The data for this study were collected from archival documents (primary sources) of 19th-century choral societies in the cities of Bern and Fribourg. These sources include jubilee publications, annual reports, statutes, minutes of meetings, members’ lists, concert programmes, music scores, letters, newspaper articles, and pictures.
Primary sources indicate that at least 111 choirs existed in the cities of Bern and Fribourg between 1789 and 1914. In Bern, 95 choirs have been identified, of which more than half (54%) were men’s choirs. Every fourth choir was a mixed choir (26%). Church choirs accounted for 11% and were mostly mixed. Women’s choirs were in the minority, accounting for only 8%. In Fribourg, 16 choirs have been identified. Half of them (50%) were men’s choirs and almost one in five was a mixed choir (19%). Church choirs accounted for 32% in Fribourg; they were more numerous than in Bern and some of them were men’s choirs. No evidence was found for the existence of women’s choirs in the city of Fribourg between 1789 and 1914.
The gender differences are most apparent in the small numbers of both mixed and, more importantly, women’s choirs. The quantity of primary sources also highlights this gender difference: in contrast to the numerous jubilee publications and other primary sources from men’s choirs, jubilee publications from only one women’s choir were found. Primary sources from women’s choirs are extremely rare. Most of them could only be identified through incidental mentions in the primary sources of the men’s choirs. Due to this scarcity of primary sources, it was generally not even possible to determine the year of foundation of the women’s choirs.
Relations between the choral societies of Bern and Fribourg, or between the choirs of these cities and those of other cantons, were apparently limited. Nevertheless, the few interregional friendships that have been observed seem to have gone beyond mere sociability and had a much broader significance: the building of national unity. Particularly noteworthy is the close relationship between the men’s choirs Berner Liedertafel and Société de Chant de la Ville de Fribourg, which is attested to in a number of letters and other primary sources. These sources suggest that this friendship — which transcended cantonal, linguistic, and religious barriers — was based firstly on patriotism and the desire for unity between the different parts of Switzerland. More than this, however, the friendship rested on a mutual political affinity: both the Berner Liedertafel and the Société de Chant de la Ville de Fribourg were radical-liberal and opposed to conservatism.
A comparison between the choral societies of Bern and Fribourg reveals a homogeneity based mainly on similarities in terms of form. However, these formal similarities conceal a heterogeneity in terms of content. The similarities between the choirs, whether from Bern or Fribourg, related to their formal or general characteristics: most of the choirs were men’s choirs; the gender differences were large; the activities included giving concerts, participating in festivals, and organising social events; almost all the choirs promoted patriotism in a rather broad sense; most were formed by one or two social classes and had a well-defined musical profile. The content, however, could vary greatly, even within the same city. In Bern, for example, large choirs formed by the bourgeoisie and dedicated to a demanding musical repertoire had a different reality from small neighbourhood choirs formed by the middle class and singing a simple popular repertoire, or even from workers’ choirs. In Fribourg, choirs formed by supporters of radicalism had a niche and were not necessarily related to choirs formed by conservatives.
An important finding of this research is that some important men’s choirs, both in Berne and Fribourg, have consciously worked to strengthen national unity and a sense of togetherness among the Swiss. This was done not only through participation in the Federal Singing Festivals, but above all through friendships with choirs from other regions of Switzerland. In this sense, the relationship between the Berner Liedertafel and the Société de Chant de la Ville de Fribourg is very illustrative.
CLEFNI results have been presented at international conferences and lectures and disseminated in scientific articles, social media, an open access comic, as well as broadcasts on Swiss radio. Please visit the CLEFNI website for more details.
