Mani Matter
Mani Matter (4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee – 24 November 1972 in Kilchberg, Zurich, officially Hans-Peter Matter) was a popular Swiss singer-songwriter.
Mani Matter

Fotograf: Krebs, Hans. Bilderwelten No. 5, Reportagefotografien, Comet Photo AG, Archiv der Fotoagentur · ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Mani Matter
- Birth Name
- Hans-Peter Matter
- Born
- 4 August 1936
- Birthplace
- Herzogenbuchsee, Switzerland
- Died
- 24 November 1972
- Place of death
- Kilchberg, Zurich, Switzerland
- Full name
- Hans-Peter Matter.
- Nationality
- Switzerland.
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter, jurist, poet, musician, chansonnier, cabaret performer and actor.
- Honours
- Swiss Music Awards.
- Languages
- Bernese German and German.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Mani Matter (4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee – 24 November 1972 in Kilchberg, Zurich, officially Hans-Peter Matter) was a popular Swiss singer-songwriter.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q667551 · wikipedia · Mani Matter
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mani Matter • Birth Name — Hans-Peter Matter • Born — 4 August 1936 • Birthplace — Herzogenbuchsee, Switzerland • Died — 24 November 1972 • Place of death — Kilchberg, Zurich, Switzerland • Instrument — Vocals, guitar • Years Active — 1965–1972 • Label — Zytglogge • Website — www.manimatter.ch
Biography
Biography
Mani Matter was born on 4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee, Canton of Bern. His father, Erwin Matter, was a lawyer, his mother, the Dutch woman Wilhelmina Matter-de Haan, was a secretary. He had a two years older sister, Helen Matter. Growing up in Bern, he started to perform his own chansons in contemporary Bernese German at local venues and on the radio; he accompanied himself on the guitar. He was an active Boy Scout in the Pfadicorps Patria in Bern and he performed his first own songs during Boy Scout evenings. He also performed together with the Berner Troubadours (Bernese troubadours). He was killed in a car accident on his way to a concert and is buried in the Bremgartenfriedhof in Bern. Mani Matter's literary estate is archived in the Swiss Literary Archives in Bern.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Mani Matter was recorded at birth as Hans-Peter Matter. His recorded languages were Bernese German and German. His recorded confession was reformed. One child is recorded: Meret Matter.
«Occupy» movement at Paradeplatz in Zürich (Switzerland), siehe de:Occupy_Wall_Street#Schweiz
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Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1972
Mani Matter died at Kilchberg.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Herzogenbuchsee.
Birth place
Kilchberg.
Death place
Catalogued output
Catalogued works
Mani Matter - Warum syt dir so truurig?
Legacy
His Bernese German songs remain very popular in the Swiss German speaking part of Switzerland, and Matter is a great influence on the dialect music scene in Bern, and his songs are frequently covered. A collection of cover-versions was published in 1992 on the album Matter Rock. Mani Matter's chansons are often taught at school (including classes for adults wanting to learn Bernese German) and are famous for their soft irony.
Discography
• 1966 I han en Uhr erfunde (EP, "I invented a watch") • 1967 Alls wo mir id Finger chunnt (EP, "Anything I touch") • 1970 Hemmige (EP, "Inhibitions") • 1972 Betrachtige über nes Sändwitsch (EP, "Contemplations on a sandwich") • 1973 Ir Ysebahn (LP, "On the train") • 1973 I han es Zündhölzli azündt (double-LP, "I lit a match")
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Mani Matter”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q667551: Mani Matter
Unverified · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Mani Matter in der Schweizer Hitparade.
- 2.«Der gescheiteste Mensch, den ich je getroffen habe»: Unbekannter Vortrag enthüllt Mani Matter neu. Der Bund. 2026-08-04.
- 3.lnterview mit Klaus Schädelin, Gemeinderat, Berner Tagwacht, 1. November 1973
- 4.Daniel Arnet. Wieso Mani Matter die Schweiz bis heute prägt. Blick.ch. 2022-11-24.
- 5.Viktor Dammann. Vor 50 Jahren starb Mani Matter bei einem Verkehrsunfall. Blick.ch. 2022-11-24.
- 6.Daniel Arnet. Mani Matters Lieder sind unsterblich. Blick.ch. 2022-11-24.
- 7.Martin Huber: Wo Mani Matter ums Leben kam. In: Tages-Anzeiger. 30. August 2016.
- 8.Nachlass Mani Matter: Inventar. Schweiz. Literaturarchiv.
- 9.Nadine A. Brügger: «Bin ich denn nicht irgendeiner? Warum sollte mein Leben etwas Besonderes sein?» – Zum 50. Todestag Mani Matters. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 24. November 2022.
- 10.Reinhold Hönle: Ihr Name ist Eugen. In: Tele. 2. Dezember 1993, S. 39.
- 11.So klingt «Dr Sidi Abdel Assar vo El Hama» heute. In: 20 Minuten. 19. Januar 2011.
- 12.Suche nach Mani Matters Sidi Abdel Assar in El Hamma. SRF-Archiv der Sendung Fernweh – Rund ums Mittelmeer des Schweizer Fernsehens vom 15. Juli 2008 auf YouTube.
- 13.Adrian Schräder: Klare Reime für eine verworrene Welt. In: Berner Zeitung. 14. Mai 2012, abgerufen am 3. März 2017.
- 14.Christof Gertsch: . In: Das Magazin. Nr. 8, 25. Februar 2017, abgerufen am 3. März 2017.
- 15.Köniz ehrt Mani Matter. Gemeinde Köniz, 4. August 2016.
- 16.Platz bei der Gurtenbahn wird nach Mani Matter benannt. Berner Zeitung. 2016-06-23.
- 17.Sebastian Weber. Jetzt hat Mani Matter seinen Platz. 2017-05-12.
- 18.Urs Bruderer. Schweizer Kulturexport. Mani Matter auf Tschechisch – kein Problem. SRF News. 2016-11-25.
- 19.Jan Řepka. Rozjímání o sendviči – betrachtige über nes sändwitsch.
- 20.Lancierung der neuen Silbermünze «Mani Matter» unter der neuen Marke «Eidgenössische Sondermünzen» und Herausgabe des Weihnachtsmünzsatzes 2022. admin.ch. 2022-11-21.
- 21.Katharina Kilchenmann: . In: Journal B. 1. Dezember 2016 (Buchbesprechung).
- 22.Christoph Bopp: Statt die Leute zum Nachdenken anzuregen, versetzte Mani Matter sie in Festzeltstimmung. In: Aargauer Zeitung, 13. April 2013 (Interview).
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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