Hermann Suter

1870 (KAISERSTUHL) – 1926 (BASEL)

Hermann Suter was one of the most important musicians in Switzerland in the first half of the 20th century – not just as a composer, but as a man who exerted a lasting influence on the music life of his native land. He was born in Kaiserstuhl in Canton Aargau, then attended high school in Basel, where he received piano lessons from Hans Huber. He then moved to Germany to further his studies, first at the conservatory of Stuttgart, then in Leipzig. In the 1890s, Suter directed several choirs in Zurich and was appointed organist at the Reformed Church in the suburb of Enge. In 1902, he succeeded Alfred Volkland as Music Director in Basel.

Suter conducted the Gesangverein and Liedertafel choirs in Basel and was also the chief conductor of the Basel Orchestra, remaining in his post for over 20 years. From 1918 to 1921 he was also the director of the Basel Conservatoire. As a conductor, Suter was an important advocate for contemporary music, performing works by Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Béla Bartók, Arthur Honegger and others. He was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Basel in 1913. In 1924, the Basel Gesangverein celebrated its 100^th anniversary by giving the world premiere of his oratorio Le Laudi di San Francesco d’ Assisi – a work that is still performed regularly today. Suter died suddenly in 1926 after several months of ill health.

Besides his conducting commitments in Basel, Suter was also responsible for the concert programmes of the ensembles under his direction. He placed great importance on highlighting musical developments overlong periods of time, his aim the being “to delight the audience while at the same time steering them in the right direction without their being aware of any pedagogical intent”.