical context, publication together with an introduction and a critical commentary. The music documents will be published in the series of the Swiss Musicological Society, headed by chairwoman Therese Bruggisser-Lanker.
Already published volumes:
- Volume 1:
Musik für die Engelweihe in Einsiedeln, Therese Bruggisser-Lanker, Giuliano Castellani, Gabriella Hanke Knaus (eds), Adliswil/Zürich: Edition Kunzelmann 2007 (Oct. 10310). - Volume 2:
Johann Evangelist Schreiber (1716–1800): 24 Motetten op. 1, Giuliano Castellani (ed), Adliswil/Zürich: Edition Kunzelmann 2008 (Oct. 10311). - Volume 3:
Andrea Bernasconi (1706–1784): Miserere, Christoph Riedo (ed), Adliswil/Zürich: Edition Kunzelmann 2009 (Oct. 10312).
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