Nabokov, Nicolas [Nikolay]

Nef, Isabelle (Lander)

(b Geneva, 27 Sept 1898; d Bossy, nr Geneva, 2 Jan 1976). Swiss harpsichordist and pianist. After training as a pianist with Marie Panthès at the Geneva Conservatoire, she continued her studies in Paris with Isidor Philipp and also took courses in composition under d'Indy at the Schola Cantorum. In 1923 she became a harpsichord pupil of Landowska under whom she worked for 12 years, and with whom she often gave performances of Bach's concertos for several harpsichords. She gave concert tours throughout western Europe, in North and South America, and in Australia, and was the first modern harpsichordist to play in the USSR and South Africa. In 1936 she became the first professor of harpsichord at the Geneva Conservatoire. Nef's repertory was very extensive, taking in the principal works for harpsichord as well as a number of contemporary concertos. Malipiero's Dialogue no.6 and Martin's Concerto were written for her. She made many recordings, including the first complete recording on the harpsichord of Bach’s ‘48’. Her playing was marked by the rhythmic precision and colourful registration associated with the Landowska school.

HOWARD SCHOTT

Nef, Karl

(b St Gall, 22 Aug 1873; d Basle, 9 Feb 1935). Swiss musicologist. After his schooling in St Gall, he studied at Leipzig Conservatory and later with Kretzschmar at Leipzig University, where he took the doctorate in 1896 with a dissertation on collegia musica in Switzerland. In 1900 he completed the Habilitation at Basle University with a study of German 17th-century instrumental music; he was appointed reader at Basle in 1909 and full professor in 1923. From 1897 to 1925 he was music critic of the Basler Nachrichten and from 1898 to 1909 he edited the Schweizerische Musikzeitung. He helped found the Schweizerische Musikforschende Gesellschaft and later served as its president (1932–5). Local and national music history was the subject of Nef’s work from his dissertation onwards; his important writings, which became models of Swiss music-history research, place him with Edgar Refardt and Peter Wagner among the founders of musicology in Switzerland. Under Nef, Basle became the centre of Swiss musicology; his pupils included Jacques Handschin, Ernst Mohr and Arnold Geering.

His brother, Albert Nef (b St Gall, 30 Oct 1882; d Berne, 6 Dec 1966), was a conductor and musicologist. After studies in Leipzig and Berlin he became the first conductor of Berne Opera in 1913, later becoming acting director of opera and drama at the Berne Stadttheater (1935–58) and director (1958–9). His writings include Das Lied in der deutschen Schweiz Ende des 18. und Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts (Zürich, 1909) and Fünfzig Jahre Berner Theater (diss., U. of Berlin, 1906; Berne, 1956).

WRITINGS

Die collegia musica in der deutschen reformierten Schweiz von ihrer Entstehung zum Beginn des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts (diss., U. of Leipzig, 1896; St Gall, 1896/R)

Zur Geschichte des deutschen Instrumentalmusik in der zweiten Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts (Habilitationsschrift, U. of Basle, 1900; Leipzig, 1902/R)

Schriften über Musik und Volksgesang (Berne, 1908)

Einführung in die Musikgeschichte (Basle, 1920, 3/1945)

Geschichte der Sinfonie und Suite (Leipzig, 1921/R)

Geschichte unserer Musikinstrumente (Leipzig, 1926, 2/1949)

Die neun Sinfonien Beethovens (Leipzig, 1928/R)

Aufsätze (Basle, 1936)

EDITIONS

J. Rosenmüller: Sonate da camera, DDT, xviii (1904)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Festschrift Karl Nef zum 60. Geburtstag (Zürich and Leipzig, 1933) [incl. list of writings to 1933, pp.10–15]

W. Merian: ‘Karl Nef’, AcM, vii (1935), 49–50

J.S. Handschin: ‘Karl Nef’, Gedenkschrift Jacques Handschin, ed. H. Oesch (Berne and Stuttgart, 1957), 391–4

JÜRG STENZL

Nef, Walter (Robert)

(b St Gallen, 8 April 1910). Swiss musicologist, nephew of Karl Nef. He studied musicology at Basle, under Karl Nef, Handschin and Merian, at Berlin, under Schering, and at Paris, under Pirro, as well as continuing practical studies at the Basle Conservatory. After obtaining the doctorate at Basle University in 1934 with a dissertation on Fridolin Sicher’s tablature, he became a teacher and assistant to the director of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, of which he was deputy director (1954–64) and director (1964–70). In 1954 he began teaching at the Basle Conservatory; he lectured in the history of instruments at Basle University (1960–68), and in 1960 he took charge of the collection of musical instruments at the Basle Historical Museum. As one of the leading Swiss authorities on early instruments he has played a vital part in enlarging the Basle collection and attached particular importance to the historically accurate restoration of its items. His main teaching subject was organology. Many of his writings are concerned with the Basle instrument collection; of these his dissertation (which includes a thematic catalogue) is particularly valuable.

WRITINGS

Der St. Galler Organist Fridolin Sicher und sein Orgeltabulatur (diss., U. of Basle, 1934; Schweizerisches Jb für Musikwissenschaft, vii, 1938)

‘Pater Heinrich Keller, ein Organist im Kloster St. Gallen’, Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen musikforschenden Gesellschaft, iii (1936), 1–8

Unsere Musikinstrumente: Ausstellungskatalog Gewerbemuseum Basel (Basle, 1939)

ed.: K. Nef: Einführung in die Musikgeschichte (Zürich, 3/1945)

‘Vom Musiktraktate des Notker Labeo’, SMz, lxxxvii (1947), 323–6

‘Der sogenannte Berner Orgeltraktat’, AcM, xx (1948), 10–20; xxi (1949), 8–18

‘The Polychord’, GSJ, iv (1951), 20–24 [corrections in Alte und neue Musik, v (Zürich, 1952), 60 only]

‘25 Jahre Basler Kammerorchester’, Alte und neue Musik, i (Zürich, 1952), 15–25

‘Das neue Basler Musikinstrumentenmuseum’, Schweizerische musikforschende Gesellschaft, Mitteilungsblatt (1957), no.27, pp.1–4

‘25 Jahre Schola Cantorum Basiliensis’, Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel: Jahresbericht, xcii (1958–9), 29–37

‘Die Renaissance-Orgel in der Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente des Historischen Museums Basel’, Glareana: Nachrichten der Gesellschaft der Freunde alter Musikinstrumente, xx (1971), 18–28

Alte Musikinstrumente in Basel (Basle, 1974)

‘Paul Sacher: Ein Beitrag zu seiner Biographie’, in P. Sacher: Reden und Aufsätze, ed. N. Röthlin (Zürich, 1986), 137–48

JÜRG STENZL