Glickhaftig! (BS)

From Felix Platter's musical life (Tour BS, SO, BE)
Mon 30.10.23 Theme 17:45 Concert 18:15

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

P

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

Barfüsserkirche, HMB, Basel Fri 27.10.23 18:15
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.

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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 donneray, Tant 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. 

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

Felix Platter, Historisches Museum Basel © Peter Portner

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

Hans Bock: Porträt von Felix PlatterDer Basler Stadtarzt und Professor der Medizin Felix Platter der Jüngere (1536–1614) mit exotischen Pflanzen und antiken Ruinen. Platter war europaweit bekannt als Sammler von Antiquitäten und weiterer wissenschaftlich wertvoller Objekte. Er hatte auch einen eigenen botanischen Garten und legte als einer der ersten Wissenschaftler ein Herbarium an. Das Gemälde befindet sich im Regenzzimmer des Kollegienhauses der Universität Basel.

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2024

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November

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