It is a bold and commendable goal that Graubünden musicologist Laura Decurtins has set herself: "I would like to research the 'musical DNA' of Romansh-speaking Graubünden and offer a musical perspective on Romansh-speaking Graubünden." Thanks to a research project at the University of Zurich and the Institute for Cultural Research Graubünden, she was given time and money for her project, and the results of her extensive research have recently been published as a book by Chronos-Verlag under the title Chantai rumantsch! - On the musical self-(in)discovery of the Romansh-speaking region available.

The book is thick and heavy, and the content was accepted as a dissertation by the University of Zurich in 2017: not the ingredients for a light read. And the reviewer's fears are confirmed. It takes discipline and time to do justice to Laura Decurtins' work, which is over 500 pages long. A somewhat bumpy language, many references - the list of sources alone takes up more than 40 pages - and repeated confusing references to names do not make the text any more accessible. But the work is rewarded.

Laura Decurtins links the history of Rhaeto-Romanic music-making with the identity of the Romansh-speaking population. "Musica rumantscha" therefore not only means "music to texts in Romansh", but rather "music by, through, with and for Romansh". Music as part of cultural identity and therefore formative for a society is not a new idea, but has long been neglected by musicology.

The author has divided her book into five main chapters. It begins with the early modern period and sacred singing, continues with patriotic singing and homeland consciousness in the 19th century, then on to choral singing and language consciousness in the first half of the 20th century and on to popular vocal music and new cultural consciousness in the second half of the 20th century. It ends with a chapter on the linguistic and cultural search for identity in contemporary vocal music. Reading the book, it becomes clear how fragmented and small-scale the cultural area of the Romansh-speaking population in Graubünden was and still is. As a representative of the German-speaking majority in Graubünden, it is easy to overlook this. The centuries-old dominance of German as the official language and the transformation of Romansh from a colloquial language to a written language and how this is linked to musical creation is also vividly described. The introduction, with its explanations of how, by whom and when sacred texts and songs were translated into Romansh and how they were disseminated, is extremely interesting. It is also a particular merit that Laura Decurtins deals with contemporary music. This highlights the existing links between Rhaeto-Romanic music from the early modern period to the present day.

Laura Decurtins has compiled a detailed and well-founded reference work on the development and history of Rhaeto-Romanic culture. This historiography has only just begun and will hopefully find imitators. While the first four chapters are notable for their care and analytical approach, the last chapter on the present is too much of a list of biographies of active musicians and institutions, which is neither complete nor reflected upon. This is a pity, as it leaves the question of how Rhaeto-Romanic music and its protagonists are asserting themselves and developing in an international environment unanswered. We are looking forward to the sequel.

Laura Decurtins: Chantai rumantsch! On the musical self(-)discovery of the Romansh-speaking region,
564 p., 57 ill., Fr. 58.00, Chronos, Zurich 2019, ISBN 978-3-0340-1501-1
E-Book (PDF) free of charge

The Beethoven Year 2020 has long been casting its shadow and the music publishers naturally don't want to be left behind.

The Wiener Urtext-Edition has just published the complete piano sonatas in three volumes, the first of which is available here: a thick book that only contains sonatas 1 to 11, but about 80 pages of critical notes (UT 50427). Henle-Verlag is trying to take advantage of the moment with anthologies of lighter and popular works. Not a bad idea! Unfortunately, Murray Perahia's fingerings are often awkward and complicate what is actually a wonderfully clear score. (Five easy piano sonatas, HN 1391; Five famous piano sonatas, HN 1392)

That leaves Bärenreiter-Verlag, which has just published the last three sonatas in individual editions. All have an informative introduction, notes on performance practice and a detailed critical commentary. There are also illustrations in all three volumes which impressively document Beethoven's impulsive notation. Only a few unnecessary careless errors mar the impression of a very carefully prepared edition. In the German translation of the preface, for example, Opus 110 is occasionally confused with Opus 109. Also, the expression "cheerfully relaxed" is probably not appropriate for the concluding variation movements of the E major and C minor sonatas.

It is also claimed that Antonia von Brentano is regarded by current research as the mysterious "immortal lover". This is very controversial. After all, the Sonata op. 109 is dedicated to Brentano's daughter Maximiliane, while op. 111 was finally dedicated to Archduke Rudolph. The English first edition still reads: To Madame Antonia de Brentano. (Opus 109: BA 10854; Opus 111: BA 11813)

And the Sonata in A flat major op. 110? This perhaps most enigmatic of all piano sonatas bears no dedication. This fact inspired the Beethoven biographer Jan Caeyers to come up with a very daring but plausible thesis, which is presented in his book Beethoven. The lone revolutionary can be read here. We won't reveal any more at this point ...

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata for Piano in A flat major op. 110, edited by Jonathan Del Mar, BA 11812, € 6.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel

The right background music in a store, hairdressing salon or restaurant makes an important contribution to making customers and guests feel comfortable, just like the lighting or decoration. And in a pub, the live broadcast of a football or cricket match is just as much a part of the interior as the dark furniture, the wooden signs and the dart board.

Just as the manufacturers of furniture, decorations or lighting must be paid, composers, lyricists, performers, screenwriters or producers are entitled by law to receive remuneration for the use of their works and performances outside the private sphere. The five Swiss collecting societies Pro Litteris, SSA, SUISA, Suissimage and Swissperform are responsible for this. On their behalf, SUISA collects the remuneration for the use of music, films and TV broadcasts in accordance with the Common Tariff 3a (GT 3a).

What does SUISA do with the income from background entertainment?

In a first step, the money collected is distributed among the five Swiss collecting societies according to a fixed distribution formula. SUISA's share for the remuneration of music content amounts to slightly more than half of the income. In a second step, each society is responsible for paying out this income to the authors, artists, publishers and producers.

In the case of SUISA, 88% of the aforementioned fifty percent is distributed to the rights holders in this second step. This means that for every CHF 100 collected, CHF 88 can be distributed to the artists and their publishers.

How and to whom is the income distributed? In principle, SUISA has three different distribution options: direct distribution, lump-sum distribution with program documentation and lump-sum distribution without program documentation. Program documents are lists of works that have been performed or broadcast.

With GT 3a, the money is distributed almost exclusively as a lump sum without program documents. For both the clients and SUISA, the submission or processing of work lists would entail an enormous effort that would be disproportionate to the benefit. Instead, SUISA uses existing program documents from various sources to distribute the income from GT 3a. In doing so, SUISA ensures that lists or uses are used for this distribution which allow for the fairest possible distribution.

Fairest possible distribution even without a list of listed works

Based on experience, for example, it is assumed that a large proportion of companies, stores, restaurants, etc. use works that are also broadcast on radio or television. It is assumed that a large proportion of companies, shops, restaurants etc. use works that are also broadcast on radio or television. Accordingly, a large part of the income from GT 3a is distributed on the basis of the program documents for the use of music, TV programmes and films from radio and TV broadcasts. However, SUISA also takes into account the fact that not only pop, rock or urban music is played, but also other genres such as folk music or even church music. Therefore, part of the income is also distributed on the basis of program lists for church performances, brass bands or yodel clubs.

In order to distribute the money to the artists, it is thus allocated to other, similar distribution classes of the performing and broadcasting rights (see distribution regulations item 5.5.2). Therefore, if a member receives a settlement in one of these distribution classes, he/she shall also receive a share of the income for background entertainment from GT 3a.

In some exceptional cases, direct distribution is used for the distribution of income from background entertainment. These are, for example, music that is used in a museum for an exhibition or music that is used for a longer period of time by a company in the telephone queue. In these cases, it is usually commissioned music.

SUISA distributes the royalties four times a year. In 2018, a total of over CHF 132 million was distributed to composers, lyricists and publishers of music.

Further information:

> www.suisablog.ch

MvO - Laurence Desarzens has been active in the Swiss music scene for over 30 years: as program manager at the Rote Fabrik, Moods (Zurich) and Kaserne Basel. She has been head of the pop and jazz department at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne, HEMU, since 2016. In her view, the Swiss Exchange Festival DKSJ primarily emphasizes the idea of cooperation, which is why the Association of Directors of Swiss Jazz Schools DKSJ was founded to facilitate exchange between the various universities. Each year, the focus is on a different music academy; in 2019 it was the Lucerne School of Music. Under the DKSJ label, the five jazz departments of the Swiss music universities present the joint All Star Project every year. Under the direction of Irish bassist and composer Ronan Guilfoyle, ten selected students spent three rehearsal days working on his arrangements of Jack Bruce's music as well as his compositions, which were created in honor of the 100th anniversary of Thelonious Monk's birth. They presented the program at five concerts in the cities of the participating music academies. In this way, the students gain experience with other institutions, but also come into contact with other artists and performers. For Laurence Desarzens, this collaboration creates a studio spirit that is very valuable for everyone involved. In the end, it is primarily about one thing: promoting young jazz talent in Switzerland, which is why the DKSJ project will continue to be pursued in the coming years; in 2020, for example, the focus will be on "Women in Jazz". This project, called "Jazzlab", was initiated by the Helvetiarockt association and the jazz departments of the HKB Bern and the HEMU together with the Cully Jazz Festival.

Florentin Setz is currently studying for a Master of Arts in Music - Pedagogy at the Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK. He is being taught jazz trombone by Bernhard Bamert and is also studying Indian rhythm with Ruven Ruppik and piano lessons with Chris Wiesendanger. As a next step, he wants to complete his Master's degree in Pedagogy next year and benefit and learn as much as possible from the ZHdK's program during the last two years. He does not yet know whether he wants to do another Master's degree after the Master's in Education. His goal is clear: to establish himself as a freelance musician in the Swiss music scene as a trombonist, bandleader and conductor. He hopes to be able to play as many concerts as possible with his projects and present his own music to a wide audience. The Swiss Exchange Festival DKSJ offers a wonderful opportunity for this. These unique opportunities can sometimes give rise to bands that make music together over several years and develop together. So it's clear that he sees the Swiss Exchange Festival DKSJ as a springboard for his own band "MEDEA". He really likes the idea of presenting a bachelor project from a Swiss jazz school in a different Swiss city each time, as this allows you to network and get to know the music of other artists.

Hannes Wittwer has been studying for a Master's degree in Music Pedagogy (MA Music Pedagogy) in jazz with drums as his main instrument since this fall. His long-term goal (similar to many young musicians in his environment) is to be able to teach part-time and also work on his artistic projects as a composer, bandleader or sideman. There is also the possibility that he will venture into journalistic, academic or transdisciplinary areas of culture at some point, as he also has interests in these fields - but for the time being, teaching and artistic activities clearly have priority. Hannes Wittwer was able to organize, design and moderate a panel for this year's Swiss Exchange Festival DKSJ. Andrina Bollinger and Philipp Hillebrand, a graduate of the ZHdK jazz department, were invited to speak on topics such as "Things to consider in the music business after graduation" and "Opportunities and risks of studying jazz". This was followed by a discussion round with the guests involved. For Wittwer, the Swiss Exchange Festival DKSJ is important for improving and consolidating the networking of Swiss jazz academies. In his own experience, he has observed that students from the individual universities, even within German-speaking Switzerland, rarely venture to other cities, whether for concerts, masterclasses, panels, jam sessions etc. The Röstigraben seems to be very present here too. Although he maintains individual contacts from French-speaking Switzerland, he hardly knows "what's going on there", as he says. It is also difficult for students from French-speaking Switzerland to get concerts in German-speaking Switzerland - and vice versa. It is not easy for Hannes Wittwer to find reasons why, even in small Switzerland, where you could actually be in all the larger jazz cities in one or two hours, everyone is working in their "own little garden". One reason could be that most jazz scenes, especially Zurich, already have such a large (over)range of curricula, culture and opportunities and are so busy with themselves that at the end of the day there is not much time left to network with people from Basel or Bern. Wittwer can only speculate as to whether social media plays a more beneficial or detrimental role in networking and exchange. The DKSJ directors' conference is therefore an important pillar in bringing people together and softening the individual jazz scene boundaries somewhat. However, the willingness to exchange ideas must not only come from "above", but also from the student base, and in his opinion there is definitely still some catching up to do here.

Tom Arthurs has been in Bern since the beginning of 2018 and enjoys the rich diversity of Swiss musical life, from the "Zoom In" and "Jazzwerkstatt" festivals in Bern to the Bern Music Festival, "unerhört" in Zurich and "earweare" in Biel. But he is also enthusiastic about the wonderful variety of incredible musicians who teach every week at the HKB, "his" music academy, including Colin Vallon, Andreas Schaerer, Patrice Moret, Julian Sartorius and Tom Arthur's colleague Brit Django Bates. For him, jazz and improvised music are today an indispensable and forward-looking part of international contemporary music-making and education in general and are therefore also of great importance within the Conference of Swiss Music Universities. The DKSJ has now been in existence for several years and offers a fruitful platform for cooperation, exchange and solidarity between Bern, Zurich, Lausanne, Lucerne and Basel - five jazz schools with very different profiles, but nevertheless with many common goals and concerns. In his view, the Swiss Exchange Festival DKSJ is a wonderful annual gathering. Arthurs is delighted when the All Star Project unites musicians from all the schools in a large ensemble that tours Switzerland for five evenings, led by an international guest artist. Before Ronan Guilfoyle, these have included Sylvie Courvoisier, Rudi Mahall and Erik Truffaz. In Bern this year, the band played in the beautiful surroundings of the BeJazz Club in Bern. A great thing for Tom Arthurs (also in view of the fact that exceptional Bachelor projects are selected every year) and unique in Switzerland, because ultimately it's about one thing: collaboration, networking and - music.

Gregor Hilbe (he was a member of the Vienna Art Orchestra, won the 2006 World Music Prize with the project "TangoCrash" and has recorded numerous albums) was head of the percussion class and the Producing/Performance course at the Jazzcampus of the Basel Music Academy until 2016. He has been head of the Jazz & Pop profile at the ZHdK since 2016. He also enjoys working with the other jazz departments at Swiss music academies, which is reflected in the regular meetings and diverse collaborations. For the Exchange and the All Star Project, the processes at the Swiss Exchange Festival are now well known, which ultimately also benefits the students. Hilbe hopes that even more Bachelor's students will show an interest in these extraordinary events in the future. For him, the potential of these projects lies above all in the fact that students can get to know their professional colleagues and thus gain important professional experience alongside their studies. Nevertheless, he is satisfied with the development of recent years and confirms that the formats should be further enhanced in the future in order to be successful across the board. The current success can also be read in the current feedback, which has been exclusively positive, so that we can look to the future with confidence.

The jazz departments enjoy a good standing within the KMHS, but for Hilbe it is important to always maintain a joint dialog and see where the congruent formation of opinions can be improved. According to Hilbe, 2020 will present an exciting major project for the jazz departments, and planning for the next edition of the Swiss Exchange Festival DKSJ is already underway.

Hunziker impressed the jury with his interpretation of blues rock classics such as "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Shame" as well as his own composition "Wasting Time", in which he also appeared as a singer. Andrea F.G. Raschèr, President of the MKZ Foundation, even thought he had heard "a young Jeff Beck". Dan Hunziker is studying at MKZ Pre-College with the aim of passing on his love of music and his knowledge as a guitar teacher in the not too distant future.

The MKZ sponsorship prizes are awarded annually for "outstanding artistic achievement" and are endowed with CHF 3000 prize money each. This prize money provided by the MKZ Sponsorship Foundation is tied to a musical purpose (master classes, CD productions or similar).
 

Jazz, pop and rock singer LeeZa Nail has compiled her experiences as a singer into a guide to help young talents take their own career in hand. While chapters 1 to 4 outline music theory, vocal technique and breathing exercises in such a quick and easy way that they are actually superfluous, the second part of the book presents interesting, well-founded and practical information, put together in a refreshing and sensible way: How do you invent yourself? The necessary equipment and the development of an "own brand" are just as important as self-management and time management. Marketing, advertising, image building and outfitting are just as important as overcoming stage fright, memorization, organization and communication, website, social media and flyers. And last but not least, the business plan has to be right: Insurance, pensions and side jobs need to be planned. Relaxation, exercise and nutrition tips complete the variety of areas addressed.

The information is peppered with anecdotes and interesting facts from the field, while interviews with professional musicians provide insights into their everyday working lives and make the book an original and varied read, especially for newcomers to the profession.

LeeZa Nail: The Singer's Coach. The career guide, 160 p., € 18.95, Alfred Music, Cologne 2019, ISBN 978-3947998081

According to Pro Helvetia, the oldest part of the listed building dates back to 1725 and the Swiss Arts Council has had its headquarters here for 80 years. Following the renovation, Pro Helvetia can now "concentrate all its workplaces in the same building complex. This will secure the foundation's location in the long term, which was a concern for both the foundation and the city."

The official inauguration and handover of the keys will take place on December 6 at 2 pm. Afterwards, the open house will offer an insight into the premises with various presentations and a children's program.

What I like about these etudes is that they are short and to the point, but go deep. Deep, both musically and in terms of the technical tasks and the ability to read music. I am talking about the Moderní Klavírní Etudy by the Czech composer Jakub Metelka. The pieces move through all major and minor keys and each etude deals with a specific technical aspect. For example, musical embellishments, glissandi, intervals of thirds and sixths, polyrhythms, arpeggios and wide shifts in position. Despite these clear intentions on the part of the composer, he succeeds in writing very poetic and appealing music, far removed from the stereotypical working through of technical patterns.

In terms of difficulty, the miniatures are at an intermediate level, and depending on the tempo and quality requirements, they can be quite tricky. Used specifically as "etudes" in piano lessons, I can imagine that these pieces can also be fun for more advanced pupils. I also consider the use of keys with many accidentals and the associated reading of contexts as well as the training of the ear to be particularly valuable.

Jakub Metelka: Modern piano etudes, BA 11559, mp3 files online, € 13.50, Bärenreiter, Prague 2019

With her dissertation on Franz Liszt's Schubert transcriptions, Swiss pianist and musicologist Andrea Wiesli has made a long-overdue plea for virtuoso song arrangements. In eleven chapters ranging from "Liszt's paths to Schubert" to "The song transcription as a new genre" and "Schubert's song cycles newly composed" to "'More dreamed than emphasized' - Aesthetics and dramaturgy of the Schubert image in Liszt", the author mainly deals with the pianistic transformation of Schubert's songs into groundbreaking transcriptions in order to also include the problem of additionally composed additions.

The "highlights of Schubert's early reception", published in 1838 with deviations in Vienna and Paris, are at the center of the numerous work reviews. 12 songs by Franz Schubert. In addition to the melodies, they contain Singing on the water and Restless love even such popular ones as the Erlkönig or Gretchen at the spinning wheel. She explains the form, harmony and aesthetics of the Viennese model's formative influence on the co-founder of the New German School in detailed, linguistically brilliant analyses of these frequently published transcriptions. The excursus on the song arrangements by Stephen Heller, which were written at almost the same time, or the presentation of the orchestrated Wanderer fantasy as a piano concerto provide great reading pleasure over and above the scientific findings.

With comparative quotations of notes, Andrea Wiesli also deals with Liszt as an idiosyncratic editor of Schubert's piano music, with the orchestrated songs and the Hungarian tone of both composers. Her fundamental publication is the first comprehensive demonstration that Liszt's multifaceted engagement with Schubert runs like a common thread through his life and work. As the author writes, Liszt "succeeded in striking a balance between fidelity to the text and independence, placing the arrangement alongside the original as an equal work of art".

Carefully researched data on Liszt's Schubert reception during the Viennese concert tours from 1838 to 1846, a music index with printing plate numbers and an extensive bibliography round off the publication, which is subtly designed with many examples of sheet music.

Andrea Wiesli: "I was always drawn away to him in joy and sorrow". The Schubert transcriptions of Franz Liszt, 328 p., numerous sheet music, € 60.00, Franz-Steiner-Verlag, Stuttgart 2019, ISBN 978-3-515-12137-8

When we are able to play Mahler songs that we know so well from listening, thanks to the arrangement by Ronald Kornfeil and Lisa Batiashvili, the richness of the harmonic and expressive means of this compositional style really penetrates our consciousness and allows us to immerse ourselves deeply in the emotional world of the songs. The vocal parts are skillfully distributed between the two instruments, the orchestral parts are transparently reduced to the essentials, resulting in a well-rounded performance. It is a pity that the texts are not printed in the booklet. It would even be desirable if the words were in the score next to the corresponding notes. Those who laboriously put this together with the help of the original versions are able to make the songs more colorful.

Included are: Remembrance, Spring morning, Went across the field this morning, Earthly life, Primordial light.

Gustav Mahler: Ging heut morgen übers Feld, Five selected songs for violin and piano arranged by Lisa Batiashvili, UE 36432, € 21.95, Universal Edition, Vienna

The present edition is an adaptation of the most beautiful motifs from the Moldova for two flutes. The tone poem is part of the symphonic cycle My fatherland by Bedřich Smetana. In the original, too, the Moldova with two flutes symbolizing the bubbling springs from which the great stream then emerges. At first, the two instruments alternate with the melodic sections until the first voice plays the great cantilena. In the second part, "Wälder - Jagd", the flutes effectively imitate the striking, dotted horn motif, which is played in thirds and sixths. The "Bauernhochzeit" also approaches the original through the dense setting of the semiquavers. The beginning of "Mondschein - Nymphenreigen" is also based on the original movement, although the arranger Jennifer Seubel recommends leaving out one of the many semiquavers for breathing. In the fifth part, "The wide river of the Moldau - Vyšehrad motif", she suggests playing individual passages an octave lower as an alternative.

The thematic action largely takes place in the first part, so that it is a good idea to swap the parts between the movements, especially because the second part, which replaces the accompanying parts of the orchestra, presents a challenge. The author suggests interpreting the parts either as short, self-contained pieces or as a concert version. This beautiful arrangement enriches the duo repertoire and can also be played well with advanced pupils.

Bedřich Smetana: Moldau, arranged for two flutes by Jennifer Seubel, BA 10929, € 13.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel 

The author Regina Dürig and the musician Christian Müller have been working together as the duo Butterland in the field of Stories & Sound since 2010. Butterland's works are mostly sculptural in character and can be formally categorized between live performance, poetic noise, radio play and spatial installation. Their formats place a special focus on encounters and exchanges with the audience.

The duo takes up favorite themes of the French philosopher, linguist and feminist Luce Irigaray and wants to use artistic means to question the encounters with others inspired by her. Based on her texts and encounters, an epilogue is created by the three of them, in which Christian Müller works with musical strategies (composition, recordings) and Regina Dürig with poetic access.

With the grant, which is endowed with CHF 20,000, the French-speaking Commission for General Cultural Issues of the Canton of Bern supports artists in the development of a joint project between the French-speaking part of the Canton of Bern and another region. Of the 13 applications received, the jury chose Butterland's project.

The scholarship is being awarded for the third time this year. The first scholarship went to the design artist Mingjun Luo, the second to the musician and sculptor Laurent Güdel. The next competition will be announced in spring 2020.

Many earlier generations of choir conductors are still familiar with the three-volume choral conducting school by Kurt Thomas (1904-1973). His equally important work as a composer is only being rediscovered today. And anyone reflecting on the development of sacred choral music in the 20th century cannot ignore the central importance of his work. Advised by Reger interpreter Karl Straube, he composed his most important works at an age when composers were still searching for their way, and his success spread far beyond Germany. After teaching in Berlin, Frankfurt/Main and Detmold, he was appointed Thomaskantor in Leipzig in 1957.

Breitkopf & Härtel recently published his Short sacred choral music op. 25, a collection of 20 motets covering the entire church year including some special church occasions. Most of the motets are composed for four-part a cappella choir, but some also include organ, violin, flute or a soprano soloist. The exact instrumentation is usually left open, as Kurt Thomas as cantor was aware of the different local conditions. However, frequent double and even triple divisions in the choir require a corresponding number of singers. The frequently quoted Luther chorales appear in the form of a cantus firmus or in unison, which can also be used as an opportunity for congregational participation in the liturgical setting. Performance in concert is also conceivable in order to emphasize the variety and exciting contrasts of this music. The new edition brings together the previous individual editions in an easy-to-read, beautifully set score and is a really worthwhile addition to the repertoire.

Kurt Thomas: Kleine Geistliche Chormusik for soprano, baritone ad lib. and four- to eight-part choir a cappella or with two violins, flute and organ, CHB 5344, €19.50, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

Many drummers were trained as professional drum teachers in the professional department (vocational school). And some up-and-coming greats such as Philipp Schmid (Art o Nice), Flavio Mezzodi (Krokus, Stefanie Heinzmann), Alain Ackermann (Eluveitie) or Giuseppe Urso (Florian Ast) have laid the foundations for their success on the drums at the Agostini Drum School in Olten.

On the open day on Saturday, December 7, 2019, 10.30 a.m. to around 3 p.m., the thirtieth anniversary of the drum school at Rötzmatt 10 will be celebrated and the new edition of the textbook The Drummer II was launched. The founder and director of the Agostini Drum School in Olten, drum teacher Noby Lehmann, has incorporated his many years of experience into this teaching aid for advanced students.

Interested parties, friends and fans are very welcome.
 

Jokes are sometimes a serious matter. While a physicist, for example, can sometimes juggle with his subject in an entertaining way (the underlying laws are set in stone), humorous play is one of the most difficult exercises of all among humanities scholars - after all, it also requires a healthy distance and reflection on one's own actions. And so no distinction is usually made between cheeky correctness and entertaining nonsense of a higher order. Yet in the field of music history, such outstanding "composer personalities" as PDQ Bach, Otto Jägermeier and Giovanni Francesco Bicchini have long since shown that you don't have to go to the cellar to laugh. Max Steinitzer already published the beautiful title in 1910: Straussiana and Andres. A booklet of musical humor mostly with and rarely without, seriously for and jokingly against Dr. Richard Strauss (not a fake!).

And now there are fun contributions under the title Cue notes has been published. As the subtitle promises, you will find astonishing, delightful and shocking things - from a culinary workshop report from the (fictitious) special research area "Music and Nutrition", to stages from the life of musicologist Dr. Gundolf Stellmacher or an article on "New German Minne" to the Divine Tirade. An intellectual highlight here is undoubtedly the extension of the name to Dmitri Shostrakowitrullala later the Dortmund kitchen installation An American in Paris. However, you won't find overly cheap stories about a certain stringed instrument in the alto position here. And that's a good thing.

Cue notes. Amazing, delightful and terrifying things from the world of music, edited by Mechthild von Schoenebeck, 168 p., € 29.90, Lit Verlag, Münster 2019, ISBN 978-3-643-14227-6