On the occasion of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2024 celebrated by UNESCO, the Museum of Art and History (MAH) and the United Music Foundation are joining forces to preserve the sound heritage of the Museum of Ancient Musical Instruments, created in Geneva by Fritz Ernst with the collaboration of Elisa-Isolde Clerc. This collection consists of around forty audio media (mainly magnetic tapes, as well as a few audio cassettes and vinyl records), which are a testament to a significant part of Geneva's musical heritage.
Fritz Ernst (1900-1990)
Born in Berlin to a family of Swiss origin, Fritz Ernst was introduced to music at a young age. He quickly developed a passion for ancient instruments and acquired viols made by renowned makers. After a stay in Zurich, he moved to Geneva in 1940, where he pursued an ambitious project: to gather instruments with the aim of rediscovering the sounds of early music. He went on to acquire additional string instruments, and later took an interest in woodwinds, brass, keyboards, and percussion.
Elisa-Isolde Clerc (1910-2000)
The collector met Geneva cellist Elisa-Isolde Clerc in 1945. After studying with Benito Brandia and Paul Bazelaire, she embarked on a career as a concert musician, touring throughout Europe. In December 1950, she founded the Centre for Contemporary Music and Premiere Performances in Geneva. Through this initiative, Elisa-Isolde Clerc organized numerous concerts, encouraging young Swiss and international composers to present their works, particularly chamber music.
The Museum of Ancient Musical Instruments and the Ars Antiqua Ensemble
Previously located in Sierne, a hamlet in the Geneva countryside, Fritz Ernst moved into a house in Geneva, at 23 rue François-Lefort, to open a museum, which was inaugurated on September 2, 1960. On the first floor, Fritz Ernst and Elisa-Isolde Clerc created a concert hall, namely for their ensemble Ars Antiqua. Over time, the ensemble gave more than five hundred concerts in Switzerland and abroad, showcasing the museum’s instruments.
The Sound Archives
In 1969, the City of Geneva acquired Fritz Ernst’s collections and kept the museum open until its final closure on August 31, 1993. The instruments and documentation were then transferred to the archives of the Museum of Art and History. This sound heritage preserves memories of precious moments: it allows for hearing some of the instruments from the collection, providing a unique insight into how early music was performed from the 1950s to the 1980s. Thanks to the preservation of this collection, these recordings, from the archives of Fritz Ernst and Elisa-Isolde Clerc, will now be made accessible, paving the way for future research projects.
This preservation project was made possible by the United Music Foundation, thanks to a grant from the City of Geneva.
With the kind collaboration of VDE-Gallo Records.
A recording from the sound archives of the Museum of Ancient Musical Instruments will be unveiled on this page on October 27, 2024.
