Musical sources of the Domarchiv St. Gallen

The collection of the archives of the cathedral of St. Gallen was catalogued between June 2003 and July 2004 by the RISM Switzerland. The inventory consists of 1,328 titles - 381 manuscripts and 947 prints. During the inventory process, the entire collection was rearranged, shelf-marked and repacked in acid-free materials for conservation.

The musical archives of the cathedral of St. Gallen comprise an extensive collection of musical manuscripts and prints of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The inscriptions of the owner institution such as "Stiftskirche" (37 mentions), "Katholisches Institut" (29 mentions) and "Domchor" (15 mentions) indicate that the archives of the cathedral of St. Gallen have collections of music at their disposal which illustrate the extensive music practice in the cathedral, at the former Catholic college (founded in 1808) and later in the choir of the cathedral (founded in 1874) during the period 1730-1950; furthermore the archives include sources from the former monastery of St. Gallen (secularized in 1805).

Sacred vocal music (masses and other pieces for liturgical use) are the most represented genre in the collection. Among the pieces coming from the "Katholisches Institut" there is also stage music and instrumental music (orchestral pieces, pieces for solo instruments). The music in the sacred domain is by well-known composers such as Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (in copies from the 18th and 19th centuries) and also by less prominent composers, whose vocal works were very popular in the 19th century, such as Johann Kaspar Aiblinger (1779-1863), Karl Ludwig Drobisch (1803-1854), Karl Kempter (1819-1871) and Donat Müller (1806-1879). The works of the conductors of the cathedral choir, of whom many autographs are preserved, bear a special importance in this part of the collection; the conductors were Franz Joseph Greith (1798-1869; in charge as conductor 1833-1860), Karl Greith (1828-1887; conductor 1861-1877), Theodor Gaugler (1840-1892; conductor 1870-1874), Johann Gustav Eduard Stehle (1839-1915; conductor 1874-1912) and Joseph Gallus Scheel (1879-1946; conductor 1913-1946).

Contact

The collection may be visited and used only after previous enquiry. For enquiries please contact:

Director of music Andreas Gut
DomMusik aus dem Weltkulturerbe St.Gallen
Klosterhof 6b, CH-9000 St.Gallen
Tel: +41 (71) 227 33 38
e-mail: andreas.gut@dommusik.ch
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