Hans Zihlmann

Hans Zihlmann’s life and activity so far have developed in three places: Marbach, Hitzkirch, Lucerne. The son of a teacher, he was raised in Marbach. His contact with folk music began early; before he entered school, he was already accompanying the Ländler heard on the radio at the piano. He and his brothers were the youngest musicians in the Feldmusik, conducted by their father. After attending teachers’ training college in Hitzkirch (teacher’s degree in 1956), his first teaching posts were in his native town and in Kriens, where he was also active as organist and choir conductor. At the same time he attended the Academy for school and church music in Lucerne (main teachers: Johann Baptist Hilber and Albert Jenny) and the Lucerne Conservatoire (piano with Hubert Harry), as well as the Zurich Music Academy (school music). The last stage in his education (choirmaster and rhythm) was Munich, where he lived with his family from 1971 to 1973. Before that (since 1965), and again since 1973 he lived in Hitzkirch and taught music an the teachers’ training college. He follows the classes during their five-year training and prepares them for integral class music teaching; besides singing and music-making, this includes music listening, movement (dance) and the fundamentals of musical theory. This teaching activity has also produced corresponding writings. Since 1993/94 newly revised “Werkhefte Musik für dieVolksschule” have appeared regularly, in collaboration with Joseph Röösli and Bruno Linggi. These are pupil booklets which are supplemented with teachers’ commentaries and Compacts Discs. The music pedagogue further teaches conducting at the Academy for school and church music in Lucerne, and at the Conservatoire. Here, since 1974, he has set up the department for rhythmical education, where over two years teachers and infant class teachers can obtain a rhythm diploma. As teaching aid for this course they use the booklet “Rhytmische Erziehung”, published by him and Hermann Siegenthaler and used in all German speaking areas.

As a composer Hans Zihlmann writes commissioned works for choirs and wind bands (e. g. compulsory pieces for singing and music festivals), as well as sacred music and folk song settings. In his activity as choir conductor, sacred music has always been of paramount importance. Founded by him in 1974, the Singkreis Maihof is the church choir of the Lucerne Maihof parish and also gives yearly church concerts, learnt during a choir week usually spent abroad. Since 1988 he has directed the Städtischen Konzertverein, and three years later he became the Cathedral choirmaster, in the footsteps of his teachers Johann Baptist Hilber and Albert Jenny. The traditional Cathedral choir, with the Vokalensemble and the Chamber Orchestra, newly founded by him, are intended to preserve the function of the Hofkirche as a centre of church music.
(source: Schweizer Chor-Komponisten, Edition Hug 11650)
(image source: Entlebucher und Emmentaler Musikarchiv)