11 - Music in modern German culture

Summary

Arguably one of the most conspicuous leitmotifs running through German cultural history is the degree to which music has assumed a role of national significance far exceeding that in any other European country. An obvious starting-point for explaining such a phenomenon would be the almost unbroken legacy of major German-speaking composers who have exercised a lasting international influence over musical developments over the past 200 years. But other factors have proved equally vital to the all-pervasive influence of music. Consider, for example, the multiplicity of opera houses and orchestras (something in the region of 150 at the present time) that have existed in each major provincial and metropolitan centre since the nineteenth century, or the unparalleled opportunities that Germany has offered for music education, drawing students from all over the world. Then one must take into account the strong musicological traditions in German-speaking countries which have provided the fundamental principles for almost all musical scholarship of recent years. In statistical terms, this preoccupation with musical analysis, research and theory has been exemplified by a much greater number of specialised periodicals devoted to music than in any other country.