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Music

Over the centuries, Germany has produced many outstanding composers and musicians. Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl Maria von Weber, Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner were Germans, as are more modern and contemporary composers Karl Orff, Helmut Lachenmann, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Hans Werner Henze and Kurt Weill. With this impressive legacy, active public interest and participation and robust government funding for musical activities, Germany is a mecca for music makers and lovers.

Germany boasts 141 professional orchestras: The country's leading ensembles are the Berlin and Munich Philharmonic orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, the Dresden Staatskapelle and a number of orchestras engaged by the public radio stations. Many of these orchestras are led by conductors with outstanding international reputations. The Gewandhausorchester was led by Kurt Masur for many years, before he left to take up the baton at the New York Philharmonic. The Berlin Philharmonic has been led by such prominent conductors as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, with Sir Simon Rattle the most recent addition to this august list.

In this thriving classical music market, the “classical avant-garde” enjoys as much popularity as contemporary music. Thanks to radio networks active in commissioning new works and highlighting compositions by contemporary artists, the public discussion of "contemporary classical" music is open to all.

Today, more than 300,000 people earn their livelihoods as composers, performing artists, music teachers and specialists at academic musical institutions or in the music industry in Germany. Many receive training at one of the country’s 34 music academies or 65 universities. Music education starts early for German students, who often take up the piano or violin while still in elementary school. In schools, music is a compulsory subject and participation in ensemble music is encouraged. Numerous competitions challenge and promote talented young musicians — the best known is the Young Musicians Competition, held at the national European levels, featuring musicians of exceptional talent ages six to 21 .

Links

General Information:

German Music Council