The Zither Seminar

I came to the land of Bach for a zither seminar, led by three musicians I especially wanted to hear and meet. I travelled by way of Dresden, with a side visit to Leipzig to visit Bach's final resting home. I then continued to Marienberg, a small, scenic Saxon town just north of the Czech border.

My original intent was simply to be an observer. I have played the zither long enough to only embarrass myself, and my German is so limited that I didn't want to draw attention to my inadequacies. However, the seminar was structured for players of all levels, a loaner instrument was kindly provided by the Horst Wünsche Zitherbau, and everyone kindly accommodated mien schlecht Deutsch.

Total emersion in the German language has been good for me... embarrassing and humbling, but good. Simply sitting in a room listening to the cadence of the language offers an opportunity I don't otherwise have and I could feel my language neural synapses connecting in a way that can't happen with book learning.

Of course, trying to teach one's self any instrument is fraught with peril. There are serious mistakes or bad habits that become ingrained and will limit success. The timing of this seminar was perfect for me: I am familiar with the notes, but was headed down the wrong path with the production of sound. It is not too late to correct this and one of the joys of being amongst so many zither players was the opportunity to hear how wonderful that sound can be.

Indeed, Harald Oberlechner has mastered the instrument's resources in a special way. Always rich and full, with nuance and range, he has the ability to to make nearly any music sound like it was intended for the zither. He makes it sound better on the zither. I've heard similar claims about other instruments, such as the harp and the guitar. The zither has an advantage over these two by combining the best of both, with a huge range (rivaling that of the piano) plus the added color of both metal and nylon. Plus, a certain genius behind the arrangement and execution.

It seems that Harald is at the epicenter of the progressive zither community. He embraces all music, and he does so with intelligence and sensitivity. He will play a Bach 'cello prelude, follow it with a folk song, and then a jazz inspired piece of his own making. I've been searching for the right word for this eclectic music making and all I can come with is "holistic music."

As I have written before, what especially attracted me to this zither community was their holistic approach... Music without boundaries.

This is not to say I don't appreciate the specialist. Left on my own, I tend to lean in that direction. I have immersed myself in C.P.E. Bach, in Renaissance lute music, in 17th century French lute music, and so on. (Dare I suggest we all consider ourselves as "specialists" in J.S. Bach?) But I fear I am a dilettante, with too many "specialties," although I have remained overly faithful to "classical" music. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it self-defense against too many options. I may love the sea, but it's vastness scares me.

The highlight of the seminar was a joint recital by each of the masters, demonstrating both their breadth and their special inclinations. Martin Mallaun is drawn to the new, pushing the boundaries of the traditional. It was he who first opened my eyes to the zither as being more than a folk instrument. Michal Müller has developed his own style, with a flavor of blues, jazz, popular, and Czech folk. Harald Oberlechner's specialty is, well, everything .

Harald played some Bach, convincing me that had the zither been around, Bach would have played it. His arrangement of Gaspar Sanz's music retained the essence of the Baroque Guitar, but improved on it with the unique character of the zither; purists might cringe, but the arrangement was true to the intent. He played a little Alpine folk music, giving it as much dignity as the Bach. And, he played a little jazz of his own invention, showing that he can be as light-hearted as anyone.

I did learn something of the zither — it was well worth the trip — but I especially better understood that music is Music. In the land of Bach.


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