Cecilian Society men’s choir founded in 1877. The Société de Chant made its stance clear, singing revolutionary pieces like “Au bord de la libre Sarine”, composed by Jacques Vogt, the choir’s founder. The progressives enjoyed their hour of triumph in 1848, but the 1850s saw the conservatives regain the upper hand in Fribourg. The government feared the influence of the Société de Chant and tried to restrict the choir’s activities. It was not until 1871 that the group was able to organise another cantonal singing festival – inviting the Berner Liedertafel to the event. This reputable choir from Switzerland’s new capital city had close links to politics, with federal councillors among its non-active members. The Bernese singers supported their Fribourg counterparts in solidarity – but also “out of patriotic duty” to strengthen unity within the fledgling Confederation. Singing for the fatherland “Despite language and religious differences, the two choirs maintained close ties across the Rösti divide,” says Hauck. Their lively correspondence bears testimony to this. Male choirs not only offered men a platform to sing together and express political views, but the groups were also interested in cementing national Above: the Berner Liedertafel in 1850. The Bernese choir was passionate about singing – and politics. Lithograph by Ernst Neubauer, Berne cantonal archives Hundreds of yodelling choirs complement the stylistically diverse range of vocal ensembles. Pictured here: yodellers from Valais at the 1975 Federal Yodelling Festival. Photo: Keystone unity. The big federal singing festivals that regularly took place from 1843 celebrated this sentiment in much the same way as Switzerland’s gymnastics and shooting festivals. Repertoires included patriotic pieces like “O mein Heimatland, o mein Vaterland”, written by Gottfried Keller and put to music by Wilhelm Baumgartner. Folk songs and songs about nature were also popular, while the Berner Liedertafel attempted challenging compositions by Franz Schubert and others. Mixed and female choirs already existed in the 19th century. “Some women’s choirs took part in cantonal singing festivals, achieving top marks,” Hauck notes. Yet male choirs dominated the narrative, reflecting the gender politics of the day. Spanning the social strata Zurich composer and publisher Hans Georg Nägeli was a pioneer of Swiss choir music who promoted musical education for the people. He founded the first non-ecclesiastical singing institute in 1805, which gave birth to The Société de Chant de la Ville de Fribourg were feared (and harassed) by Fribourg’s cantonal government. Picture provided Swiss Review / December 2025 / No.5 10 Society
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