Michael Schneider (born 6 September 1964) is a Swiss composer and

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

. He is active as a music and culture journalist as well as manager.

Life

Schneider was born in

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

in 1964 and received piano and

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a ...

lessons at an early age. He took his school-leaving examination at the , where the composer János Tamás also taught. From 1985 to 1993 he studied musicology, modern history and art history at the

University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 ...

and from 1990 to 1994 composition with

Dimitri Terzakis Dimitri Terzakis ( el, Δημήτρης Τερζάκης; born March 12, 1938 in Athens) is a Greek composer. His father was the author Angelos Terzakis. From 1959–1964 Terzakis studied composition with Yannis Papaioannou at the Athens Helleni ...

at the

University of the Arts Bern __NOTOC__ The University of the Arts Bern (german: Hochschule der Künste Bern) is an art school with locations in Bern and Biel/Bienne. It was created in 2003 from the merger of the University of Music and Theatre and the School of Design, Art an ...

.. Website of musinfo. Retrieved on 15 June 2020. In 1988/89 he lived in Sydney, where he made contacts with the Australian music scene. As part of the

Lucerne Festival Lucerne Festival is one of the leading international festivals in the world of classical music and presents a series of classical music festivals based in Lucerne, Switzerland. Founded in 1938 by Ernest Ansermet and Walter Schulthess, it curre ...

Schneider attended

master class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

es with

Edison Denisov Edison Vasilievich Denisov (russian: Эдисо́н Васи́льевич Дени́сов, 6 April 1929 – 24 November 1996) was a Russian composer in the so-called " Underground", "alternative" or "nonconformist" division of Soviet music. ...

in 1991 and 1993. In 1993 he was a founding member of the group of composers Groupe Lacroix. Schneider worked from 1984 to 1993 as

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mu ...

for the ''

Aargauer Zeitung ''Aargauer Zeitung'' (English: ''Aargauer Newspaper'') is a Swiss German-language daily newspaper, published by AZ Medien Gruppe, Aarau, Aargau. History and operations ''Aagauer Zeitung'' was created in 1996 through the merger of the ''Aarg ...

'' and the ''

Badener Tagblatt ''Aargauer Zeitung'' (English: ''Aargauer Newspaper'') is a Swiss German-language daily newspaper, published by AZ Medien Gruppe, Aarau, Aargau. History and operations ''Aagauer Zeitung'' was created in 1996 through the merger of the '' Aar ...

''. From 1993 to 1998 he was project manager at

Stapferhaus The Stapferhaus in Lenzburg, Switzerland, was founded in 1960 as a place for encounters and intellectual debate. Founders and founding site The Stapferhaus was founded by the representatives of Pro Helvetia, Pro Argovia, the Canton Aargau and t ...

, managed the ''PAN Musikverlag'' in Zurich from 1999 to 2001 and subsequently headed the public relations department of the

Museum der Kulturen Basel The Museum of Cultures in Basel ( German: Museum der Kulturen Basel) is a Swiss museum of ethnography with large and important collections of artifacts, especially from Europe, the South Pacific, Mesoamerica, Tibet, and Bali. It is a Swiss he ...

from 2001 to 2006. From 2000 to 2012 he was also artistic director of the ''Wettinger Kammerkonzerte'' in Baden AG. From 2006 to 2019, Schneider served as managing director of the Swiss Cultural Foundation . In addition, he is active on a voluntary basis in several cultural foundations (e.g. since 1990 he has been a member of the board of trustees of the Peter Mieg Foundation).

Work

Orchestral works

* ''Von einer Wanderung (Werner Wehrli)'' (1992/95) for chamber orchestra * ''Laufen auf dünnem Eis'' (1992/96) for orchestra * ''Rubin'' (2001) for

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...

Piano pieces

* ''La beauté retrouvée'' (1991) for

piano four hands Piano four hands (french: À quatre mains, german: Zu vier Händen, Vierhändig, it, a quattro mani) is a type of piano duet involving two players playing the same piano simultaneously. A duet with the players playing separate instruments is ...

* ''Desii e terre nuove'' (1995) for two pianos * ''Mandorla'' (1998) for piano * ''Fussball'' (2008). 4 studies for piano solo

Chamber music

* ''Evocation'' (1991) for violin, clarinet and piano * ''Licht über Schatten'' (1993) for two flutes * ''Über verwunschenen Ebenen '' (1994/95) for chamber ensemble * ''Kailash'' (1996) for horn and piano * ''touch(e)!'' (1996) for piano trio. First performance 7 December 1996 Moscow (

Moscow Rachmaninov Trio The Moscow Rachmaninov Trio is a piano trio that emerged in 1994 from the Moscow Ensemble for Contemporary Music. Its members are Victor Yampolsky (piano), Mikhail Tsinman (violin) and Natalia Savinova (cello). The trio is named after the Russian co ...

) * ''Schubert überquert die Donau bei Wien'' (1997) for

string trio A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cel ...

* ''67 pas sur la nappe de l'étang glacé'' (1997) for oboe and a frozen lake (playback tape) * ''Shark Turtle Ray'' (1998/99) for oboe, viola and guitar Premiere June 28, 1999 (8th

MDR Musiksommer The MDR Musiksommer is a music festival involving three federal states of Germany: Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. It started in 1992 with 15 concerts, but grew to more than 104 concerts. The festival is held in July and attracts internation ...

Museum der bildenden Künste The Museum der bildenden Künste (German: "Museum of Fine Arts") is a museum in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. It covers artworks from the Late Middle Ages to Modernity. History Museum Foundation and First Museum The museum dates back to the fo ...

Ensemble Sortisatio Ensemble Sortisatio is a quartet (viola, oboe/cor anglais, bassoon and guitar) founded by violist Matthias Sannemüller in 1992 in Leipzig, Germany. Its members are mostly soloists at the MDR Symphony Orchestra. They have specialized in contempor ...

) * ''Distant calls'' (1999/2000) for saxophone quartet and piano * ''Voiles'' (2000). 3 sketches for 3 oboes * ''Es werde Licht '' (2000) for viola solo * ''Mandorla'' (1998/2001) for soprano saxophone solo * ''Painting/Orange'' (2007) for organ and saxophone * ''Die chemischen Elemente'' (2008) for flute, saxophone and vibraphone * ''Järvi'' (2009) for violoncello solo * Fanfare for Sandringham (1991/2010) for trumpet and trombone * Gran Partita (2011) for wind septet

Stage music

* ''Der Mann im Mond'' (1991/92). Expressionist drama after

Georg Britting Georg Britting (born 17 February 1891 in Regensburg; died 27 April 1964 in Munich) was a German poet, short story writer, and essayist. Life Britting spent his early years in Regensburg. His writing career began in 1911, when he began publis ...

for 3 speaking roles, oboe, saxophone, violin, cello and percussion (1st player). First performance 27 November 1992 Berne (ad hoc ensemble of the Junge Bühne Zurich and the Conservatory of Berne, conductor:

Jean-Luc Darbellay Jean-Luc Darbellay (born 2 July 1946) is a Swiss composer, conductor, clarinetist and physician. He was chairman of the Swiss Society for New Music and board member of the International Society for Contemporary Music. Darbellay is a member of the ...

) * ''Im innersten Winter (requiem)'' (1999) for speaker, bass clarinet and guitar after texts by Andreas Neeser. First performance 21 November 1999 Lenzburg (Michael Wolf arrator Thomas Hunziker ass clarinet Martin Pirktl uitar * ''Geträumt hab ich jede Nacht von dir'' (2003). Chamber opera (fragment). Libretto:

Andreas Neeser Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The name ...

. For four voices ( S.A.T.B), Kammerchor, Live-Elektronik und Kammerensemble (Bassetthorn, Englischhorn, Percussion st Spieler Viola, Violoncello) * ''A Dictionary of Maladies'' (2002–2005). Chamber opera (Libretto: Jen Craig. For two low voices (bass/bass baritone) and chamber ensemble (clarinet/bass clarinet, alto/baritone saxophone, bassoon/contrabassoon, electric guitar, percussion nd player violoncello, double bass). First performance (concertante) 26 August 2005 Lenzburg

Vocal and choral music

* ''Colors and Countenance'' (1996/97) for soprano and wind quintet. Lyrics:

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

* ''Gorillas are sleeping at night'' (1997) for soprano, alto, mixed choir (SATB) and piano four hands with small percussion. text: Scientific language * ''Licht bei Vermeer'' (1997/98) for eight-part choir (SSAATTBB), basset horn and vibraphone. text:

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

, Pieter Teding van Berkhout, Dirk Hannema, Catharina Bolnes, everyday language * ''Strasbourg configuration'' (1998) for voice and piano. Lyrics:

Hans Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born in Straßburg (now Str ...

* ''Alle Schatten der Blätter'' (1998). 5

madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance music, Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque music, Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The Polyphony, polyphoni ...

s for soprano solo. Lyrics: Ulrich Suter * ''I giganti nell'autosilo'' (1999) for choir a cappella (high voices). Lyrics:

Franz Hohler Franz Hohler (born 1 March 1943) is a Swiss author and cabaret performer based in Zürich. Life Hohler is the author of one-man programs and satirical programs for television and radio. He has written theater pieces, children's books, storie ...

* ''Inlaid'' (1998/2000). 4 miniatures for soprano and piano after lyrics by Ulrich Suter * ''Gand'' (2005) for baritone solo * ''Ballad (Dällebach Kari)'' (2011) for vocal quartet (SATB). Lyrics:

Mani Matter Mani Matter (4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee – 24 November 1972 in Kilchberg, Zurich, officially Hans-Peter Matter) was a popular Swiss singer-songwriter. Biography Mani Matter was born on 4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee, Canton of Bern. ...

* ''Chue am Waldrand'' (2011) for vocal quartet (SATB). Lyrics: Mani Matter

Discography

* 1997: Groupe Lacroix: ''The Composer Group'' (

Creative Works Records Creative Works Records is an independent Swiss record label. History The label ''Creative Works Records'' was founded in 1983 by Mike Wider in Root (canton of Lucerne). Wider, who at that time had helped build up a recording studio in Lucerne a ...

) with the Moscow Rachmaninov Trio * 2001: ''Distant Calls'' (TonArt) with Saxism – das Saxophon Quartett * 2001: ''Capricci Musicali'' (MM) with Thomas Hlawatsch (piano) * 2003: Groupe Lacroix: ''

8 Pieces on Paul Klee ''8 Pieces on Paul Klee'' is the debut album of the Ensemble Sortisatio. It was recorded in February and March 2002 in Leipzig, Germany and in August 2002 in Lucerne, Switzerland. It was released in 2003 by Creative Works Records. Background Al ...

'' (Creative Works Records) with the

Publications

* (Edited with Kristina Ericson:) ''Ein unstillbares Sehnen. Werner Wehrli. Das dichterische Schaffen.'' Sauerländer Verlag, Aarau 1994, . * ''Verborgene Spuren. Anne Frank und die Schweiz''. In Stapferhaus Lenzburg (ed.): ''Anne Frank und wir''. Chronos Verlag, Zürich 1995, . * ''Der Komponist Peter Mieg : Leben, Werk, Rezeption''. Amadeus Verlag, Winterthur 1995, . * ''Das unbeschreibliche Licht und die winterlichen Schatten. Zum musikalischen Denken von János Tamás''. In Förderverein János Támas (ed.): ''Feuerbilder – Schattenklänge – János Tamás. Komponist, Dirigent, Pädagoge''.

Müller & Schade Müller & Schade is a Swiss music publisher house founded in 1850 and based in Bern. History Müller & Schade was founded in Bern in 1850 and is organised in the legal form of a public limited company. The Musiknotenhaus publishes choral and ...

, Bern 1997, . * ''We can work it out. Die Beat-Szene in der Schweiz (1964–67)''. In Stapferhaus Lenzburg (ed.): ''A walk on the wild side. Jugendszenen der Schweiz von den 30er Jahren bis heute''. Chronos Verlag, Zürich 1997, . * (Edited with Gaby Fierz:) ''Feste im Licht. Religiöse Vielfalt in einer Stadt''.''Feste im Licht : Religiöse Vielfalt in einer Stadt''
on WorldCat Christoph Merian Verlag, Basel 2004, . * Schneider also wrote the biographical articles on Friedrich Theodor Fröhlich,

Walther Geiser Walther is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a German form of Walter, which is derived from the Old High German '' Walthari'', containing the elements ''wald'' -"power", "brightness" or "forest" and ''hari'' -"warrior". The name was fi ...

and

Peter Mieg Peter Mieg (5 September 1906 – 7 December 1990) was a Swiss composer, painter and journalist. Biography Mieg was born in Lenzburg where he spent almost all his life. He studied art history, archaeology, music history as well as French and ...

for the music encyclopaedia ''

Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik (MGG)'' is one of the world's most comprehensive encyclopedias of music history and musicology, on account of its scope, content, wealth of research areas, and reference t ...

'' and on Peter Mieg for the

Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland that aims to take into account the results of modern historical research in a manner accessible to a broader audience. The encyclopedia is publish ...

as well as specialist essays for the ''

Schweizer Musikzeitung The ''Schweizer Musikzeitung'' (SMZ) is a monthly (9 times a year) music magazine from Brunnen. It is published in German, French and sporadically in Italian and reaches a circulation of 19,484 copies and a reach of 24,000 readers.https://www.mu ...

– Schweizer Musikpädagogische Blätter''.

References

External links

*
Official website

Biographie, Werkliste, Diskographie und Bibliographie von Michael Schneider
in der Online-Datenbank musinfo.ch der Schweizer Musikedition * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Michael 20th-century classical composers Music historians Swiss music critics Swiss journalists Music publishers (people) Swiss non-fiction writers 1964 births Living people Musicians from Göttingen 20th-century Swiss composers