The last round of negotiations was canceled after eleven of the 28 EU countries rejected the compromise proposal submitted by Romania. In addition to Article 11, which provides for the introduction of an EU-wide ancillary copyright for press publishers, Article 13 is particularly controversial. It is intended to oblige platforms to check whether uploading the respective content infringes copyright.

The compromise now reached between Germany and France excludes platforms that are less than three years old, have an annual turnover of less than ten million euros and less than five million users per month from the provisions of Article 13. In addition to the German Music Council and the Landesmusikrat NRW, numerous other cultural associations support the adoption of the EU directive on copyright in the digital single market.

If further negotiations with the European Parliament and the EU Commission are successful, the directive could be adopted before the European elections in May. The German Music Council welcomes the agreement reached by the EU member states.

Due to a budget referendum, the city of Lucerne currently has no legally binding budget. Institutions such as the Südpol association, which rely on financial support from the city of Lucerne to fulfill their mission, are particularly affected by the lack of a budget. If voters approve the 2019 budget on 31 March, this financial support will be paid out from April 2019. If voters reject the budget, a new proposal will have to be drawn up, discussed in parliament and possibly put to a referendum.

The content of the loan and subsidy agreement with the Südpol association is based on the previous agreement. The earmarking of the funds for the benefit of the local and regional independent scene has been formulated more clearly and the performance targets have been specified more precisely, writes the city. At the same time, the Grand City Council is granting the Südpol association transitional funding until the Grand City Council has made a decision or until a legally binding budget is available.

The IGNM-VS organizes the annual Festival for New Music Forum Valais at Leuk Castle, which has regularly made international headlines with Karlheinz Stockhausen's Helicopter String Quartet with the Arditti Quartet and Cod.Acts Pendulum Choir, among others.

The Forum Wallis has also acquired a new international board of trustees: In addition to Javier Hagen (IGNM-VS), Kotoka Suzuki (Tokyo/Chicago), Jaime Oliver (Lima/New York) and Reuben de Lautour (Istanbul/Auckland) are members of the jury of the 5th Ars Electronica Forum Wallis competition, the acousmatic concerts are curated by Simone Conforti from IRCAM Paris, and the artistic direction of the 1st Forum Wallis Academy for Composition Students is the responsibility of the Swiss-Argentine conductor and director of the Electronic Studio Basel Erik Oña.

The historically interesting instrument was once played by orchestra co-founder Wolfgang Schneiderhan. Now it will be heard again for the first time at two concerts on March 5 at the Vienna Konzerthaus and on March 7 at the KKL Lucerne. Daniel Dodds, artistic director of the Festival Strings Lucerne, will play the two concerts for the first time on the violin, which was built before 1680.

The instrument was offered exclusively to Festival Strings Lucerne some time ago. For more than 100 years, it was part of the instrument collection of the Vorarlberg industrialist family Hämmerle, who have since emigrated to Argentina, and has been kept in a bank safe for the last few decades.

The Festival Strings Lucerne found a partner in the Lucerne-based Monika Widmer Foundation, which made the purchase of the instrument possible. She purchased the Stradivarius and is making it available to the Festival Strings Lucerne.

The team led by music psychologist Daniel Lloyd Eaves from Teesside University in the UK tested how test subjects are physically stimulated to tap or groove along when they watch a drummer. To do this, they either synchronized or shifted visual and acoustic experiences to the test subjects.

This showed that the visual experience plays a role in determining whether we are physically stimulated by a rhythm. According to the team, their findings support the importance of multimodal sensory experiences for the holistic experience of music.

Original article:
Daniel Lloyd Eaves, Noola Griffiths, Emily Burridge, Thomas McBain, Natalie Butcher, Seeing a drummer's performance modulates the subjective experience of groove while listening to popular music drum patterns, Musicae Scientiae, First Published February 1, 2019,
https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864919825776

Malta and Baroque - not an obvious pair at first glance, but very much so at second glance. La Valletta, the capital founded in 1566, is pure Baroque, built of a wonderfully warm yellow-toned stone and unchanged since the 17th century. So it is only fitting that the music of the 17th and 18th centuries is celebrated here and in some of the equally enchanting towns in the surrounding area, and this year for the seventh time. The Valletta International Baroque Festival was initiated and has been run by the director of the Teatru Manoel, Kenneth Zammit Tabona, ever since. The Festival enjoys the full support of the Government, represented by the Hon. Owen Bonnici, Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government, who has attended many of the concerts.

Between January 23 and 27, the days of the festival that can be discussed here, seven concerts took place, the first and last of which were unique highlights.

Once upon a time, in the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Żejtun, a few kilometers from the capital, the presentation of the Dixit Dominus a 4 concertato by Niccolò Jommelli (1714-1774) and the Mass in D major by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) by the choir and orchestra of the historic Collegio Ghisleri in Pavia, Italy, under the direction of Giulio Prandi (who, nota bene, conducted the entire evening inspiringly and from memory). Both orchestras played with incredible dynamic and agogic differentiation and commitment. Solo parts were performed so naturally and convincingly by members of the choir that it was not even deemed necessary to mention their names in the program ...
 

The Valletta Archaeological Museum, housed in one of the city's most stylish palaces (dating back to 1571), hosted the lunchtime concerts in its Gran Salon, where visitors could watch the restoration of the murals. The Signum Saxophone Quartet, founded in 2006, performed there under the title Bach and Beyond Music by J. S. Bach, J. Chr. Bach, Steve Reich (1936), David Maslanka (1943-2017) and Marcelo Zarvos (1969). The four (still) young saxophonists Blaž Kemperle, Hayrapet Arakelyan, Alan Lužar and Guerino Bellarosa ignited a veritable firework display of virtuosity in the modern pieces, passing the musical balls to each other and tackling the baroque scores with great care and imagination. For a die-hard baroque fan, however, the saxophone Bach is difficult to digest, and the argument that such good music is still good music in all possible versions is not really convincing.

There were two further concerts at the same venue, both with the pianist Paul Gulda, who played on a wonderful harpsichord by Bruce Kennedy. The first featured part one of the Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach. Gulda played with skill and commitment, with very unconventional rubati and many changes of register. Between the individual preludes and fugues, he read out philosophical sayings (from the Dalai Lama, for example), which was not universally well received, partly because it came across as a bit preachy and partly because only listeners in the immediate vicinity could understand them. In the second concert, Gulda performed with the oud player and singer Marwan Abado. Compositions by Abado himself and other Middle Eastern composers were on the program, and the two delighted the audience with rousing improvisations. Once again, unfortunately only a small part of the audience was able to hear the numerous commentaries.

Handel's oratorio Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno was performed in the Teatru Manoel. This venue was created in 1731 through the conversion of two noble townhouses; the Grand Master Anton Manoel de Vilhena was the commissioner and thus the namesake. Today, this gem is Malta's national theater and is one of the oldest theaters in Europe. A quartet of soloists and the Armonia Atena orchestra from Athens performed under the direction of George Petrou. One would have wished for a little more dynamic freedom in this beautiful performance and a hint of theatricality from the soloists.

In the Church of the Assumption in Qrendi, the Missa in illo tempore by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), complemented by short works by other masters from the period, perhaps most notably the first performance in modern times of the motet In convertendo by Michelangelo Falusi (1645-1733). The eight singers of the Cantar lontano ensemble under the direction of Marco Mencoboni sang beautifully, albeit somewhat statically in terms of tempo and volume. Unfortunately, the announced vocal ensemble Monteverdi Project from Valletta barely made an appearance.
 

Once again at the Teatru Manoel, the festival came to a brilliant conclusion with the performance of the 6 Brandenburg Concertos by J. S. Bach. The Bernese baroque orchestra Les Passions de l'Âme (conductor and violinist Meret Lüthi) exuded a joy of playing and impressed with their stupendous virtuosity, and in the slow movements with their beguiling musicality. One may perhaps wonder why the outer movements, usually marked Allegro by Bach, had to be played in an incredible prestissimo. It seemed as if the musicians were mainly enjoying themselves.

A performance venue that has not yet been mentioned, but definitely deserves it: the wonderful, golden Co-Cathedral of St. John in Valletta, which, in addition to an original painting by Caravaggio and many other art treasures, has excellent acoustics. You can look forward to the next festival!
 

The Archiv Frau und Musik has announced that it is awarding its International Composer in Residence Scholarship in cooperation with the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK), Institute for Contemporary Music (IzM), for the fourth time. It runs from mid-July to mid-October 2019, and composers of all ages and nationalities can apply for the three-month scholarship until March 15, 2019.

The archive and the HfMDK offer the composer the unique opportunity to use resources such as the studio for electronic music and acoustics and the international women's music network. During her stay in Frankfurt, the scholarship holder will compose a new work and rehearse it with HfMDK students. In addition, a school class from the HfMDK's Response school project will develop a musical "response" to one of her works under her guidance.

The jury will announce the name of the composer at the end of May. The newly created works will be premiered at the final concert on October 17, 2019.
The Women and Music Archive originated from the Internationaler Arbeitskreis Frau und Musik e. V. association founded in 1979. It currently archives the music of around 1800 female composers from the 9th century to the present day.

www.archiv-frau-musik.de
 

"Sorimuni 2" will be performed by the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra on May 5. In addition, "Shadow Art II" for vocalists, flute and electronics by Australian composer Paul Clift, who also lives in Basel, was selected as the Australian section's contribution.

Junghae Lee, born in Tokyo in 1964, grew up in Korea. She studied composition at Seoul National University with Byung-Dong Paik and from 1991 at the Electronic Studio of the Basel University of Music, specializing in electronic music. She attended master classes with Isang Yun and Toru Takemitsu. After a phase of intensive involvement with electronic music, she turned her attention increasingly to instrumental composition. Her work - with or without electronics - is characterized by special mixtures and a unique, highly expressive style.

The ISCM World Music Days is the annual festival of the International Society for Contemporary Music, founded in 1922, and will take place this year from May 2 to 10 in Tallinn, Estonia. It will be hosted by the Estonian Music Days, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the ISCM World Music Days. The works to be selected are submitted by the 65 national sections and presented to the festival jury.

Nicolas Farine and Egidius Streiff coordinated the submissions of the Swiss Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM Switzerland). This year, works by Katharina Rosenberger, Junghae Lee, René Wohlhauser, Nadir Vassena, Stephanie Hänsler, Benoit Moreau, Nicolas Bolens and Keiko Kikoutchi were submitted.
 

The Prix Thierry Scherz rewards the best interpretation of the festival's "Young Talents" series and enables the winner to make a CD recording. Supported by Renaud Capuçon, the artistic director of the festival, the jury - Gérard Caussé, mentor of the young talents, Yann Maresz, composer in residence and Patrick Peikert, director of the Claves Records label - unanimously awarded this year's Prix Thierry Scherz to Timothy Ridout.

In the second half of this year, the young violist will record a CD with the Bern Symphony Orchestra and the Claves Records label, which will also be responsible for promotion. The jury has also awarded Jean Sautereau the Prix André Hoffmann. The prize, endowed with 5,000 francs, rewards the best interpretation of the work "Soliloque" by Yann Maresz, the festival's composer in residence.

In addition, Denis Schuler from Geneva will succeed the retiring auditor Laurent Mettraux. Fachard was born in New York to a Swiss father and a Greek mother and grew up in Lausanne. He studied composition with Daniel Glaus, William Blank and Xavier Dayer, as well as with Lachenmann, Ferneyhough and Boulez. In 2015 he was Composer in Residence at the Composer's Next Generation program of the Geneva Ensemble Vortex. Fachard lives in Lausanne. Alongside him, Max E. Keller, Egidius Streiff and Javier Hagen (President) are members of the current SGNM Board.

The SGNM is the Swiss section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (IGNM/ISCM) and was founded in 1922 by Winterthur patron Werner Reinhart - the first Secretary General of the ISCM - as one of the first country sections of the ISCM. It is the Swiss interface to the ISCM and thus to the ISCM World Music Days, which take place in a different country every year and have also been held in Switzerland six times to date: in 1926, 1929, 1957, 1970, 1991 and most recently in 2004.

The PRJ Symposium on January 19, 2019 was small but nice, without a lot of fuss, but with substance. It was once again organized by the Bern Conservatory Music School in cooperation with the Association of Bernese Music Schools (VBMS) organized. The further education event for the pop, rock and jazz sector
was opened up somewhat in the direction of general pedagogy compared to the first edition. Organizer Victor Wanderley emphasized that his symposium was not only aimed at PRJ teachers, but at representatives of all musical genres. This opening up was very well received by the event, but one had the impression that the representatives of classical music did not (yet) feel addressed.

The event took place in a "come-together format", meaning that the participants were given plenty of space to exchange ideas and share their results and experiences in the plenary session. Three invited experts provided important input, led workshops and stimulated discussions.
 

Natalia Ardila-Mantilla, Head of Instrumental and Vocal Pedagogy at the Institute for Music Education Research at the Cologne University of Music and Performing Arts, conducts research on music education in formal and informal learning contexts and on the development of concepts for learning to make music in heterogeneous groups. She provided an exciting introduction with six questions about their personal educational history and what they believe they have learned in the various learning contexts. Everyone had to give their own answers in the plenary session. It was amazing to see the illuminating insights that emerged. Anyone who thought they could deduce the advantages of one form of learning or another was just as wrong as those who thought that informal learning was more suited to the PRJ sector and formal learning to the classics. The speaker used teaching profiles that she had created in her research work to prove that the two forms of learning occur more or less equally on both sides. She assumed four learning worlds: Classroom, ensembles, performance and private, all of which can be more or less formal or informal. It is crucial that there is a fruitful mix and that the teacher tries to influence the informal learning worlds of their students.

Photo: Niklaus Rüegg

Natalia Ardila-Mantilla

Nik Bärtsch, internationally successful jazz pianist from Zurich with a classical music degree, described his career as a music student in the 1970s and 1980s and spoke about the formation and maintenance of creative communities, his Club Exil, the Monday series with his "Ritual Groove Music" with workshops and concerts. "Creativity needs structures," Bärtsch is convinced. Local roots, a base camp, are important for him to be able to work internationally. That is why he goes into his "exile" every day, thereby defining home and exile as congruent. Bärtsch is an advocate of "freestyle pedagogy", which relies on personal initiative, on "doing, risking, learning". He had already acquired this "wild way of learning" during his challenging career as a music student. The Zurich music school initially had a hard time with his interests: he wanted to play drums and boogie-woogie and detested sheet music. These things were not part of the teaching culture at the time. So he had no choice but to learn self-taught and in bands. Eventually, the talented boy did meet understanding music teachers who "somehow followed him" and helped him to find his way.

Photo: Niklaus Rüegg

Nik Bärtsch

The pianist, drummer, mathematician and lecturer at the Jazzcampus Basel, Malcolm Braff, surprised us with a scientific approach to a phenomenon that is not considered academic: the groove. He takes the opposite approach, so to speak, and attempts to explain and formalize freestyle. Braff distinguishes between theoretical and musical-practical rhythm: "In folk music rhythm is never equal," he emphasized, adding, "in classical music it isn't either." The groove in swing is created by a slight shift and variation in note lengths. With a group of a quarter and two eighths, for example, this can mean an approximation of a triplet. This rule can also be used to make some classical pieces swing. A popular example is Bach. Even the Viennese waltz would not be a waltz if all three notes were played exactly the same length. Braff illustrated these rhythmic shifts graphically, starting from an even triplet as an isosceles triangle, and divided the rhythmic effects into "negative groove balance" (or "laidback"), "positive groove balance" (driving forward) and "taking off the ground/taking down to the ground" (phrasing through changing accents). The practical demonstrations drumming and at the piano with simultaneously played alternating rhythms on the left and right were impressive.

Photo: Niklaus Rüegg

Malcolm Braff

This year, Musikmesse will take place on four working days (Tuesday to Friday) for the first time. It is thus focusing more than ever on the professional exchange of international professionals and sharpening its brand essence as the largest European trade fair for the music industry. For the first time since 2015, Musikmesse will be held at the same time as Prolight + Sound, the 'Global Entertainment Technology Show'.

Even after the trade fair, the music continues in Frankfurt. For the fourth time, the "Musikmesse Festival" presents highlight concerts in 30 locations and on the exhibition grounds. Including: the talents of the International German Pianist Award and a big closing concert with soul legend Gregory Porter and the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt.
 

Visitors to Musikmesse 2019 can look forward to shorter distances. Hall 3 brings together a wide range of products on two levels, from pianos and keyboards to drums + percussion, guitar and bass, woodwind and brass instruments, string instruments, harmonica instruments and sheet music. For the first time, the entire audio sector is concentrated on one hall level: visitors will find synthesizers and recording equipment as well as products for live sound reinforcement in Hall 8.0.

© Musikmesse Frankfurt

New in 2019 is the joint "Networking Area" for Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound in Hall 4.1, which is aimed specifically at dealers and decision-makers in the industry. With its elaborately designed lounge concept, it offers the ideal setting for business talks in a relaxed atmosphere.

The new "Music Education Center" at the Congress Center Messe Frankfurt creates a central platform for the promotion of young talent and further education. Highlights in this area include the Class Music Making Day (Friday, April 5), which will provide ideas for modern, practice-oriented teaching. On the same day, the European School Music Prize will be awarded to progressive projects in the field of methodical and creative work with musical instruments. There will also be workshops and seminars on music therapy and, for the first time, the award ceremony for the "New Therapy Instruments Competition".

© Musikmesse Frankfurt

The "Discover Music" project for young musical explorers offers a voyage of discovery into the world of tones and sounds. Under the pedagogical guidance of experienced musicians from the Frankfurt Music Academy, schoolchildren can try out instruments to their heart's content.

The "European Songwriting Award" is also entering a new round. At the award show with live finale (April 5), songwriters and producers can present their compositions to a top-class jury of international A&Rs. The winner will go straight into the studio: there will also be radio and online promo for the best songs.
 

In addition to workshops, master classes and tutorials (with a focus on keyboard instruments on Tuesday, April 2), the Musikmesse offers live music by national and international artists throughout the day.

In the evenings, the exhibition grounds become the epicentre of the Musikmesse Festival - for example, the Festhalle Frankfurt, the Congress Center Messe Frankfurt, the Festival Arena on the outdoor exhibition grounds and the new Circle Stages directly in the exhibition halls offer special musical experiences even after the fair has closed. The Musikmesse Festival also presents concerts and parties in Frankfurt's clubs and event locations. Visitors to Musikmesse receive a free festival wristband, with which they can attend Musikmesse Festival events at a reduced price or even free of charge.
 

© Musikmesse Frankfurt

The Grand Finale of the "International German Pianist Award" offers a treat for fans of top-class piano music (April 1, Alte Oper Frankfurt). Accompanied by the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Douglas Bostock, top young pianists will showcase their skills. The program includes Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 op. 18 in C minor and Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 op. 15 in D minor.

On the Saturday after Musikmesse (April 6), "Musikmesse Plaza" will present a completely new event concept aimed at music enthusiasts of all ages. Together with partners from the creative sector, Messe Frankfurt is realizing a pop-up market with a variety of themed worlds and direct sales: from vintage instruments to sound carriers and lifestyle products. As the highlight of a week full of music and entertainment, music fans can look forward to the closing concert by US soul artist Gregory Porter, who will be performing together with the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt for the first time.

© Musikmesse Frankfurt

All further information about the Musikmesse at

For almost a quarter of a century, Richard Irniger has made his villa available to musicians of various styles, from classical to jazz and folk music, according to the city's press release. Over a thousand concerts have already taken place in the premises on Schneckenmannstrasse, where musicians can also practice and rehearse regularly.

After each concert, the patron, who celebrated his eightieth birthday on January 27, offers an aperitif riche and brings the audience into conversation with the artists in a relaxed atmosphere. According to the tribute, Richard Irniger has "created a cultural gem on the Zürichberg with which he has tirelessly enriched Zurich's musical life".
 

The 10th YOUTH CLASSICS Swiss International Music Academy SIMA offers talented musicians from Switzerland and abroad an intensive, high-quality educational opportunity at the Musikinsel Rheinau from July 11 to 21, 2019. The Academy is aimed at talented young musicians aged between 10 and 25 who are aiming to study music in the near or distant future or are already doing so. It was founded in 2009 by violinist and conductor Philip A. Draganov. He is one of the most sought-after violin teachers for young talents in Switzerland and teaches at the Musikschule Konservatorium Zürich, the Konservatorium Winterthur and at the PreCollege Musik of the Zurich University of the Arts.

During ten days of solo lessons, chamber music lessons and workshops, participants benefit from the experience of internationally renowned lecturers from renowned music academies in Switzerland and abroad. In intensive individual lessons, participants receive excellent musical support and first-class training on their instrument. They are also prepared for competitions, auditions and examinations.

Participants and lecturers live in the same place during the Academy on the Rheinau Music Island. This also encourages encounters with important music teachers and exchanges with like-minded people of different ages.

Concerts during the Academy and final concerts on July 20 and September 14, 2019 in Zurich are special highlights.

Registration until May 11, 2019 at www.youth-classics.ch
 

Thomas Grossenbacher, lecturer at the Zurich University of the Arts, solo cellist in the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and lecturer at SIMA for many years.

Mr. Grossenbacher, as a busy musician, what motivates you to become involved as a lecturer at SIMA?
I particularly enjoy the community of students and lecturers, but the incomparable atmosphere on the music island of Rheinau is also a great source of motivation.

What makes this Academy particularly valuable?
I see great value in the versatility of the program (from violin making workshops to baroque dance to audition training and much more), but also in the excellent organization, the mix of students from small to large and the many opportunities for participants to perform in front of an audience.

What advice would you give young talents?
Relax!
 

Listening to classical music is often accompanied by information about the pieces: Program booklets are distributed at concerts and operas, every good classical CD comes with a booklet and classical pieces are introduced on the radio. A study at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics has now investigated the influence of various types of information on the evaluation of the music listened to.

The researchers were concerned with two questions: Does the composer's fame have an influence on the liking of the pieces? How do stylistically different introductory texts influence the appreciation of the music? All participants listened to a Sinfonia by Josef Mysliveček (1737-1781) as part of the study. While half of the participants were given the correct information about the author of the piece, the other half were told that it was a piece by Wolfgang Amadé Mozart (1756-1791). Before listening, the participants in both groups also read a short introduction: one group received a text that described the expressive significance of the Sinfonia in a lively, sometimes flowery way, while the text of the second group explained the formal characteristics of the Sinfonia. After listening, all participants rated the Sinfonia according to how much they liked the music, among other things.

The results, recently published in the journal Psychology of Music, confirm the obvious assumption that prior information has a lasting influence on the listening experience of music. The research team was able to observe an age effect with regard to prestige: In contrast to older participants, younger ones liked the piece better when it was attributed to Mozart. This result confirms observations from previous studies. In contrast to previous studies, however, older listeners also took part in this study, for whom the attribution to Mozart had no effect on how well they liked the piece. The apparent immunity of the older participants - the majority of whom were experienced music lovers - indicates that musical-stylistic experiences can protect against external influences on the evaluation of music.

In contrast, the style in which the text was written had a strong effect across all age groups: the participants in the group who had read the expressive text liked the same music better than those whose text presented sober, music-analytical information

Original publication: Fischinger, T., Kaufmann, M., & Schlotz, W. (2018). If it's Mozart, it must be good? The influence of textual information and age on musical appreciation. Psychology of Music. Advance online publication. DOI:10.1177/0305735618812216