Martha von Castelberg-von Orelliaus expressionism + modern

Martha von Castelberg-von Orelli (* 5 April 1892 in Zurich; † 1 October 1971 in the same city) was a Swiss composer and musician.

Life

Martha von Castelberg-von Orelli was the daughter of the private banker Paul Carl Edouard von Orelli. She learnt several languages and the violin, studying with Alexander Schaichet, amongst others, and taught herself to play the piano.

She married Victor von Castelberg, who later became director of Swiss Re. She also ensured the artistic education of her two sons, Carlo and Guido von Castelberg, who, like their father, became lawyers and, in addition, shaped Zurich’s cultural life as President of the Art Society and President of the Music Commission of the Tonhalle Society respectively.
Her granddaughter is Brida von Castelberg, the former chief physician at Zurich’s Triemli Hospital.

Her home was frequented by the actor Ernst Ginsberg, the singer Elsa Cavelti and the painter Augusto Giacometti.

Her mentors included the conductors Walther Reinhart and Erich Schmid, who encouraged her in her compositional work.

Her earliest compositions date back as far as 1912. Her oeuvre comprises a total of around 70 works, the majority of which are vocal pieces. A small selection was published by Hug and Jans. Through her marriage, she had a special connection to her husband’s Romansh-speaking homeland, which is why she often retreated to the monastery of Disentis and set various texts by Romansh poets to music.

The Romansh radio station dedicated a portrait programme to her. After her husband’s death in 1957, she lived a largely secluded life. Her music was performed, amongst other occasions, at the Saffa, the ‘Swiss Exhibition for Women’s Work’, in 1958. In 1968, Johannes Fuchs recorded her motets on vinyl with his choir and the organist Erich Vollenwyder. In the same year, Elsa Cavelti and Hans Willi Häusslein recorded an album of piano songs. The radio also recorded *Domine non sum dignus* for alto and orchestra, featuring Elsa Cavelti and the Beromünster Radio Orchestra.

In 2004, a foundation was established in her honour (the MvC Foundation).

Source MvC Stiftung: https://www.mvc-stiftung.chSource Wiki: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_von_Castelberg-von_Orelli