Tritone (ensemble)
The Ensemble Tritonus is a Swiss folk music group that was founded around 1985 in eastern Switzerland . They are considered pioneers and experts in the research and performance of ancient folk music and its instruments in Switzerland before 1800.
Band history
The history of the ensemble goes back to the 1970s - the impetus for the later group name was given by the central importance of the tritone pitch in old Swiss folk music .
Beat Wolf and Urs Klauser, both instrument makers and musicians, shared an interest in ancient folk music from the most varied of origins and the need to thoroughly research Swiss folk music of earlier centuries. On their instruments, which they reconstructed according to historical models, they revived the melodic material found in the original sound image.
The focus was initially on the drone instruments Swiss bagpipe ( bagpipe ) and hurdy-gurdy as well as the shawm . In other words, instruments that were widespread and popular in Switzerland before they were replaced by changed sound ideals and in the 19th century by the emergence of new instruments (e.g. harmonica and clarinet ).
1985 is the founding year of the Tritonus Ensemble: Wolf and Klauser supplemented their duo with additional musicians, other old folk musical instruments such as cister (neck zither), Schwegel (cross whistle ), flutes , Trümpi ( jew's harp ), various rhythm instruments and later also with dulcimer , violin , Rebec and singing.
The first award-winning tritone CD "Old Folk Music in Switzerland" (1991), produced in collaboration with Radio DRS I, was a real milestone in the exploration of ancient traditions.
Around fifteen years after the publication of this standard work, Tritonus broke new musical territory with an expanded line-up with young jazz musicians. A repertoire was created that unites tradition and innovation, origin and future of Swiss folk music. On the CD "Alpan" released in 2006, Tritonus presents Alpsegen , Gäuerli, Kuhreihen - and Geissreihen as well as Löckler alongside ballads and love songs. Archaic folk music mixes with new sounds - a colorful, varied, intense music.
In the summer of 2010, the Première of the new tritone program was entitled "Vo Schwyzer, Swede, Wyn and Wyb" in the Zurich Tonhalle place, inter alia, the legend of the origin of the Swiss from Sweden worked up musically. In the program Tritonus deals with the “central questions of humanity”: “Where do we come from? Where are we going? and above all: What do we drink with it? "
In May 2015, on the occasion of the ensemble's 30th anniversary, the third CD “urbanus” will be released, which is dedicated to old folk music from Swiss cities. Dances from lute tablatures from the 16th century, songs and ballads are brought to new life in sophisticated arrangements and - inspired by the esprit of our old folk music - supplemented with new texts and melodies.
Awards
- 1991 - Radio and television award of the ORG (Eastern Switzerland radio and television company)
- 1992 - Appenzell Ausserrhoden Cultural Foundation Award
- 2005 - Sponsorship award from the Culture Foundation of the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Concerts
Small stages, festivals and places of historical / acoustic interest in Switzerland and abroad, including the Seville World Exhibition, Bulgarian Cultural Exchange, International Music Festival Alpentöne Altdorf, Forum Alte Musik Zürich, Spazio Culturale Svizzero di Venezia, “urCHix” Festival of New Folk Music, Basel Museum Night , Tonhalle Zürich (Stubete am See), World Exhibition Shanghai.
Discography
- 2015 - CD urbanus
- 2007 - CD Alpentöne (collective CD live)
- 2006 - CD Alpan
- 1992 - CD Alpine Jazz Herd - Alpine Two (with B. Wolf & U. Klauser)
- 1991 - CD Old Folk Music in Switzerland
- 1988 - LP Ferdinand Huber - A Swiss musician in Biedermeier (scrapbook; with B. Wolf & U. Klauser)
- 1982 - LP Bollement (scrapbook; B. Wolf & U. Klauser)
Ensemble members (current line-up)
- Felicia Kraft - vocals, percussion, Rebec
- Urs Klauser - Swiss bagpipe, Cister, Schwegel
- Daniel Som - shawm, hurdy-gurdy, flutes, trumpets
- Lea Zanola - dulcimer, Trümpi
- Andrea Brunner - violin, viola
- Andreas Cincera - violons, double bass
- Daniel Affentranger - soprano sax, chalumeaux, bass clarinet
- Michaela Walder - dulcimer
Former ensemble members / guest musicians
- Beat Wolf - hurdy-gurdy, shawm, trumpet, flutes
- Barbara Plouze - Cister, rhythm instruments
- Dale Overturf - shawm, flutes, trumpets, rhythm instruments
- Paola Imola - dulcimer
- Cornelia Arn - violin, Rebec
- Geri Bolliger - soprano saxophone, flutes, double bass
- Fabian Müller - dulcimer, violin, double bass
- Reto Suhner - soprano sax
- Tobias Preisig - violin, viola
- Nicole Johänntgen - soprano sax
- Andreas Ambühl - soprano sax, chalumeaux, bass clarinet