Past projects
Swiss composers of the 19th century in the music library of the monastery of Einsiedeln
The project Swiss composers of the 19th century in the music library of the monastery of Einsiedeln originated as a consequence of the inventory of the Repertory of 19th century's swiss composers in the music library of the monastery in Einsiedeln done by the Swiss RISM Office. The project was taken up on July 1.st 2000 and finished in Spring 2007. 6472 sources have been recorded: 1688 music manuscripts and 4784 printed music.
Many sources of composers that have been assimilated into the Repertory of 19th century's Swiss composers are been preserved in the music library of the monastery in Einsiedeln. There was as strong wish on behalf of the director of the music library of the monastery in Einsiedeln, Father Lukas Helg, to fully document the Swiss composers of the 19th century in the music library of the monastery of Einsiedeln and to execute the inventorisation in form of a partnership with RISM-Switzerland. Simply the fact, that apart from the Einsiedelarian sources documented in the Repertory of 19th century's swiss composers there remain about 3'000 further music manuscripts or printed music of Swiss composers of the 19th century in that specific music library, illustrates the significant importance of the music library of the monastery in Einsiedeln for the music history of Switzerland of the 19th century and it legitimates the strong wish for a complete inventorisation and documentation.
In order to realize this ambitious project Father Lukas Helg agreed to gather the data by the RISM software PIKaDo; thanks to this generous concession the Swiss RISM office was permitted to establish a "branch" in the music library of the monastery in Einsiedeln. The costs for this project were fully reimbursed by the monastery in Einsiedeln; for the project the monastery itself was financially supported by a substantial contribution coming from the cultural foundation of the UBS.
Contacts
P. Lukas Helg OSB
Kloster
CH-8840 Einsiedeln
Tel: +41(0) 55 418 65 49
Fax: +41(0) 55 418 61 12
e-mail: lukas.helg@bluewin.ch
Music archives of the cathedral in St. Gallen
The collection of the archives of the cathedral of St. Gallen was catalogued during the period of June 2003 - July 2004 by Swiss RISM Office. The inventory consists of 1'328 titles - 381 manuscripts and 947 prints. During the process of the inventorisation the entire collection was rearranged, shelf-marked and repacked in acid-free materials for conservation.
The musical archives of the cathedral of St. Gallen comprise an extensive collection of musical manuscripts and prints of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The designations of origin such as "Stiftskirche" (37 mentions), "Katholisches Institut" (29 mentions) and "Domchor" (15 mentions) indicate that the archives of the cathedral of St. Gallen have collections of music at their disposition which illustrates the extensive care of music practiced in the cathedral, at the former Catholic college (founded in 1808) and later in the choir of the cathedral (founded in 1874) during the period of 1730 - 1950; furthermore the archives have a collection of sources from the former monastery principality of St. Gallen (secularized in 1805).
Sacred vocal music (masses and other pieces for liturgical use) form the main genre of the collection. Amongst the pieces coming from the "Katholischen Institut" are stage music and instrumental music (orchestral pieces, pieces for solo instruments). The music in the section of sacred music bears names of "well-known composers" such as Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as copies from the 18th and 19th centuries) as well as not so prominent composers, whose vocal works were yet very popular in the 19th century, such as Johann Kaspar Aiblinger (1779-1863), Karl Ludwig Drobisch (1803-1854), Karl Kempter (1819-1871) and Donat Müller (1806-1879). The works of the directors of the cathedral choir, from whom many autographs are preserved, bears a special importance in this part of the colletion; such directors were Franz Joseph Greith (1798-1869; director between 1833-1860), Karl Greith (1828-1887; director between 1861-1877), Theodor Gaugler (1840-1892; director between 1870-1874), Johann Gustav Eduard Stehle (1839-1915; director between 1874-1912) and Joseph Gallus Scheel (1879-1946; director between 1913-1946).
Contacts
The collection may be visited and used only after previous inquiry. For inquiries please contact:
Mr. Hans Eberhard
Leiter der Diözesanen Kirchenmusikschule
Klosterhof 6b
CH-9000 St. Gallen
Tel.: +41(0)71 227 33 38
e-mail: eberhard.hans@bluewin.ch
Music library of the collegiate church of Beromünster
With gratitude to the financial support from the Albert Koechlin Stiftung AKS in Lucerne the music sources of St. Michael in Beromünster are completely recorded during the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by the Swiss RISM Office. At the end of the inventorisation 823 music manuscripts from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, 1087 prints from the 17th and 18th century as well as 3656 prints from the 19th century are accessible to musicological research and musical performance. During the process of the inventorisation the entire collection was rearranged, shelf-marked and repacked in acid-free materials for conservation.
The religious foundation for the canon fathers of St. Michael in Beromünster is in possession of an extensive collection of musical sources in form of autographs, manuscripts and prints. It's music library is one of the most important collections of central Switzerland. This music library, together with the libraries of the Benedictine monasteries of Einsiedeln, Engelberg an St. Andrew in Sarnen, has lived through the same fate, that is that the awareness for such treasures - collected on a religious motivated approach to art - is returning to musicological science and musical performance at an extremely slow pace. The manuscripts of the 19th century are most prominent in this collection of liturgical music: they document in a very impressive way that in the daily life of the religious foundation for the canon fathers of St. Michael music of the 17th and 18th centuries was continuously cultivated by several "regens chori" far into the 19th century. The fact, that St. Michael in Beromünster is the only active community of canon fathers in the German-speaking part of Switzerland having a library of their own, underlines the importance of this collection.
Contacts
The collection may be visited and used only after previous inquiry. For inquiries please contact:
Chorherr Jakob Bernet
Stiftsbibliothekar
Stift 35
CH-6215 Beromünster
Tel: +41 (41) 930 32 77
e-mail: stift@nachricht.ch
