Paul Sacher Stiftung

born june 6, 1939, in utrecht, netherlands
died july 1, 2021, in weesp, netherlands

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• printed scores: proof sheets / personal copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• programs / reviews
• photos
• sound recordings
• movies / videos
• library
• personal documents

• internal inventories

english string quartet, active since 1974

archive taken over from the first violinist, irvine arditti.

• proof sheets/personal copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• sound recordings
• programs/reviews
• photographs

(1881–1945) 
hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• typescripts
• correspondence

this archive contains performance material and detailed documentary material from the basel chamber orchestra (basler kammerorchester, bko). founded by paul sacher as long ago as 1926, the ensemble gave a great many concerts of early and contemporary music before disbanding in 1987. many of sacher's commissioned works were written specifically for and premièred by the bko, including béla bartók's "music for strings, percussion, and celesta," igor stravinsky's "concerto en ré," and works by berio, britten, casella, fortner, halffter, henze, holliger, honegger, krenek, martinů, and others.

(1901–1989) 
swiss composer

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung conrad beck: musikmanuskripte [conrad beck collection: music manuscripts],
inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 13 (winterthur: amadeus, 1992) – out of print

american-italian singer of armenian descent

born 4 july 1925 in attleboro, massachusetts, usa
died 6 march 1983 in rome, italy

• internal inventories

(1911–2006) 
finnish composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• library
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

sammlung erik bergman: musikmanuskripte [erik bergman collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 16 (winterthur: amadeus, 1995) – out of print

(1918–2002) 
german pianist

• typescripts
• correspondence
• proof sheets/personal copies
• programs/reviews

(1925–2003) 
italian composer and conductor

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung luciano berio: musikmanuskripte [luciano berio collection: music manuscripts], revised second edition, inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 2 (mainz etc.: schott music, 2011) – out of print

(1893–1960) 

swiss composer 

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung jean binet: musikmanuskripte [jean binet collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 9 (winterthur: amadeus, 1990) – out of print

(1934–2022) 
english composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• sound recordings
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung harrison birtwistle: musikmanuskripte [harrison birtwistle collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 20 (mainz: schott musik international, 2000) – out of print

(1925–2016) 
french composer and conductor

• films/videos
• library
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

sammlung pierre boulez: musikmanuskripte [pierre boulez collection: music manuscripts], revised second edition, inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 3 (mainz: schott musik international, 2008) – out of print

(1913–2001) 
french conductor

• photographs
• sound recordings
• proof sheets/personal copies

(1913–2008) 
american composer of canadian origin

• films/videos
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

born december 26, 1926, in lunenberg, massachusetts, usa
died july 2, 2002, in rye, new york, usa

the earle brown collection was transferred from the earle brown music foundation, rye, ny, in 2017. the associated database of the ebmf was also transmitted and adapted. until further notice, the holdings of the collection can be searched through the catalog below.

• note on the opening of the earle brown collection 2017  here

• website of the earle brown music foundation  here

(1878–1959) 
swiss composer and conductor

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

born on 17 april 1900 in leubringen (evilard), switzerland
died on 18 june 1955 in zurich, switzerland

willy burkhard studied in berne, leipzig, munich and paris before joining the staff of berne conservatory as a theory teacher. from 1933 a respiratory ailment forced him to live in montana and davos until 1942, when he moved to zurich. there he taught theory and composition at the conservatory to the end of his days. among his pupils were giuseppe g. englert, klaus huber, rudolf kelterborn and armin schibler.

burkhard has the reputation of contributing in no small measure to the renewal of sacred music in the first half of the 20th century, especially with his oratorio das gesicht jesajas (1934). but his music is also noteworthy for its great variety, ranging from chamber music, orchestral compositions and vocal works all the way to opera, and extending from gebrauchsmusik to densely expressive late works that grapple with more recent compositional techniques.

the willy burkhard collection entered the holdings of the pss through his widow marie-luise burkhard in 1990. in addition to a few sketches and drafts, it contains autograph fair copies of most of his works, including the 99 items in his official catalogue as well as juvenilia and occasional pieces. it also has a large volume of correspondence and textual manuscripts.

as paul sacher commissioned and premièred a number of burkhard's works, several more of the composer's manuscripts are preserved in the paul sacher collection.

• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts: 5 folders
• music manuscripts: fair copies: ca. 120 folders
• textual manuscripts: 1 archival box
• correspondence: 7 archival boxes
• programmes / reviews: 2 archival boxes
• sound recordings: ca. 60 lps
• library: ca. 40 volumes

ca. 1921 to 1955

1990 collection enters the pss holdings

• an internal microfilm index can be consulted at the pss
• internal lists can be consulted at the pss

willy burkhard society: www.willyburkhard.ch

6 february 2019

(1891–1952) 
swiss-american violinist and composer of german origin

• library
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

• adolf busch collection: correspondence (23 june 2021) - pdf online
• adolf busch collection: personal dokuments (23 june 2021) - pdf online
• sammlung adolf busch: musikmanuskripte [adolf busch collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 25 (mainz: schott musik international, 2004) – out of print
• internal inventories

(1946–1993) 
swiss composer and pianist

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs

(1908–2012) 
american composer

• library
• sound recordings
• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1873-1945) 
russian composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

(1923-2019) 
american composer of chinese origin

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung chou wen-chung: musikmanuskripte [chou wen-chung collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 29 (mainz: schott musik international, 2008) – out of print

(1925–2011) 
italian composer

information on holdings to be supplied.

(1950–1993) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• correspondence
• sound recordings

sammlung christoph delz: musikmanuskripte [christoph delz collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 22 (mainz: schott musik international, 2002) – out of print

born july 27, 1878, in lölling, austria
died july 8, 1961, in vienna, austria

acquired from the moldenhauer archives along with the anton webern and hildegard jone collections, the ernst diez collection contains printed editions of this scholar's most important publications - some of them with autograph annotations - as well as several diaries, notebooks, lecture notes, and letters. diez was a cousin of anton webern, to whom many references can be found in the materials of this collection.

• textual manuscripts: 2 archival boxes
• correspondence: 2 archival boxes
• photographs: ca. 180
• library: ca. 60 units
• personal documents: 1 archival box

ca. 1878–1961

• 1984 collection enters the pss holdings

• internal inventories
• internal microfilm index

4 december 2020

(1927-2000) 
italian composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings

• franco donatoni collection: music manuscripts (12 february 2019) - pdf online
• internal inventories

(1906–1988) 
american conductor and composer of hungarian origin

• library
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

(1916-2013) 
french composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• library

• henri dutilleux collection: music manuscripts (8 april 2019) – pdf online
• internal inventories

(1944–2024) 
hungarian composer and conductor

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• typescripts
• programs/reviews

(1926–1987) 
american composer

• films/videos
• library
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

(*1943) 
english composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1912–2008) 
american music journalist and agent

• correspondence
• programs/reviews
• music manuscripts: fair copies

(1897–1993) 
swiss composer

• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung walther geiser: musikmanuskripte [walther geiser collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 7 (winterthur: amadeus, 1990) – out of print

the general collection contains isolated documents and small groups of documents of various provenance. as a rule, the dossiers are organized by authorship or subdivided into fonds in order to identify interrelated holdings.

fonds george antheil
fonds aldo bennici
fonds isabelle berthou
fonds eduard brunner
fonds barrie gavin
fonds pierre gobat
fonds peter gradenwitz
fonds josef häusler
fonds erich holliger
fonds iscm (basel chapter)
fonds walter lessing
fonds roberto leydi

fonds diego masson
fonds gertrud meyer-denkmann
fonds annie müller-widmann
fonds marcello panni
fonds hansjörg pauli
fonds roger reynolds
fonds mario stern
fonds karlheinz stockhausen
fonds swiss music library
fonds andrás szollosy
fonds francis travis
fonds roger vuataz

(1916–1983) 
argentinian composer

• library
• sound recordings
• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung alberto ginastera: musikmanuskripte [alberto ginastera collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 8 (winterthur: amadeus, 1990); marketed by schott musik international, mainz – out of print

born july 7, 1934, in anderny, france

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, and fair copies
• printed scores: proof copies / personal copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• programmes / reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings

• internal inventories

born november 20, 1925, in ober salzbrunn, silesia, germany (later bad salzbrunn, today szczawno-zdrój, poland)
died january 18, 2023, in ditzingen-hirschlanden, germany

• music manuscripts: drafts and fair copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• programmes / reviews
• photographs
• personal documents

• internal inventories

1928–2006
swiss composer

• music manuscripts for all known works available (partly in the paul sacher collection). in particular fair copies and photocopies with handwritten corrections; sketches and drafts for individual works only.
• textual manuscripts, correspondence, personal documents: 1 archival box
• photographs: 1 archival box
• sound recordings: various recordings (unprocessed)
• programs, articles, reviews: 1 archival box
• library: printed scores: individual items

• internal inventories

• up to 2000 individual documents integrated in the paul sacher collection
• 2000–17 part of the general collection
• since 2017 managed as jim grimm collection

matthias kassel / carlos chanfón

13 june 2024

(1946–1998) 
french composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• library: books
• programs/reviews

(1923–2004)

the collection includes a broad assortment of valuable autograph manuscripts from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. it has been made available in this generous and unusual form by the collector himself for study purposes.

born 24 october 1931 in chistopol, republic of tatarstan, russia

the sofia gubaidulina collection contains, in particular, the fair copies of over 140 compositions, along with numerous sketches and drafts of her oeuvre. in 1992, after deciding to take up residence in germany in the long term, the composer handed over the documents related to 45 compositions to the paul sacher foundation. since then, additional manuscripts have regularly supplemented the collection. the available sketches and drafts provide essential insights into the technical and intellectual principles of her composing. in addition, the fair copies indicate further work processes, as they reveal both minor and extensive revisions made between the first performance and the printing of her works.

sofia gubaidulina is one of the leading composers from the former soviet union. she received her musical training first in kazan, the capital of tatarstan, before continuing her studies at the moscow conservatory. before long, she increasingly detached herself from the influences of her moscow teachers and explored concepts and techniques of the western avant-garde as far as the ussr’s restrictive cultural policy allowed. at the same time, she also explored new sound worlds with viktor suslin and vyacheslav artyomov in a most practical fashion when the three met to improvise on unusual instruments in the ensemble astreja.

as a freelance composer, gubaidulina wrote music for almost thirty films from 1964 to 1990. in addition, she also managed to delight an ever-growing audience in the concert hall, especially from the 1980s onwards. through the performances of musicians such as gidon kremer and mstislav rostropovich, she became a composer celebrated worldwide. in her numerous works for the most diverse instrumentations, she convinces with both tonal sensitivity and a high constructive standard that reflect her manifold interests in mystical-religious ideas, but also cosmogonic and cosmological themes.

• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts, ca. 970 pages, and fair copies, ca. 7900 pages (largely accessible on microfilm)
• programs / reviews: 5 archival boxes
• photos: 1 archival box

ca. 1946–2019

• 1992 collection enters the pss holdings
• since 1994 regular additions

• sofia gubaidulina collection: music manuscripts (5 april 2023)  –  pdf online
• internal lists can be consulted at the pss
• sammlung sofia gubaidulina: musikmanuskripte [sofia gubaidulina collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 21 (mainz: schott 2001) – out of print

• no. 34, 2021: noah kahrs, dissonant proportions in sofia gubaidulina’s meditation über den choral “vor deinen thron tret ich hiermit” von j. s. bach
• no. 30, 2017: katharina hötzenecker, auf den spuren der "außerzeit": die skizzen zu hommage à t. s. eliot und zum streichtrio als schlüssel zu sofia gubaidulinas zeitverständnis in der zweiten hälfte der 1980er jahre
• no. 14, 2001: valeria tsenova, number and proportion in the music of sofia gubaidulina

editor: boosey & hawkes

14 august 2023

(1933–2018)

the jacques guyonnet collection was transferred to the archives de la ville de genève in 2021.

more information here

born march 24, 1930, in madrid, spain
died may 23, 2021, in ponferrada, spain

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, and fair copies
• printed scores: proof copies / personal copies
• correspondence
• programmes / reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings

• internal inventories

(1939–2012) 
english composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• correspondence
• sound recordings

born february 27, 1919, in krakow, poland
died march 3, 1994, in vienna, austria

• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• printed scores: proof copies / personal copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• programmes / reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings

• roman haubenstock-ramati collection: correspondence (1 september 2020) - pdf online
• sammlung roman haubenstock-ramati: musikmanuskripte [roman haubenstock-ramati collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 12 (winterthur: amadeus, 1991) - out of print
• internal inventories

(1926–2012) 
german composer

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung hans werner henze: musikmanuskripte [hans werner henze collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 23 (mainz: schott musik international, 2003) – out of print

(*1939) 
swiss oboist, composer, and conductor

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

born july 7, 1937, in basel, switzerland
died january 21, 2014, in basel, switzerland

ursula holliger was counted among those internationally active instrumentalists who constantly expanded their repertoire, on the one hand by researching unknown works (older as well as more recent), and on the other hand by soliciting new compositions in order to be the first to perform them.

after studies in basel and brussels, ursula holliger taught at the zurich conservatory, the basel music academy, and the musikhochschule in freiburg im breisgau. she made a name for herself as a chamber musician as well as in the orchestral field, bridging the gap between the classical harp repertoire and the present. like heinz holliger, she had an important role as a catalyst, testing new playing techniques and thus contributing to the expansion of musical material. since the 1960s ursula and heinz holliger premiered numerous commissioned works together, including the double concertos by hans werner henze (1968) and witold lutosławski (1979-80), frank martin's trois danses (1970), or toru takemitsu's eucalypts (1970) – all commissioned by paul sacher and premiered with the basel chamber orchestra or the collegium musicum zurich. with harrison birtwistle, elliott carter, edison denisov, roman haubenstock-ramati, ernst krenek, alfred schnittke, isang yun, as well as a number of swiss composers such as klaus huber, hans ulrich lehmann, jacques wildberger, and jürg wyttenbach, she formed friendships that are reflected in numerous dedicatory compositions, including some for solo harp.

the ursula holliger collection contains primarily those parts of the estate that concern the music of the 20th century: original manuscripts by heinz holliger, klaus huber, hans ulrich lehmann, and jürg wyttenbach, as well as haubenstock-ramati's harp piece cathédrale (1988). in addition, the autograph of the score including parts and orchestral material of the unpublished concertante no. 2 for harp, violin, and orchestra in e minor by louis spohr (1807), which ursula holliger discovered and recorded, is included. the larger part of the collection is made up of ursula holliger's performance materials for almost all of the works she played (copies or printed editions of scores and harp parts with annotations), but also rare editions of solo and chamber music harp literature of the 20th century. in addition, the still-incomplete collection contains correspondence, photos, sound recordings, and programs.

• music manuscripts: dedication copies and commissioned works
• printed scores: personal copies with performance annotations
• correspondence
• programs / reviews
• photos
• sound recordings

• 2021 collection enters the pss holdings

• internal inventories

• anne c. shreffler, netzwerke der zusammenarbeit – heinz und ursula holliger (in german; also available in french and italian editions)
  in: «entre denges et denezy ...». dokumente zur schweizer musikgeschichte 1900–2000, ed. ulrich mosch (mainz etc.: schott 2000), pp. 106–16

8 may 2023

(1892–1955) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1943–1981) 
english composer

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

born 30 november, 1924, in basel, switzerland
died 2 october, 2017, in perugia, italy

the cornerstone of the klaus huber collection consists of music manuscripts and other documents from the composer’s personal library. they entered the holdings of the paul sacher foundation as early as 1988. since then the manuscripts of his newly written works have been added to the collection in several stages, along with his unpublished juvenilia and early pieces from his years of study with willy burkhard and boris blacher. in 2008 the collection was enlarged with a sizable deposit from the publishing house of bärenreiter, consisting primarily of fair copies of his works from the 1950s and 1960s.

the collection contains working documents for practically all of huber’s compositions, with folders of sketches amounting to several hundred pages. not only do they document the genesis and theoretical foundations of each individual work, they also make it possible to retrace the many and varied ties between his works as a whole.

besides music manuscripts, the collection also includes huber’s textual manuscripts and some of his drawings and graphic art. rounding off the collection are programme booklets and reviews, tape recordings and parts of his personal library.

some of huber’s music manuscripts are housed in the ernest bour, edith picht-axenfeld and paul sacher collections.

• music manuscripts: ca. 34.000 pages
• textual manuscripts: 13 archival boxes
• correspondence: 11 archival boxes
• sound recordings: ca. 100 tapes
• programmes / reviews: 8 archival boxes
• photos: ca. 100
• drawings, graphic art: 7 pieces
• personal documents: 2 archival boxes

ca. 1938–2017

• 1989 collection enters the pss holdings
• 2003–15 many supplementary deliveries
• 2018 completion from huber’s posthumous estate

• sammlung klaus huber: musikmanuskripte, inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 30 (mainz etc.: schott musik international, 2009) – out of print
• internal lists can be consulted at the pss

• werkgespräch: klaus hubers oper schwarzerde. der komponist im gespräch mit anton haefeli [interview in german]
  musiktheater heute: internationales symposium der paul sacher stiftung, ed. hermann danuser in collaboration with matthias kassel, publications of the paul sacher foundation 9 (mainz: schott, 2003), pp. 377–94
• anton haefeli, der schrei. zur genese «struktureller semantik» in klaus hubers erniedrigt–geknechtet–verlassen–verachtet ... [german]
  quellenstudien ii: zwölf komponisten des 20. jahrhunderts, ed. felix meyer, publications of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 3 (mainz: schott, 1993), pp. 299–322

homepage: klaushuber.ch
editors: g. ricordi & co.  universal edition  schott music

6 february 2024

(1931–2013/*1932) 
american pianist / american singer

• proof sheets/personal copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• programs/reviews
• sound recordings

(1882–1946) 
austrian conductor

• typescripts
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• programs/reviews
• photographs

(1891–1963)

like the anton webern and ernst diez collections, the hildegard jone collection stems from the moldenhauer archives. jone was a lyric poetess who also worked in painting and sculpture and who maintained a close friendship with anton webern. this collection reflects her literary work and contains volumes of poetry, letters, diaries, notebooks, and various documentary items.

(1901–1979)

the werner kaegi collection was transferred to the university library basel in summer 2022.

more information here

(1931–2008) 
german composer of argentinian origin

• library
• sound recordings
• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence
• instruments (on deposit at the museum für musik basel)

born september 3, 1931, in basel, switzerland
died march 24, 2021, in basel, switzerland

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, and fair copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• sound recordings

• internal inventories

born june 12, 1952
died july 8, 2018

[in preparation]

(*1926) 
hungarian composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(*1935) 
german composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews

american string quartet, active from 1946 to 1987

archive taken over from the private collection of the first violinist, walter levin.

• proof sheets / performance copies
• correspondence
• programs / reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings

(1937–2013) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings

(1913–1972) 
french composer and musicographer of polish origin

• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung rené leibowitz: musikmanuskripte [rené leibowitz collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 14 (winterthur: amadeus, 1995) – out of print

(1910–1999) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• library

sammlung rolf liebermann: musikmanuskripte, inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 32 (mainz etc.: schott music, 2011) – out of print

born on 28 may 1923 in târnăveni, transylvania, rumania
died on 12 june 2006 in vienna, austria

the györgy ligeti collection contains practically all of the composer's posthumous estate. some of the music manuscripts, as well as correspondence and textual manuscripts, already entered the holdings of the paul sacher foundation from the ove nordwall collection in 1991. ligeti himself handed the bulk of his working papers to the foundation in 2000. further additions arrived with the clearance of his hamburg studio in 2004 and following his death in 2006.

the collection comprises manuscripts (sketches, drafts, fair copies) for most of ligeti's works, both from his early years in hungary and after his emigration in 1956, as well as a large number of sketchbooks and fragmentary works.

also included in the collection are textual manuscripts and a voluminous correspondence with over 1000 correspondents, such as h. g. adler, pierre boulez, elias canetti, carl dahlhaus, peter maxwell davies, mario di bonaventura, erich doflein, ferenc farkas, morton feldman, ernst gombrich, ernst krenek, györgy and martá kurtág, bruno maderna, gerhard neuweiler, luigi nono, ove nordwall, roman polanski, jean‑claude risset, wolf rosenberg, nelly sachs, matyás seiber, wolfgang steinecke, karlheinz stockhausen, heinrich strobel, stefan wolpe, iannis xenakis, bernd alois zimmermann and a great many institutions.

the collection also contains many photographs, sound recordings, film documents, part of ligeti's personal (sound) library and biographical documents as well as programme booklets and reviews (beginning in the 1950s).

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, fair copies: ca. 25.000 pages, accessible on microfilm
• textual manuscripts: ca. 2.000 pages
• correspondence: ca. 16.000 pages, accessible on microfilm (54 archival boxes, unfilmed as of april 2015)
• sound recordings: 430 magnetic tapes and 278 lps
• films and videos: 70 videos
• programmes and reviews: 32 archival boxes
• photographs: information to be supplied

ca. 1938 to 2006

• sammlung györgy ligeti: musikmanuskripte, inventare der paul sacher stiftung, vol. 34 (mainz: schott music, 2016) – out of print
• an internal microfilm index can be consulted at the pss
• internal lists can be consulted at the pss

• 2023: ligeti labyrinth: a guided tour through the œuvre of györgy ligeti - catalogue
• 2023: ligeti labyrinth: an exhibition celebrating the centenary of györgy ligeti’s birth - info
• 2007: györgy ligeti, gesammelte schriften, 2 vols., ed. monika lichtenfeld, veröffentlichungen der paul sacher stiftung, vol. 10

research articles in mitteilungen der paul sacher stiftung (for pdf files click here):

• no. 29, 2016: heidy zimmermann, "smuel ligeti" – spuren einer zionistischen episode in györgy ligetis frühwerk
• no. 26, 2013: márton kerékfy, a folkloric collage jettisoned: the original version of the first movement of györgy ligeti’s violin concerto (1990)
• no. 25, 2012: bianca tiplea temes, tracking down ligeti’s unfinished third and fourth string quartets
• no. 22, 2009: jennifer iverson, shared compositional techniques between györgy ligeti's pièce électronique n° 3 and atmosphères
• no. 21, 2008: ferenc lászló, ein frühes ligeti-autograph: burját aratódal (1945)
• no. 20, 2007: martin scherzinger, remarks on a sketch of györgy ligeti : a case of african pianism
• no. 18, 2005: simon gallot, symétrie et asymétrie dans «the lobster quadrille» de györgy ligeti: au rythme d’une danse dégingandée
• no. 16, 2003: jonathan w. bernard, a key to structure in the kyrie of györgy ligeti’s requiem
• no. 15, 2002: stefan fricke, fluxus-musik mit metronomen
• no. 15, 2002: yulia kreinin, «to arrest the process»: moving clusters by györgy ligeti and witold lutoslawski
• no. 10, 1997: maria kostakeva, die asemantische semantik in der vokalmelodik györgy ligetis (am beispiel der aventures & nouvelles aventures)

editor: schott music

4 february 2019

(1903–1983) 
swiss church musician of dutch origin

• correspondence
• photographs
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• sound recordings
• library

(1892–1966) 
american composer of russian origin

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

(1913–1994) 
polish composer

• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

(1920–1973) 
italian conductor and composer

• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung bruno maderna: musikmanuskripte [bruno maderna collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 6 (winterthur: amadeus, 1990) – out of print

(1890–1974) 
swiss composer

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung frank martin: musikmanuskripte [frank martin collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 10 (winterthur: amadeus, 1990) – out of print

(1906–2002) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs

• hermann meier collection: music manuscripts (11 september 2020) – pdf online
• internal inventories

born september 5, 1906, in lenzburg, switzerland
died december 7, 1990, in aarau, switzerland

peter mieg was a universally cultured and multi-talented homme de lettres equally renowned as a composer, writer, and visual artist. the peter mieg collection consists of the musical part of his posthumous estate.

born into a bourgeois family with a rich tradition, mieg enjoyed a musical education from early childhood and was already in contact with basel’s musical life as a high school student. he trained as a pianist with emil frey in zurich, at the same time studying art history, music history, and french and german literature. in 1929-30 he spent semesters in paris and in basel, where he formed a friendship with paul sacher and had several meetings with the harpsichordist wanda landowska. after taking his doctorate with a dissertation on the modern swiss aquarelles of morgenthaler, moilliet, and epper (1933), he settled in basel, where he reported on art, literature, and music for the basler nachrichten until 1939.

in 1935 mieg attended a course on the performance of contemporary music, held by wladimir vogel. the same year witnessed the earliest performances of his own compositions, including concerto no. 6 for two pianos. in 1939 he acquired the country home ‘sonnenberg’ on lenzburg castle hill, where he lived to the end of his days. during the war years he continued to report on culture for the neue zürcher zeitung, the frankfurter allgemeine zeitung, die weltwoche and the cultural magazine du, among other periodicals, and cultivated formative relations with frank martin. his breakthrough as a composer came in 1955 with the performance of concerto da camera for strings, piano, and timpani (1952) at the swiss musicians festival and concerto veneziano for string orchestra (1955) at the venice biennale. from then on, composing became his first priority, bolstered by commissions from radio basel, the zurich tonhalle society, the festival strings lucerne, and the zurich chamber orchestra, among other organizations. paul sacher performed his works on various occasions and commissioned his combray (1977), based on proust’s remembrance of things past. mieg’s affinity to french culture is manifest throughout his oeuvre. deeply influenced by neoclassicism, his music receives its personal touch through lucidity, a concertante ethos, and romantic esprit.

in the 1960s, mieg also began to exhibit his paintings in public. after his death, his posthumous estate was administered by the peter mieg foundation, which he himself established in lenzburg. at first it was housed in his ‘sonnenberg’ estate until 2018, after which it found a home in the müllerhaus in lenzburg. there his paintings and journalistic work are still preserved today, along with biographical and family documents.

the peter mieg collection comprises drafts and fair copies of all his compositions, a selection of textual manuscripts related to music, many unpublished sound recordings, and a complete documentation of his music in program booklets and reviews. his contacts with musicians, artists, and writers are reflected in correspondence with contemporaries such as gottfried von einem, günter grass, hermann hesse, silvia kind, frank martin, albert moeschinger, marcel mihalovici, meret oppenheim, hans rosbaud, alexander tcherepnin, and thornton wilder. the collection also contains isolated letters from johannes brahms and clara schumann as well as music manuscripts by boris blacher, gottfried von einem, frank martin, and mieg’s great-aunt, fanny hünerwadel.

• music manuscripts: 147 folders, 1 folder with juvenilia
• printed scores: 88
• textual manuscripts: 1 archival box
• correspondence: 44 archival boxes
• programmes / reviews: 20 archival boxes
• photos: ca. 100
• sound recordings: ca. 150

1922–1990

• 2018 collection enters the pss holdings

• internal inventories

homepage: www.petermieg.ch

9 october 2019

(1898–1985) 
french composer of rumanian origin

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• typescripts
• programs/reviews

(1910–1988) 
italian music critic and journalist

• correspondence
• music manuscripts: fair copies

(1892–1974) 
french composer 

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1921–1998) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

(*1943) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

(1912–1997) 
mexican composer of american origin

• films/videos
• library
• instruments
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

(1908–1993) 
austrian pianist

• typescripts
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• programs/reviews

born november 20, 1961, in córdoba, argentina
died september 14, 2019, in basel, switzerland

in 2022, the paul sacher foundation received as a gift from erik oña's widow, helena bugallo, an extensive collection of documents related to oña's compositional work. the collection includes all of the surviving manuscripts of the composer's own works, beginning with the first pieces still premiered in argentina, such as viviendas propias (1985), avatar (1988), aspectos (1988) and aspectos ii (1991). on the basis of the sketch documents, major individual works such as tiger und patriarch (1994), euler sonaten (2001) or das gold des rheins (2012) can be studied in detail, likewise as the structural connections within the three-part group of works consisting of jodeln (1996–99), andere stimmen (2003) and lokaler widerstand (2006). furthermore, the collection contains manuscripts of oña's arrangements (including pieces by mahler, mozart and especially conlon nancarrow) as well as a stock of recordings and concert programmes.

in addition to his own composing, erik oña's musical activities also included conducting and teaching composition. right after completing his studies in composition and conducting at the universidad nacional de la plata (1982–88), he began teaching composition and orchestration at the same place (1988–93). the situation was similar at his next destination, the state university of new york at buffalo, where a teaching position again followed his studies in composition (1993–99 with a phd).

further visiting professorships took oña to the kunitachi college of music in tokyo (composition and computer music, 1995/97/99) and to the university of birmingham in england (composition, 2001–03). in 2003, he was appointed professor of composition and head of the electronic studio at the basel academy of music, where he remained until his premature death.

in parallel, oña conducted various ensembles and orchestras in europe, and north and south america, not only at his places of study and teaching. in so doing, he premiered more than 150 works, many of which with the cologne thürmchen ensemble, to which he belonged as a permanent conductor as of 1996.

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, fair copies of works and arrangements
• photos: small amount
• movies / videos: small amount
• sound recordings
• programs

1985–2019

• 2022 collection enters the pss holdings

• internal lists can be consulted at the pss

[none]

• homepage: www.erik-ona.com
• editor: thuermchen verlag

matthias kassel / heidrun ziems

18 december 2023

born october 26, 1945 (lunar calendar) / november 30, 1945 (solar calendar), in cheongju, south korea

younghi pagh-paan comes from the first generation of asian composers who were born after world war ii and received their training primarily in europe. her music unites a contemporary post-serial idiom with spiritual and musical traditions from her native korea.

pagh-paan’s oeuvre contains more than 80 works, with pride of place going to chamber music for various combinations of instruments, frequently with percussion. much of her music also highlights her relation to works of literature; she has set lyric poetry by anna akhmatova, rose ausländer and louise labé as well as heinrich heine, johann wolfgang von goethe and angelus silesius, not to mention korean poets. her magnum opus, alongside her orchestral pieces sori (1979-80) and nim (1986-87), is her sole work of music theatre, mondschatten (‘moonshadows’, 2002-05), on a libretto based on sophocles’ tragedy oedipus at colonus. it received its première at the stuttgart state opera in 2006.

from 1965 to 1971 pagh-paan studied music theory and composition at seoul national university. in 1974 she travelled to germany on a scholarship from the german academic exchange service (daad) in order to pursue her studies at the freiburg musikhochschule, where her teachers included klaus huber (composition), brian ferneyhough (analysis) and edith picht-axenfeld (piano). her breakthrough as a composer came in 1980 with the performance of her orchestral work sori at the donaueschingen festival. after teaching as a visiting professor at the musikhochschulen in graz and karlsruhe, she became professor of composition at the university of the arts in bremen (1994-2001), where she also founded the atelier neue musik.

established in 2013, the younghi pagh-paan collection contains sketches, drafts and fair copies of all her compositions as well as jottings and pieces from her student years. at the moment, it has only isolated items of correspondence and documentary material, but the collection is being enlarged on an ongoing basis.

• music manuscripts: ca. 100 folders
• textual manuscripts: 1 archival box
• correspondence: 1 archival box
• programmes / reviews: 1 archival box
• photos: ca. 200
• sound recordings: 10 dat tapes

since ca. 1972

• 2013 collection enters the pss holdings
• 2015 first supplementary delivery of current manuscripts

• younghi pagh-paan: music manuscripts (7 february 2019) - pdf online
• internal inventories

[none]

homepage: www.pagh-paan.com
editor: ricordi

18 september 2019

(1904–2003) 
italian composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

• goffredo petrassi collection: music manuscripts (23 september 2020) – pdf online

(1914–2001) 
german harpsichord player, pianist and organist

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

(1929–2009) 
belgian composer

• library
• sound recordings
• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

born october 3, 1936, in new york, usa

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, and fair copies
• file carriers / computerfiles
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence (selection)
• programmes / reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings
• personal documents
• instruments

• steve reich collection: music manuscripts (31 august 2017) - pdf online
• internal microfilm index
• internal inventories

born march 4, 1936, in berlin, germany
died march 13, 2024, in berlin, germany

since the success of the highly acclaimed opera lear (1976–78) at the latest, aribert reimann ranks among the best-known contemporary german composers. the son of singer irmgard rühle and church musician wolfgang reimann grew up in berlin, where he began composing lieder at an early age. after leaving school, he worked as a répétiteur at the städtische oper berlin. he studied composition with boris blacher and ernst pepping, as well as the piano with otto rausch at the berlin university of the arts (udk, formerly hochschule der künste berlin). for many years, he pursued a dual career as a pianist and composer, focussing in particular as a performer on lied accompaniment. in 1974, he was appointed professor of contemporary lied at the hochschule für musik und theater in hamburg, before teaching this same discipline at the udk from 1983 to 1998.

vocal music occupies a central position in aribert reimann’s oeuvre: in addition to lieder with piano accompaniment and compositions for voice and orchestra, he was particularly interested in the musico-dramatic genre, to which he made significant contributions at major european opera houses, including ein traumspiel (1963) and die gespenstersonate (1982–83) after august strindberg, troades (1984–85) after euripides’ play, das schloss (1989–91) after franz kafka, bernarda albas haus (1998–2000) after federico garcía lorca, medea (2007–09) after franz grillparzer or the “trilogie lyrique” l’invisible (2011-17) after maurice maeterlinck. numerous chamber music and orchestral works round off reimann’s highly diverse œuvre. drawing on his intensive exploration of the music of the second viennese school, the composer has opened up ever broader areas of expression without abandoning the ideal of strict constructive concentration.

• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts, ca. 1.300 pages (see inventory music manuscripts)
• music manuscripts: fari copies, ca. 10.000 pages (see inventory music manuscripts)
• librettos: drafts and fair copies, ca. 1.250 pages
• proofs with corrections, ca. 2.000 pages
• text manuscripts: 1 archival box
• correspondence: 4 archival boxes (see inventory correspondence)
• programmes / reviews: 2 archival boxes; especially material related to the opera melusine (1969)
• photos: 8 portraits and over 100 photos of costumes and stage sets from performances of the opera melusine at various theaters between 1971 and 1994
• a very limited number of non-commercial sound recordings

1944–2019

• 1993 collection enters the pss holdings

documents relating to forty compositions from the years 1957 to 1989 were initially handed over to the paul sacher foundation in november 1993. the aribert reimann collection has since been regularly supplemented and currently contains material on more than 120 of the composer’s works as well as eight arrangements of works by other composers.

• aribert reimann collection: music manuscripts (18. dezember 2017) – pdf online
• aribert reimann collection: correspondence (18. dezember 2017) – pdf online
• internal lists can be consulted at the pss

• wolfgang rathert, "aribert reimann nahe ferne (2002–03)," ignition: beethoven: reception documents from the paul sacher foundation, ed. felix meyer and simon obert (mainz etc: schott music 2020), pp. 123–26.
• matthias kassel, "aribert reimann: lear (1976–78)," settling new scores: music manuscripts from the paul sacher foundation, ed. felix meyer (mainz: schott 1998), pp. 147–49.

• no. 27, 2014: ellen freyberg, neue musik jenseits der avantgarde. aribert reimanns lyrik-vertonungen

editor: schott music

florian besthorn

8 march 2024

(1952–2024) 
german composer

• library
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• sound recordings
• typescripts
• programs/reviews

• wolfgang rihm collection: music manuscripts (11 september 2020) - pdf online
• internal inventories

(1935-2019) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• photographs
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

born july 5, 1918, in paterson, nj, usa
died may 29, 2005, in philadelphia, pa, usa

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, fair copies
• printed scores: proof copies / personal copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• programs / reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings
• films / videos

• george rochberg collection: music manuscripts (december 1, 2017) – pdf online
• sammlung george rochberg: musikmanuskripte [george rochberg collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 31 (mainz etc.: schott music, 2010) – out of print
• internal inventories

(1895–1985) 
american composer of french origin

• library
• sound recordings
• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

born october 14, 1952, in helsinki, finland
died june 2, 2023, in paris, france

• music manuscripts: sketches, drafts, and fair copies
• printed scores: proof copies / personal copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• programs / reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings
• personal documents

• internal inventories

(1906-1999)

this collection covers paul sacher's conducting activities with the basel chamber orchestra, the collegium musicum zurich, the basel percussion ensemble, and his many guest appearances, as well as his membership in musical institutions and committees. it also contains his large collection of manuscripts, whether of works he commissioned or those obtained by donations and purchases, all of which formed the starting-point for the paul sacher foundation.

sammlung paul sacher: musikmanuskripte [paul sacher collection: music manuscripts], revised second edition, inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 1 (mainz: schott musik international, 2000) – out of print

(1895–1980) 
french musicologist and ethnologist

• typescripts
• correspondence
• proof sheets/personal copies
• library
• photographs
• sound recordings

(1920–1986) 
swiss composer

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1930–2018) 
german composer

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(*1947) 
italian composer

• instruments
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• sound recordings
• typescripts
• correspondence

(*1937) 
ukrainian composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• sound recordings
• correspondence
• photographs

(1892–1988) 
english composer

• proof sheets/personal copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: fair copies

sammlung kaikhosru shapurji sorabji: musikmanuskripte [kaikhosru shapurji sorabji collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 15 (winterthur: amadeus, 1995) – out of print

(*1940) 
swiss dancer and choreographer

• photographs
• library
• programs/reviews
• films/videos

the collection includes detailed documentation on heinz spoerli's choreographies.

(1916–2004) 
american pianist and musicologist

• programs/reviews
• photographs
• correspondence

(1882–1971) 
american composer of russian origin

• library
• sound recordings
• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• instruments
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung igor strawinsky: musikmanuskripte [igor stravinsky collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 5 (winterthur: amadeus, 1989) – out of print

(1919–2008) 
swiss composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• sound recordings
• typescripts
• correspondence

sammlung robert suter: musikmanuskripte [robert suter collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 18 (mainz: schott musik international, 1999) – out of print

(1936–1995) 
hungarian-swiss composer

• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1899–1977) 
american composer of russian origin

• library
• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1898–1944) 
austrian czech composer

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts

sammlung viktor ullmann: musikmanuskripte [viktor ullmann collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 28 (mainz: schott musik international, 2007) – out of print

born june 17, 1919, in petrograd (saint petersburg), ussr
died december 22, 2006, in saint petersburg, russia

• typescripts
• photographs
• music manuscripts: fair copies

• galina ustvol'skaja collection: music manuscripts (december 1, 2017) - pdf online
• internal inventories

(1883–1965) 
american composer of french origin

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• proof sheets/personal copies
• textual manuscripts
• correspondence
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• sound recordings
• library

• edgard varèse collection: music manuscripts (1 december 2017) - pdf online
• edgard varèse collection: correspondence (21 december 2017) - pdf online
• edgard varèse collection: correspondence louise varèse (11 december 2017) - pdf online
• edgard varèse collection: personal documents (1 december 2017) - pdf online
• internal inventories

(1907–1992) 
hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist

• library
• sound recordings
• films/videos
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence

(1909–1973) 
swiss harpsichord player

• proof sheets/personal copies
• correspondence
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• sound recordings
• programs/reviews
• photographs

sammlung antoinette vischer: musikmanuskripte [antoinette vischer collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 24 (mainz: schott musik international, 2003) – out of print

(1924–2001) 
swiss pianist

• musikmanuskripte: skizzen und entwürfe
• musikmanuskripte: reinschriften
• probedrucke/aufführungsmaterial
• korrespondenz
• fotos

sammlungen paul sacher, antoinette vischer, margrit weber: musikmanuskripte [paul sacher, antoinette vischer, and margrit weber collections: music manuscripts], first edition, inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 1 (winterthur: amadeus, 1988) – out of print

born december 3, 1883, in vienna, austria
died september 15, 1945, in mittersill, austria

the anton webern collection basically consists of the documents gathered together by the webern scholar and collector hans moldenhauer in the years following the second world war and incorporated in his extensive archive of source materials. it was acquired by the paul sacher foundation in 1984, along with two smaller collections related to hildegard jone and ernst diez, likewise located in the moldenhauer archives. over the years the collection was augmented with further webern manuscripts and letters, partly from the moldenhauer archives and partly from other sources.

the collection contains sketches and/or fair copies for every webern work with an opus number (opp. 1 to 31) as well as many manuscripts of unpublished or posthumously published compositions. it also contains many student exercises, fragmentary works and projects, letters, autobiographical notes, printed documentary material, and parts of webern’s personal library. especially important are the last five of six sketchbooks documenting his complete creative output from the final twenty years of his life. also housed in the collection are sources that shed light on moldenhauer’s founding of the international webern society and the research he conducted for his webern biography.

this collection represents the world’s largest body of sources on webern’s creative output. together with the webern manuscripts preserved in other archives and private collections, it is currently being analyzed and evaluated for the complete scholarly edition of webern’s music, prepared by the musicological seminar of basel university.

• music manuscripts: ca. 3000 pages of sketches, drafts, and fair copies
• printed scores: ca. 140 proof sheets and personal copies
• textual manuscripts: ca. 900 pages
• correspondence: ca. 2100 pages
• programmes / reviews: 1 archival box
• photographs: ca. 130
• library: ca. 240 volumes

ca. 1899–1945 / 1960–1970

• 1984 collection enters the pss holdings

• anton webern collection: music manuscripts (29 june 2018) – pdf online
• internal inventories

• thomas ahrend, «heftige bewegungen der seele, die doch sehr leise sind». zum bearbeitungsprozess von anton weberns rilke-liedern op. 8
  in: re-set. rückgriffe und fortschreibungen in der musik seit 1900, ed. simon obert and heidy zimmermann, mainz: schott, 2018, pp. 102–10
• anton webern, briefe an heinrich jalowetz, publications of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 7, ed. ernst lichtenhahn, schott: mainz, 1999
• anton webern, über musikalische formen. aus den vortragsmitschriften von ludwig zenk, siegfried oehlgiesser, rudolf schopf und erna apostel, publications of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 8, ed. neil boynton, mainz: schott, 2002
• anne c. shreffler, traces left behind: webern’s musical nachlass and compositional process
  in: settling new scores: music manuscripts from the paul sacher foundation, ed. felix meyer, mainz: schott, 1998, pp. 103–06
• felix meyer, anton webern: variations for orchestra, op. 30
  in: settling new scores: music manuscripts from the paul sacher foundation, ed. felix meyer, mainz: schott 1998, pp. 109–14
• felix meyer, «o sanftes glühn der berge». ein verworfenes «stück mit gesang» von anton webern
  in: quellenstudien ii. zwölf komponisten des 20. jahrhunderts, publications of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 3, ed. felix meyer, winterthur: amadeus, 1993, pp. 11–38
• felix meyer, im zeichen der reduktion. quellenkritische und analytische bemerkungen zu anton weberns rilke-liedern op. 8
  in: quellenstudien i. gustav mahler, igor strawinsky, anton webern, frank martin, publications of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 3, ed. hans oesch, winterthur: amadeus, 1991, pp. 53–100
• hans oesch, webern und das sator-palindrom
  in: quellenstudien i. gustav mahler, igor strawinsky, anton webern, frank martin, publications of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 3, ed. hans oesch, winterthur: amadeus, 1991, pp. 100–56

• no. 29, 2016: yuta asai, vom akkord zur polyphonie: zum kompositionsprozess von anton weberns "das kreuz, das mußt’ er tragen" op. 15/1
• no. 28, 2015: simon obert, "… die konsequenzen ziehe ich …": ein neu aufgefundener brief von schönberg an webern
• no. 14, 2001: felix wörner, "... mit dem 3. das stück flott hinausschmeißen": zu anton weberns korrekturen im 3. satz seines konzertes op. 24
• no. 12, 1999: matthew r. shaftel, webern, schoenberg, and the original version of "himmelfahrt"
• no. 11, 1998: dominik schweiger, weberns verworfene mikrotöne
• no. 11, 1998: jean-louis leleu, le choix des registres dans le deuxième mouvement des variations pour piano op. 27 de webern: ce que disent les esquisses
• no. 9, 1996: christopher hailey, webern’s letters to david josef bach
• no. 5, 1992: juri n. cholopow, über weberns begriffssystem der formenlehre
• no. 5, 1992: martin hoyer, neues zu anton weberns frühen liedern
• no. 5, 1992: lauriejean reinhardt, webern’s literary encounter with hildegard jone
• no. 4, 1991: graham phipps, harmonic thought in webern's sketches
• no. 4, 1991: robert w. wason, remnants of tonality in webern’s op. 3/2
• no. 4, 1991: anne c. shreffler, a new trakl fragment by webern: some notes on "klage"
• no. 4, 1991: gareth cox, einige quellenkritische bemerkungen zu weberns satz für klavier (m. 112)
• no. 3, 1990: susanne rode, "schweigt auch die welt, aus farben ist sie immer …": ganz kleine sachen zu anton webern und hildegard jone
• no. 3, 1990: shinichiro okabe, anton webern: sketches

anton webern gesamtausgabe awg
editor: universal edition

2 february 2023

born on 1 may 1899 in safenwil, aargau, switzerland
died on 4 february 1962 in basel, switzerland

the music-related documents from the autograph collection of the basel economist arthur wilhelm (1899-1962) have been placed on deposit in the custody of the paul sacher foundation, thereby making another significant basel collection available for scholarly research.

the arthur wilhelm collection comprises more than 250 music manuscripts, letters from musicians, handwritten texts and dedications from the 18th to 20th century, including a great many autographs of supreme antiquarian value.

born in safenwil, near zofingen, arthur wilhelm took his doctorate in heidelberg in 1923. he was an amateur in the best sense of the word: alongside a career in the chemical industry, where he rose from an italian correspondent in the dyes department of ciba to become vice-president of the company, he maintained a passion for culture and intellectual history. by collecting manuscripts from various fields, especially music, he came into direct contact with artistic genius wholly in the spirit of stefan zweig

an oral anecdote bears this out: one day wilhelm was offered a miscellany of unpublished songs by a famous composer. he asked for time to think it over and took the manuscript home. there his wife sang the songs to him, accompanied by a pianist, while he followed the music in the original with his children. only then did he decide to purchase the miscellany and to make arrangements for its publication. (see tilman seebass, musikhandschriften in basel aus verschiedenen sammlungen: ausstellung kunstmuseum basel vom 31. mai bis zum 13. juli 1975, basel: basler berichthaus, 1975, p. 23.)

wilhelm's collecting activities already began in the mid-1930s and came to an abrupt end with his unexpected death. yet the significance of his collection was already recognised during his lifetime. in an annual report from basel university library, the head of the music department (probably hans zehntner, who at that time was also head of the swiss economic archive) is said to have prepared "a display of valuable music manuscripts from alessandro scarlatti to benjamin britten" from wilhelm's autograph collection (bericht über die vewaltung der öffentlichen bibliothek der universität basel im jahre 1958, basel, 1959, p. 19). this private exhibition was held in the rooms of ciba during the annual meeting of the swiss musicological society in autumn 1958. (ciba, the acronym of chemische industrie basel, was founded in 1884 and bore the name ciba-geigy from 1970 to 1992. in 1996 it merged with sandoz laboratories to become novartis.) later, in an exhibition in the basel kunstmuseum (1975), some two dozen selected autographs from wilhelm's collection were displayed in public and documented, along with manuscripts from other private collections (seebass, op. cit.).

an overview of the arthur wilhelm collection in its entirety presents scholars with a good many discoveries and provides answers to many unanswered questions regarding documents whose whereabouts were long unknown. for example, the many significant manuscripts ranging from johann sebastian bach, joseph haydn, wolfgang amadeus mozart, ludwig van beethoven, franz schubert, gioacchino rossini, franz liszt, johannes brahms and hugo wolf to arnold schoenberg, igor stravinsky, anton webern, paul hindemith and william walton included several surprising documents, four of which were briefly introduced when the collection entered the foundation's holdings in 2016 (mitteilungen der paul sacher stiftung no. 30, april 2017; for pdf see below).

• 143 music manuscripts
• 10 historical music prints
• 4 handwritten texts
• 110 letters, postcards, etc.
• 1 concert programme

ca. 1700 to 1950

2016 collection enters the pss holdings

internal catalogues can be consulted at the pss

• heidy zimmermann et al., neue sammlungen 2016: sammlung arthur wilhelm [new collections 2016, german text only], mitteilungen der paul sacher stiftung, no. 30, 2017, pp. 5-13 (pdf here)

8 february 2019

(1902–1972) 
american composer of german origin

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• typescripts
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs
• correspondence
• programs/reviews

(1893–1979) 
french composer of russian origin

• sound recordings
• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• programs/reviews
• photographs
• typescripts
• correspondence
• instruments (on deposit at the museum für musik basel)

sammlung ivan wyschnegradsky: musikmanuskripte [ivan vyshnegradsky collection: music manuscripts], inventories of the paul sacher foundation, vol. 26 (mainz: schott musik international, 2004) – out of print

(1935–2021) 
swiss composer, conductor, and pianist

• music manuscripts: fair copies
• proof sheets/personal copies
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts
• photographs

(1900–1949) 
austrian composer

• programs/reviews
• photographs
• music manuscripts: sketches and drafts