Application for the theory of harmony to be included in the UNESCO list of intangible world cultural heritage

The procedure requires that such an application cannot be submitted directly, but must first be included in a country's cultural heritage list. In Switzerland, the responsible commission, headed by the Federal Office of Culture, meets every 5 years. The application was submitted on October 8th, 2021 and receipt was confirmed on October 21st, 2021.

Federal Councilor Viola Amherd, Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, has visited this page and, in her letter dated June 23, 2022, wishes every success for the Commission's pending decision.

According to a media release dated August 22, 2023, the application was not approved and the Christian symbolism and the ethical content of Western harmony were not included in the list. Science blog B 34: “The decision of the Federal Office of Culture” provides information on the background.

The answer from Rome

After the tasks of the Pontificio Consiglio della Cultura were assigned to another institution by Pope Francis in 2022, the decision now rests with the Dicastero per la Cultura e l'Educazione.

A suggestion was made that the Vatican State submit the corresponding application to UNESCO. The request was submitted on October 10, 2023 and was addressed to Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, the Prefect of the Dicastero and also Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra.

Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça

Swiss Ambassador in conversation with Pope Francis

The Swiss Ambassador to the Holy See, Mrs Manuela Leimgruber, was also included in the dialogue and invited the author to a personal conversation that yielded new insights:

Both inside and outside the Vatican, a gap is opening up between those who follow the material with professional interest and those who are skeptical even before reading it and expect recognition from a higher, especially prominent level. The professional support of two rectors of the Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra (Prof. Em. Giacomo Baroffio - editor in chief of the Rivista Internazionale di Musica Sacra - and Mons. Prof. Vincenzo de Gregorio, organist at the Cathedral of Naples) is not enough for this - strangely enough, because there is no institution in the world that is closer to the musical-theological cultural heritage of the West. For the second group, it is a matter of waiting until the Pope officially reinstates the musical symbolic content in the canon of the Catholic world view, in accordance with the inscription that can be read in many places: MUSICA DONUM DEI. After that, there is no higher authority. 

The situation is similar with regard to UNESCO, as subordinates often do not have - as Immanuel Kant demanded - the courage to use their own reason when confronted with their superiors even though it would be sufficient to present a find to the decision-makers, obvious through the inclusion of the music-historical context. Christian sacred music maintains a living tradition.