Glickhaftig! (BS)

From Felix Platter's musical life (Tour BS, SO, BE)
Fri 08.12.23 Concert 20:15

Barfüsserkirche
Historical Museum Basel

"Alkanna Tinctoria Färber Alkanna" From the herbarium of Felix Platters, Burgerbibliothek Bern, BBB ES 70.5 (183).

Glickhaftig! - From Felix Platter's musical life

I

n 1536, just in time for the autumn fair, a child was born at Petersberg in Basel who was to make a name for himself in later years as the city’s doctor: Felix Platter. His research on anatomy, psychiatry and also his epidemiological reports at the time of the Basel plague made him, beyond his death in 1614, one of the most important sons of the city and known throughout Europe.

But Felix was much more than just a physician. Already during his studies in Montpellier he received the nickname “l’Alemandt du lut”. His “dumbed-down” transcriptions of French chansons and Italian madrigals from this same period represent a special musical-philological treasure.

The focus of this concert is the musical side of this polymath, which is once again allowed to blossom with voice, lute, viola da gamba and recorder.

Tessa Roos – voice
Ivo Haun – voice and lute
Rui Stähelin – lute and voice
Caroline Ritchie – Renaissance viola da gamba
Tabea Schwartz – recorder, viola da gamba, direction

Programmbooklet German PDF 

Download Webflyer Glickhaftig! Basel

Stiftskirche Schönenwerd Sun 29.10.23 17:00
Burgerbibliothek Bern Mon 30.10.23 19:30

Hans Bock: Portrait of Felix Platter, 1585. Basel Public Art Collection. Regenzzimmer of the Kollegienhaus of the University of Basel.

Video

FELIX PLATTER – A LIFE IN MUSIC

Felix Platter’s research on anatomy, psychiatry and also his epidemiological reports on the time of the plague made him famous throughout Europe beyond his death in 1614. But Felix Platter was much more than just a physician; already during his studies in Montpellier he received the nickname “l’Alemandt du lut”…

Column

Why I’ll be there
by David Fallows
Felix Platter’s book of songs is probably the wildest and most chaotic manuscript I have seen. Somebody else copied the texts; then he messed around with them, cut them up, pasted them together in a different order, fixed some of the spellings and added a few headings. Basically the texts are in middle high German, not dialect, as you would perhaps expect from a Basel professor of medicine who had studied in Montpellier; though there are traces of dialect in the orthography. 
But the thrill of these texts is that so many of them direct that they are to be sung to the music of prominent French chansons and Italian madrigals of the sixteenth century. Among them are Jouissance vous donnerayTant que vivray and Le content est riche of Claudin de Sermisy, various chansons by the marvellous Sandrin, Bon jour mon cuer of Lassus, and the absolutely most successful madrigal of the sixteenth century, Arcadelt’s Il bianco e dolce cigno
Seriously, a marvellous opportunity to hear so many of the masterpieces of the sixteenth century in a new garb. 

2025

February

La Contenance françoise

A cappella in Binchois' time
Sun 23.02.25 18:15 Concert

Barfüsserkirche
Historical Museum Basel

March

Daheim bei Milán & Galilei

Lute parcours II
Sun 30.03.25 18:15 Concert

Haus zum Kirschgarten
Historiscal Museum Basel

April

A Company of Violins

Birth of a new instrument family
Sun 27.04.25 18:15 Concert

Barfüsserkirche
Historical Museum Basel

September

Festival 2025 «ARCADIA»

2. ReRenaissance Festival
Fri 26.09.25 until 28.09.2025

Basel, Martinskirche