Franziska FLEISCHANDERL
Salterio
Franziska first heard the dulcimer at the age of four and immediately fell in love with its clear, ethereal sound.
After completing two master’s degrees in Linz and Basel (Hackbrett/hammered dulcimer & contemporary chamber music), at the recommendation of Andrea Marcon she purchased a historical hammered dulcimer from 1725 (Michele Barbi, Rome). Her introduction to this remarkable instrument, known historically as the salterio, marked a significant turning point in her professional work.
Franziska embarked on several years of research in Italy, which revealed that the salterio was by no means an exotic and marginal instrument during the Baroque era, but rather played a substantial and previously unrecognized role in the music of the time. Her findings
were followed by further studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, culminating in a doctorate at Leiden University (PhD 2021).
Her dissertation, which will soon be published as a book, is the first major study on the history, repertoire, and playing technique of the baroque salterio.
Franziska Fleischanderl seeks first and foremost to apply her knowledge artistically in her concert programs. She is the first modern musician to make the baroque salterio resonate again in all its historical playing techniques (battuto-playing with hammers, finger-pizzicato, and plectra-pizzicato), exploring the immense timbral richness of this exceptional instrument.
Franziska Fleischanderl has performed with her Barbi salterio at every major early music festival, and frequently gives lectures and workshops. She works regularly with ensembles such as La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, AKAMUS Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Il pomo d’oro, Concentus Musicus Wien, and others. Further radio and CD recordings have led her to collaborations with ORF, Arte, BR, SWR, Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, and others. She is also a permanent member of the Sollazzo Ensemble. Seeking to let the original repertoire of the salterio to be heard once more, she has released three internationally awarded CDs with her own ensemble “IL DOLCE CONFORTO”.