Music at the Centre for African Studies Basel
Universitätsbibliothek, Schönbeinstr. 28, 4054 Basel und
Organizer:
Musikwissenschaftliches Seminar
Introduction and performance: "Our Land"? Lesotho's Swiss national anthem
A theme night with Andreas Baumgartner, Matthias Schmidt, Alain Amstutz and members of the choir "B.i.B" (Lesotho)
The exhibiton "'Unser Land'? Lesothos schweizerische Nationalhymne" explores the uncommon trajectory of a common melody. It was composed by Basel music teacher Ferdinand Samuel Laur (1791-1854) on the basis of a poem by Friedrich Schlegel. The composition for choir published in the early 1820s spread accross Switzerland and then France with varying lyrics as a school, drinking or patriotic song. In 1870 or thereabout it was published in Lesotho in a missionary school book with lyrics in Sesotho composed by François Coillard (1834-1904) and in 1967 became the national anthem of that kingdom.
This thematic evening is composed by a short introduction to the exhibition enriched by members of the choir 'B.I.B' (Black Is Beautiful) who perform and explain various versions of the anthem zu Gast in Basel. In the second part of the evening the singers report on their activities for the Swiss NGO SolidarMed and perform traditional gospel.
Meeting point: 6pm, University Library, Lecture room 1st floor.
The programme continues at 7:15pm at the Musikwissenschaftliches Seminar, Petersgraben 27.
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