Leipzig University Music

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Logo of the Leipzig University Music

The Leipzig University Music consists of ensembles of the students and teachers of the University of Leipzig , supported by professional musicians.

history

The roots of university music in Leipzig go back to the founding of the university. As early as 1410, the artist faculty stipulated in its statute lectures on the Musica speculativa secundum Boethium , written by Johannes de Muris in 1323, in order to obtain a Baccalauréat and Magisterium . This gave music a permanent place in the quadrivium of the medieval university alongside arithmetic , geometry and astronomy .

In 1558, however, “Musica” lectures were given up in favor of lectures on physics . Around this time, however, new lectures and exercises were held by the cantors of the Thomas and Nikolaikirche to train practical musicians. The university music of that time was mainly church music. The first music director at the St. Pauli University Church ("Director musices Paulini") was Werner Fabricius in 1656 .

In the 17th century, individual student instrumental ensembles, known as collegia musica, were formed . The then law student Georg Philipp Telemann founded such a Collegium musicum in 1701. The Neue Bachische Collegium Musicum, founded in 1979 by the then university music director Max Pommer , sees itself as the successor to this student orchestra, which was later led by Johann Sebastian Bach . A second Collegium musicum was founded in 1708 by the law student Johann Friedrich Fasch , which was later headed by Johann Gottlieb Görner .

In 1710 the university introduced a “new” church service with sophisticated figural music in the University Church of St. Pauli. These public services met with strong opposition from the main city churches. The "old" church service with motet singing, which is common on high holidays , continued to take place under the direction of the Thomaskantor Johann Sebastian Bach; the artistically insignificant university music director Johann Gottlieb Görner was entrusted with the "new" church service. The climax of a musical tradition for academic ceremonies, homage and funeral ceremonies of the university in the 17th and 18th centuries are compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, which he made during his tenure as Thomaskantor on behalf of the university himself or on behalf of university members. Some of these works were also cantatas of homage to the Saxon-Polish ruling house . Twelve works of the festival music for Leipzig university celebrations are now completely preserved. With these compositions, the University of Leipzig occupies a special position among the universities in the world.

In the 18th century, music theory lectures by Lorenz Christoph Mizler and music aesthetics lectures by Christian Friedrich Michaelis took place.

The Leipzig Singing Academy , founded in 1802 and whose conductors were also university music directors between 1810 and 1848, regularly performed oratorios in the university church from 1810 onwards . In the following years, several choirs, so 1850 founded Riedel club and the Bach Association , in 1822 the Pauline Fathers Club (since 1919 University singers shank St. Pauli ) and 1852 from the pennalen glee club Arion breakaway student glee club Arion (since 1907 Singer stem Arion ).

In 1908 Hugo Riemann founded the musicological institute Collegium musicum from the musicological seminar of the university . In 1914 a state research institute for musicology was incorporated into the Collegium musicum . In 1926 the later university music director Friedrich Rabenschlag founded the madrigal circle of Leipzig students , which in 1938 became part of the Leipzig university choir . In 1929 the university opened its musical instrument museum in the new Grassi Museum .

After the Second World War, Friedrich Rabenschlag resumed work with the university choir, the university choir and the university's chamber orchestra in 1946. In 1954 Horst Förster founded the university's Collegium musicum, later an academic orchestra . In 1957, Hans Grüß established the Capella fidicinia at the Musical Instrument Museum for the faithful performance of early music .

The destruction of the home of the university choir represented a deep turning point in the university's musical life. At the instigation of the SED rulers, St. Pauli University Church, which had not been damaged during the war, was blown up on May 30, 1968.

After the political change , in 1991, the university separated from the academic orchestra .

present

After the political change, with the bundling of the university's music activities under the unified direction of the university music director, the Leipzig University Music was established in 1992 .

In October of that year, the university music director and head of the university choir, Wolfgang Unger, founded the Pauliner Chamber Orchestra . This means that the university choir has an orchestra at its disposal which it can primarily fall back on when performing choral symphonic works. The professional chamber orchestra, named in memory of the university church, plays on modern instruments.

The first Leipzig University Music Days took place in 1994 and have been held every two years since then. The Leipzig University Choir, the Pauliner Chamber Orchestra and the Pauliner Baroque Ensemble , which was founded out of the Chamber Orchestra in 1994 and plays exclusively on historical instruments, together form the Leipzig University Music , which has been directed by David Timm since 2005 .

University Music Directors

Friedrich Rabenschlag was the last director of the university choir in the GDR to bear the official title of "University Music Director". It was not until 1991 that the title was given back to Wolfgang Unger.

University music ensembles

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Timm: Festival music for Leipzig university celebrations.

literature

Web links