Basel, January 1, 1999 — Paul Sacher, the man who helped define modern classical music patronage, died in his hometown at the age of 93, leaving behind a fortune of 13 billion Swiss francs and a legacy that extends far beyond his initial love for Mozart. Though he deeply admired Mozart’s work—once stating, “There is no music that moves me more deeply than Mozart’s”—Sacher is best remembered for championing the composers of his own time.
A Patron for the Ages: The Life and Legacy of Paul Sacher
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The Swiss conductor and philanthropist quietly became one of the 20th century’s most influential figures in music, fostering a new era of composition.
- Born in 1906, Sacher initially aspired to be a violinist but found his true calling in conducting and, ultimately, patronage.
- He founded both the Basel Chamber Orchestra and the Basel Chamber Choir, providing crucial platforms for contemporary composers.
- Through strategic investments and a marriage to Maja Hoffmann-Stehlin, Sacher amassed a vast fortune that fueled his philanthropic endeavors.
- The Paul Sacher Foundation continues to preserve and promote the works of the composers he supported.
The son of a shipping clerk and a seamstress, Sacher knew he wanted a violin by the age of six. While he quickly realized he lacked the virtuosity for a performance career, his passion for music remained undimmed. He turned to conducting, studying theory with Basel composer Rudolf Moser and founding the “Young Basler Orchestra” at 16, where he served as concertmaster. He understood early on that supporting composers was where he could make the biggest impact.
From Early Studies to a Champion of New Music
Sacher pursued a broad education after graduating from high school, studying musicology alongside economics, law, and history at the University of Basel. He also honed his conducting skills under Felix Weingartner, who moved from the Vienna Court Opera to lead the Basel Symphony Orchestra in 1927. While he performed with greats like Clara Haskil, Walter Gieseking, and Rudolf Serkin, Sacher felt a void in the musical landscape. “What was completely missing was contemporary music,” he observed, lamenting the focus on Viennese classical and romantic traditions.
To address this, he established the Basel Chamber Orchestra in 1929, an ensemble dedicated to expanding the repertoire. He combined different eras in his programs, believing “A new musical attitude, a new style is taking shape.” The Basel Chamber Choir soon followed, and together they premiered Arthur Honegger’s oratorio “King David” to enthusiastic reviews.
Forging Lifelong Bonds with Leading Composers
1929 proved pivotal, as Sacher met Béla Bartók and Igor Stravinsky, forging friendships that would shape his career. He went on to commission over 200 works from composers including Martinu, Boulez, and Rihm. These commissions included landmark pieces such as Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Stravinsky’s Concerto en re, Richard Strauss’ Metamorphoses, Honegger’s Symphonie Liturgique, Henze’s double concerto for oboe, harp and string orchestra, and Rihm’s “Sung Time,” specifically written for Anne-Sophie Mutter.
Wealth, Family, and a Lasting Foundation
Sacher’s ability to fund these ambitious projects stemmed from his 1934 marriage to Maja Hoffmann-Stehlin, the widow of the owner of the F. Hoffmann-Stehlin, a major shareholder in the La Roche pharmaceutical group. He skillfully secured the family’s majority ownership of the company. Despite emphasizing his wife’s significant role, Sacher also acknowledged having extramarital relationships and children, including Georg Schmid, who now presides over the Paul Sacher Foundation.
The Paul Sacher Foundation now houses the most extensive collection of 20th and 21st-century music documents, beginning with the estates of Stravinsky, Webern, and Bruno Maderna, and now encompassing over a hundred collections. Sacher insisted on artistic merit as the sole criterion for commissions, never seeking exclusive performance rights.
For decades, Sacher’s generosity extended beyond the musical world, aiding numerous emigrants facing hardship. This complex and often contradictory figure is vividly portrayed in Michael Schwalb’s biography, “Progress through Retrospection.”
Book tip: Michael Schwalb: “Paul Sacher. Progress through Retrospection”, Edition Text and Criticism by Richard Boorberg Verlag, Munich, 129 pages, €21.50
