History of court music in southwestern Germany in the 18th century
The primary aim of this research is the comprehensive collection and analysis of archival and musical sources relating to the social and institutional history of court orchestras in southwestern Germany. Comparative institutional history within a pan-European context, stylistic analyses of compositional practices in court and aristocratic ensembles, studies of their role in the development of the modern orchestra—including innovations in 18th-century instrument making—and questions regarding historical performance practice constitute further focal points of the research.
From the wealth of surviving works, a selection of the most valuable and historically significant compositions is made and self-published. These editions of sheet music are intended for both scholarship and performance practice, taking into account both source-critical and historical performance-practice considerations. Research findings are also presented through information exchange and collaboration with other research institutions, via international conferences and exhibitions, in encyclopedias and scholarly journals, as well as—in a popular science format—in lectures, radio broadcasts, newspaper articles, program booklets, and CD booklets.
Link to a video(external link) presenting a project in which the "Südwestdeutsche Hofmusik" research center was involved, and which was carried out in recent months by the Arte del mondo orchestra as part of the "Program for Orchestras Facing New Challenges" initiated by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
2020“
” Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 7:00 p.m., at the Temple of Minerva in the Schwetzingen Palace Gardens
“Little Serenade,” a chamber music concert as part of the 2020 theme year “Infinitely Beautiful: Monuments for Eternity” In collaboration with Schwetzingen Palace and Palace Gardens and the Schwetzingen Music School
Alongside various other chamber music ensembles, the so-called flute quartet grew increasingly popular in the second half of the 18th century. In southwestern Germany, Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi, concertmaster and director of the court orchestra in the Electoral Palatinate, was one of the first to compose works for this ensemble. But even after the heyday of the flute quartet in the 1770s and 1780s, and even at the beginning of the 19th century, when the flute quartet was losing popularity, there were composers who continued to work with this ensemble. Notably among them were Ferdinand Fränzl and Franz Danzi, sons of esteemed Mannheim court musicians, who had received an excellent musical education in the Electoral Palatinate court orchestra. In a comparative presentation, the works of the three composers are performed, marking the flowering and, in a sense, the fading of the flute quartet. Elector Carl Theodor, too, had taken pleasure in participating as a flutist in such quartet performances during the summer in Schwetzingen.
Performers: Christoph Rox (flute), Christine Rox (violin), Olga Becker-Tkacz (viola), Mirjam Rox (cello). The chamber music concert will be hosted by Yevgine Dilanyan, a staff member of the research center.
Program text(PDF)
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from August 28, 2020, by Maria Herlo(PDF)
Virtual Exhibition
The exhibition “Bibliotheca Bipontina,” which was on display last year at the Bamberg State Library, is now available online, and we would like to bring this to your attention. In addition to numerous magnificent books from this private library of the Dukes of Pfalz-Zweibrücken, the collection includes a number of handwritten and printed music scores. The most prominent item is likely the printed score of the operaIphigénieenAulideby Christoph Willibald Gluck, bearing the composer’s signature on the title page. You can access this virtual exhibitionhere(external link).
2019
Thursday, October 24, 2019, 6:30 p.m., Schwetzingen Adult Education Center, Room 105
Lecture “Burning Imaginations” – a collaboration between Niccolò Jommelli and Mattia Verazi
by Dr. Sarah-Denise Fabian
In collaboration with the Schwetzingen Adult Education Center
Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart described the Württemberg court Kapellmeister Niccolò Jommelli as possessing a “burning imagination.” He was referring to Jommelli’s operas, which caused a sensation primarily through the incorporation of French elements into Italian opera seria and through spectacular performances. This is particularly true of Jommelli’s operas set to a libretto by the Electoral Palatinate court poet Mattia Verazi. The lecture focused on this fruitful collaboration between the two artists.
Admission is free.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019: Guided tour and chamber concert
“The Magical Sounds of the Musicians’ Paradise”
In collaboration with Schwetzingen Palace and Gardens and the Schwetzingen Music School Association
4:15–5:30 p.m.
A Tour Through Music History
Meeting point for the city tour: the sculpture of Peter Lenk’s “Lucky Pig of Schwetzingen” on Schlossplatz
6:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Mozart Hall
Chamber concertfeaturing works by Ignaz Holzbauer, Christian Cannabich, Ludwig August Lebrun, and Wilhelm Cramer
“When the Elector was in Schwetzingen, and his excellent orchestra accompanied him there, one felt as if transported to an enchanted island where everything resounded and sang. [...] Indeed, from every corner and cottage of the little village, one could hear the magical sounds of his virtuosos, who played all manner of instruments.” This is how the Swabian poet Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart so euphorically described his impressions when he visited Schwetzingen in 1774 at the invitation of the Elector.
A walking tour of downtown Schwetzingen took participants to the places where the court musicians of Elector Carl Theodor lived and worked. Following the tour, a chamber concert featured works by the court musicians mentioned during the tour, who, as composers and virtuosos, contributed to the fame of the Mannheim Court Orchestra.
Performers: Christoph Rox (flute), Georg Lustig (oboe), Eckart David Schmidt (violin), Clémence Apffel-Gomez (viola), and Mirjam Rox (cello).
For more information, please visit here.
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from October 25, 2019, by Maria Herlo
Article in Schwetzinger Woche from October 30, 2019, by Eduard Koelblin
Saturday, September 28, 2019, 9:30 a.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
Conference: “Objective Reports? – Leopold Mozart’s Notes on Court Orchestras in Southwest Germany”
Even if no compositions by Leopold and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had survived, but only their letters and travel journals, anyone studying European musical life in the second half of the 18th century would be familiar with these two musicians: their accounts provide, more comprehensively than almost any other body of sources, extensive information about musicians and institutions in Europe’s musical centers.
To mark the 300th anniversary of Leopold Mozart’s birth, the Research Center for Southwestern German Court Music organized a conference aimed at critically examining Leopold Mozart’s records on the court orchestras in southwestern Germany. The focus was on the royal courts of Mannheim/Schwetzingen, Stuttgart, Bruchsal, and Donaueschingen.
The City Walking Tour “Walks Through the Paradise of Composers”
Thursday, September 26, 2019, at 5:00 p.m.
A walking tour through downtown Schwetzingen takes you to the places where the court musicians of Elector Carl Theodor lived and worked. The meeting point is at Peter Link’s sculpture “The Lucky Pig of Schwetzingen” on Schlossplatz.
Registration via Schwetzingen Tourist Information.
Wednesday, August 14, 7 p.m., at the Bathhouse, Schwetzingen Palace
“Little Serenade,” a chamber music concert as part of the 2019 theme year “Pretty Good Friends: With Sword, Charm, and Wit—France and Southwest Germany”
In collaboration with Schwetzingen Palace and Gardens and the Schwetzingen Music School
In the second half of the 18th century, musicians from the Electoral Palatinate court orchestra regularly traveled to Paris to perform in public and have their works published. However, music by French composers was also occasionally performed in Mannheim and Schwetzingen—especially on the court theater stage.
With flute quartets by Ignaz Fränzl, Carl Stamitz, François-Joseph Gossec, and Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi, the musicians Christoph Rox (flute), Olga Becker-Tkacz (violin), Anne Johnson-Zander (viola), and Mirjam Rox (cello) invited the audience on a musical journey through time, leading from Mannheim to Paris and ending in Schwetzingen, at the Badhaus. The chamber music concert was moderated by Research Center staff member Ms. Yevgine Dilanyan.
For more information, please visit here.
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from August 15, 2019, by Janina Hardung
Saturday, June 29, 2019, 6:30 p.m., Courtyard of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Serenade Concert: “Friends and Rivals: The Young Mozart Among the Court Musicians of Mannheim”
This year’s serenade concert at Academy of Sciences and Humanities Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities flute quartets by Christian Cannabich, Georg Joseph Vogler, Jean-Baptiste Wendling, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well as a duo for viola and cello by Carl Stamitz. The performers were Christoph Rox (flute), Eckart Schmidt (violin), Clémence Apffel-Gomez (viola), and Mirjam Rox (cello).
Free admission
Sunday, June 16, 2019, 2:00 p.m., Schönborn Hall, Bruchsal Palace
Lecture: “The Glass Harmonica at the Courts of Southwest Germany” by Dr. Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst
As part of the lecture series marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of glass harmonica virtuoso Marianne Kirchgessner
After Benjamin Franklin invented the glass harmonica in London in 1761, it would take several more years before this new instrument was no longer viewed as a mere curiosity but became an integral part of musical life. However, this process did not take place in England, but primarily in the German-speaking world: “Germany truly became the adopted home of the harmonica,” as musicologist Alec Hyatt King summarized. This development began at the courts of southwestern Germany. Here—in some cases commissioned by the rulers—the first instruments in Germany were replicated, and serial production began somewhat later. Here, instrumentalists learned how to play the instrument, composed music for it, and in turn passed on their knowledge to students. The central role of the region in the history of the glass harmonica was examined in greater detail in this presentation.
For more information about the lecture series and the evening concert by the Vienna Glass Harmonica Duo that follows, please visit here.
The City Walking Tour “Walks Through the Paradise of Composers”
Thursday, May 23, 2019, at 6:30 p.m.
A walking tour through downtown Schwetzingen took participants to the places where the court musicians of Elector Carl Theodor lived and worked. The meeting point was at Peter Link’s sculpture “The Lucky Pig of Schwetzingen” on Schlossplatz.
Registration via Schwetzingen Tourist Information.
Monday, May 13, 2019, 7:30 p.m. Knights' Hall, Baroque Palace, Mannheim
Court Music Academy II of the SWR Schwetzingen Festival
In collaboration with the Schwetzingen Festival and the Villa Musica Rhineland-Palatinate State Foundation
The Hofmusik-Akademie’s second concert was also held at a historic venue: the musical academies took place in the Knights’ Hall of Mannheim Palace during the winter months, a season marked by celebrations for the ruling couple’s name days and birthdays, as well as Carnival. This room is inextricably linked to the high standard of orchestral culture in the Electoral Palatinate’s court music, about which an anonymous eyewitness raved: “It was a joy to see how one bow stroke followed another up and down; a joy to hear how not a single note in the entire orchestra of more than 50 people went unnoticed... how forte and piano were performed in brotherly harmony, how the uniformly executed rise of the crescendo and fall of the diminuendo swelled the heart of the sensitive listener.” Musical Director: Werner Ehrhardt.
The concert, available for listening, was broadcast on May 21, 2019, at 1:05 p.m. on SWR2 Mittagskonzert .
Sunday, May 12, 2019, 6:00 p.m., Mozart Hall, Schwetzingen Palace
Court Music Academy I of the SWR Schwetzingen Festival
In collaboration with the Schwetzingen Festival and the Villa Musica Rhineland-Palatinate State Foundation
This year’s Schwetzingen Court Music Academy continued the tradition of the musical academies at the court of Elector Carl Theodor. These varied court concerts, in which the Elector himself occasionally performed as a soloist, were a regular feature of the court’s festive calendar or could also be scheduled at short notice, as Leopold Mozart reported from Salzburg in July 1763: “Yesterday an academy was specially ordered for our sake … It lasted from 5 o’clock in the evening until 9 o’clock at night.”
The program featured works by court musicians from the Electoral Palatinate and their contemporaries. In addition to symphonies, the program included concertos, arias, ballet music, and chamber music, and a musical surprise awaited the audience during both intermissions. Musical director: Werner Ehrhardt.
Dr. Sarah-Denise Fabian's introductory remarks will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Jagdsaal.
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from May 14, 2019
Saturday, May 11, 2019, 3:00 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
In the Musicians' Paradise: Tour – Concert – Guided Tour
A tour of downtown Schwetzingen took participants to the places where the court musicians of Elector Carl Theodor lived and worked. The participants in this year’s Court Music Academy then invited guests to a short concert in the concert hall of the Palais Hirsch. Afterward, staff members from the “Southwest German Court Music” research center of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities , also located in Palais Hirsch, provided Academy of Sciences and Humanities into their work.
Free admission
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from May 13, 2019, by Hans-Günter Fischer
Sunday, April 28, 2019, 11 a.m., Karl-Wörn-Haus, Schwetzingen City Museum
“It’s Just a Village” – Schwetzingen Through the Eyes of Leopold Mozart, Exhibition Opening
To mark the 300th anniversary of Leopold Mozart’s birth, the special exhibition“It’s Just a Village” – Schwetzingen Through the Eyes of Leopold Mozartopened at the Schwetzingen City Museum.
When Leopold Mozart was staying in Schwetzingen in the summer of 1763 during his first concert tour with his children Maria Anna and Wolfgang Amadeus, he wrote a letter to his friend and patron, Johann Lorenz Hagenauer, in which he not only discussed the music and musicians at court but also described daily life in Schwetzingen in detail.
The mayor of Schwetzingen, René Pöltl; the director of the Research Center for Southwestern German Court Music at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities . Dr. Silke Leopold; and the museum director, Lars Maurer, opened the exhibition with their speeches.
The project involves the Karl-Wörn-Haus, the Museum of the City of Schwetzingen (Lars Maurer), the Schwetzingen City Archives (Joachum Kresin), the Institute of History at the University of Mannheim (Prof. Dr. Hiram Kümper), and the Research Center for Southwestern German Court Music (Dr. Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst).
The exhibition was open until July 28, 2019.
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from April 30, 2019, by Maria Herlo
The City Walking Tour “Walks Through the Paradise of Composers”
on Thursday, April 25, 2019, at 3:00 p.m.
A walking tour through downtown Schwetzingen takes you to the places where the court musicians of Elector Carl Theodor lived and worked. The meeting point is at Peter Link’s sculpture “The Lucky Pig of Schwetzingen” on Schlossplatz.
Registration via Schwetzingen Tourist Information.
Sunday, February 24, 2019, 5:00 p.m., Concert Hall of the University of Music and Performing Arts, Stuttgart
Concert: "Electra" by Christian Cannabich
Dr. Sarah-Denise Fabian's introduction took place at 4:15 p.m.
Dr. Fabian discussed Christian Cannabich’s “Electra” on the SWR2 radio program “Treffpunkt Klassik.”
You can listen to the broadcast here here.
Thursday, February 14, 2019, 6:30 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
Lecture: “The Astronomer and the Blind Girl” by Dr. Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst
A lecture on the history of the glass harmonica to mark the 300th anniversary of Christian Mayer’s birth and the 250th anniversary of Marianne Kirchgessner’s birth
Like no other musical instrument, the glass harmonica, with its ethereal, almost disembodied sound, embodied the sensitive spirit of the late 18th century. Although it was invented in London in 1761 by the American Benjamin Franklin, the instrument found a home primarily in Germany. Prominent composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Adolf Hasse, and Johann Gottlieb Naumann composed for the glass harmonica; the poet Jean Paul called it a “glass sanctuary of the muse of sound,” and Goethe is said to have heard in its sound the “lifeblood of the world.” The lecture provided an introduction to the history of this instrument, which is largely forgotten today, and explained the important role that the courts in southwestern Germany played in its development.
Free admission
2018
Thursday, November 15, 2018, 6:00 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
Lecture: “Creator of a New Taste?” by Dr. Sarah-Denise Fabian
When Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg appointed him to his court, he was already an internationally celebrated star composer: Niccolò Jommelli (1714–1774). His operas made him famous throughout Europe. From 1754 to 1769, Jommelli served as chief conductor in Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg. The lecture focused on this phase of the life and work of this significant composer, who is no longer prominently represented in today’s musical landscape.
Free admission
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen on November 19 by Maria Herlo
Sunday, November 4, 2018, 5:00 p.m. Knights' Hall, Mannheim Palace
"Music from the Residence" Concert Series
275 Years of the "Mannheim School"
A music academy
Works by Johann and Carl Stamitz, Ignaz Holzbauer, Anton Fils, Wilhelm Cramer, and Antonio Salieri
Soloists: Yvonne Prentki (soprano), Sueye Park (violin), Nikolaus Friedrich(clarinet), Kurpfälzisches Chamber Orchestra, Conductor: James Lowe
Organizer: GMG in cooperation with the State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg and in collaboration with the Research Center for Southwestern German Court Music of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Admission: 15 euros, reduced rate 10 euros
Ticket sales: online via Reservix, by phone (0621 14554) or at the box office (starting at 4 p.m.)
Unreserved seating
Saturday, October 20, 2018: Tour and concert
Mozart in the Musicians' Paradise
In collaboration with the City of Schwetzingen and the Schwetzingen Music School Association
4:15–5:30 p.m.
Musical history tour: “In the Paradise of Composers.”
After the tour, light refreshments will be served.
6:00 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Concert Hall (upper floor)
Chamber Music Concert“A Quartet for the Native American Dutchman”:
Flute quartets by the young Mozart and the Mannheim court musicians. Free admission.
Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst and Sarah-Denise Fabian, staff members of the research center, hosted a music-historical walking tour through downtown Schwetzingen. The tour took participants to the places where the court musicians of Elector Carl Theodor lived and worked. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also visited the Electoral Palatinate, first as a child prodigy and later as a young adult. He maintained particularly close ties with some prominent court musicians during his stay in Mannheim over 240 years ago. Detailed accounts of this can be found in the letters to his father, who remained in Salzburg; in these, Wolfgang Amadé also writes about the commissions for compositions arranged by his musician friends at court. “A quartetto for the Indian Dutchman, for the true friend of humanity, will also be finished soon,” Mozart informed his father in a postscript dated December 20, 1777. By “quartetto” he means a flute quartet—a chamber music form for flute and string trio that was frequently composed by the “Mannheimers” and was popular at the time. This flute quartet, along with three other works by Christian Cannabich, Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi, and Jean Baptist Wendling—edited specifically for the subsequent concert—were performed by the musiciansChristoph Rox (flute),Covadonga Alonso (violin),Anne Johnson-Zander (viola), andMirjam Rox (cello). The concert was moderated by Eva Dilanyan, a staff member of the research center.
Registration via Schwetzingen Tourist Information.
You can find the key details about the event here.
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen on October 22 by Maria Herlo
The guided tour “Walks Through the Paradise of Composers”
on September 29 at 3 p.m.
Registration via Schwetzingen Tourist Information
The meeting point is at Peter Link's sculpture "The Lucky Pig of Schwetzingen" on Schlossplatz.
Sunday, September 9, 2018, 1:00–6:00 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
National Historic Preservation Day
As part of the organ tour, the research center held an open house.
For more information, please see the flyer and the program.
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on September 10, 2018, by Maria Herlo
Saturday, September 8, 2018, 10:30 a.m., SWR2
Classical Music Special
Dr. Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst was a guest on the SWR2 radio program "Treffpunkt Klassik extra."
For more information, please visit here.
Sunday, July 8, 2018, 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Friedenskirche Ludwigsburg
Don't you know... Music from the Ludwigsburg Court
6:00 p.m.: Introductory lecture by Sarah-Denise Fabian
7:00 p.m.: Concert featuring works by Breschianello, Duntz, and Holzbauer, conducted by Nikolai Ott
Wednesday, June 27, 2018, 6:15 p.m., Lecture Hall of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Orpheus in Swabia – Florian Deller’s *Orphée et Euridice* at the Court of Württemberg
A lecture by Dr. Sarah-Denise Fabian as part of the series: 15 Years of “We Research for You.” [Part 2]
Ballet at the Württemberg court under Carl Eugen in the 18th century is associated above all with one name: Jean Georges Noverre. During his tenure in Stuttgart (1760–1767), the Duke gave him virtually unlimited freedom to implement his ballet reform—the concept of a new kind of dramatic narrative ballet. Music plays a central role in this, for, as Noverre himself stated in *
*, music is to dance what words are to music. The composers of this music, however, are largely forgotten today—one of them is the Württemberg court musician Florian Deller. He composed the music for numerous reform ballets by Noverre, with the music for *Orphée et Euridice* (1763) counting among his most significant works. The lecture now turned explicitly to this music, examining in particular how the program developed by Noverre around Orpheus and Eurydice is reflected in the musical composition.
Free admission
Activities of the Research Center in collaboration with the Schwetzingen Festival 2018
Saturday, May 19, 2018, 7:00 p.m.; additional performances on Monday, May 21 (6:00 p.m.) and
Tuesday, May 22 (7 p.m.), Rokokotheater Schwetzingen
Premiere: *La Fiera di Venezia*, a *drama giocoso* by Antonio Salieri (1750–1825), semi-staged performance
In collaboration with the Schwetzingen Festival and the L'arte del mondo Orchestra (Bayer Kultur)
With the opera buffa *La Fiera di Venezia*, the young Antonio Salieri made a name for himself with Viennese audiences in early 1772. That same year, the opera was performed in Mannheim and later throughout Europe. Nearly 250 years after its premiere, Salieri’s opera returned to the Kurpfalz region, bringing a touch of Venetian flair to Schwetzingen. Musical direction by Werner Ehrhardt.
The introductions by Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold took place on May 19 and 22 at 6 p.m. and on May 21 at 5 p.m. in the Chamber Music Hall.
Article in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung on May 22, 2018, by Matthias Roth
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from May 21, 2018, by Hans-Günter Fischer; photo: SWR/SSF/WITT
Additional walking tours, titled “Walks Through the Paradise of Composers,” will take place on April 28, May 19, and September 29, each at 3:00 p.m.
Registration via Schwetzingen Tourist Information
The meeting point is at Peter Link's sculpture "The Lucky Pig of Schwetzingen" on Schlossplatz
Saturday, May 5, 2018, 6:00 p.m., Rokokotheater Schwetzingen
SWR Court Music Academy, Schwetzingen Festival, Closing Concert
In collaboration with the Schwetzingen Festival and the Villa Musica Rhineland-Palatinate State Foundation
The sixth Court Music Academy took place on May 5, 2018, as part of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival and in collaboration with the Research Center. The program featured works by composers from the second half of the 18th century who operated at the intersection of tradition and innovation at the royal courts of southwestern Germany. This aligned with the festival’s theme, “Transitions.” Compositions by Georg Joseph Vogler, Niccolò Jommelli, Johann Evangelist Brandl, Anton Fils, and Joseph Aloys Schmittbaur were performed by Camerata Villa Musica under the direction of Werner Ehrhardt.
Dr. Sarah-Denise Fabian's introduction took place at 5:00 p.m. in the Chamber Music Hall.
Friday, May 4, 2018, 4:00 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
In the Musicians' Paradise: Tour – Concert – Guided Tour
A tour of downtown Schwetzingen took participants to the places where the court musicians of Elector Carl Theodor lived and worked. The participants in this year’s Court Music Academy then hosted a chamber music concert in the concert hall of the Palais Hirsch. Afterward, staff members from the “Southwest German Court Music” research center of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities —also located in Palais Hirsch—provided Academy of Sciences and Humanities into their work.
Free admission
The tour is already fully booked
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on April 30, 2018, by Markus Mertens
Thursday, January 25, 2018, 6:00 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
Lecture: “Sons of Schwetzingen: Famous Children of Court Musician Families in the Electoral Palatinate”
Dr. Rüdiger Thomsen-Fürst gave a lecture on the children of court musicians born in Schwetzingen, who received their early training at home and later pursued careers outside the Electoral Palatinate. Three of them—Franz Danzi, Franz Cramer, and Ferdinand Fränzl—were featured in the lecture.
Article in the Schwetzinger Woche dated January 31, 2018
2017
Sunday, September 10, 2017, 1:00–6:00 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
National Historic Preservation Day
As part of the organ tour, the research center held an open house.
For more information, please visit here.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, at the Bathhouse
“Badhausserenade,” a chamber music concert in collaboration with Schwetzingen Palace and Gardens and the Schwetzingen Music School
This year’s Badhaus Serenade featured flute quartets by renowned Mannheim court composers such as Christian Cannabich, Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi, and Ignaz Fränzl, as well as another flute quartet by Ernst Eichner. Prior to the concert, art historian Dr. Ralf Wagner gave an introduction to the nearby Naturtheater. The chamber music concert was introduced by Research Center staff member Eva (Yevgine) Dilanyan.
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from July 15, 2017, by Maria Herlo
Article in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung on July 15, 2017, by Marion Gottlob
June 17 and 18, 2017, Schwetzingen, Mannheim
Conference: “The Stamitz Family and the Migration of European Musicians in the 18th Century”
To mark the 300th anniversary of Johann Stamitz’s birth, the Research Center and the State University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim hosted a symposium in Schwetzingen on June 17 and 18, 2017, on the topic “The Stamitz Family and European Musical Migration in the 18th Century” (Chairs: Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold, Prof. Dr. Panja Mücke).
Following the symposium, Prof. Dr. Michael Werner (Paris) delivered a commemorative lecture at Mannheim Palace, where a celebratory concert featuring works by Johann Stamitz was subsequently held.
Sunday, May 14, 2017, Rokokotheater Schwetzingen
SWR Court Music Academy, Schwetzingen Festival, Closing Concert
in collaboration with the Schwetzingen Festival and the Villa Musica Rhineland-Palatinate State Foundation
This year, the collaboration with the SWR Schwetzingen Festival continued. The concert bythe Schwetzingen Court Music Academytook place on Sunday, May 14, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. in the Rococo Theater (Schwetzingen Palace). The program centered on the theme “Musician Migration at the Electoral Palatinate Court,” featuring works by Johann Stamitz, Carl Joseph Toeschi, Franz Xaver Richter, and others. The Camerata Villa Musica performed under the direction of Werner Ehrhardt.
Listen to the interview on court music in the Electoral Palatinate
2016
September 14–17, 2016, Mainz
16th International Congress of the Society for Music Research
Atthe 16th International Congress of the Society for Music Research, held in Mainz from September 14 to 17, 2016, the Research Center presented its work on Thursday, September 15, 2016.
Saturday, September 10, 2016, 7:15–11:30 p.m., Palais Hirsch, Schwetzingen
Open Monument Night
The opening event for “Open Monument Day 2016” took place this year in Schwetzingen: on Saturday, September 10, 2016, with the “Night of Open Monuments.” The Research Center also opened its doors for the occasion: Under the theme“Court Music in Schwetzingen,”an introductory lecture was held at 7:15 p.m. introductory lecture followed by a concert featuring works by F. Danzi. Afterward, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., visitors had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the research center every hour on the hour, gaining insights into the research work being conducted there.
Saturday, July 9, 2016, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
At this year’s serenade concert hosted by Academy of Sciences and Humanities Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities , the chamber choir of the Collegium Musicum at Heidelberg University, conducted by University Music Director Michael Sekulla, Academy of Sciences and Humanities works by Franz Danzi, Peter von Winter, Georg Joseph Abbé Vogler, and others. The concert will take place on July 9, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in the Academy’s courtyard garden.
Saturday, April 30, 2016, 3:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Rococo Theater
Gala ConcertCelebrating the 1,250th Anniversary of the City of Schwetzingen
Works by Ignaz Holzbauer, Christian Cannabich, Carl Stamitz, Georg Joseph Vogler, and Anton Dimler
Cramer Quartet (Thierry Stöckel, Covadonga Alonso, Julien Heichelbech, Matthias Bergmann)
Conductor: Johannes Schlaefli
Event as part of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival in collaboration with the Research Center and the City of Schwetzingen
Sunday, May 29, 2016, 3:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Rococo Theater
A Musical Arcadia
Works by Ignaz Holzbauer, Christian Cannabich, Johann and Carl Stamitz
Fourth Court Music Academy as part of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival in collaboration with the Research Center
Conductor: Midori Seiler and Jaap ter Linden
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold
Information on the workshop's terms and conditions
2015
Saturday, May 23, 2015
3:00 p.m., Hunting Hall, Schwetzingen Palace
Specialized in instruments
Presentation of original instruments from the world of Electoral Palatinate court music
Panel discussion featuring Matthias Kohl and Midori Seiler, among others; moderated by Reinhard Ermen
Free admission
An event organized by the SWR2 Cultural Service as part of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival in collaboration with the Research Center
Event poster for the Schwetzingen SWR Festival
5:00 p.m., Chamber Music Hall, Schwetzingen Palace
“The only thing cheap here is wine”—and why Paris was still a place of longing for musicians from Germany in the 18th century
Lecture: Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold
Free admission
Keynote Address as part of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival
7:30 p.m., Rokokotheater, Schwetzingen Palace
Music in Dialogue – Mannheimers in Paris
Works by Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi, Georg Joseph Vogler, Anton Fils, Anton Stamitz, and Ignaz Holzbauer
Third Court Music Academy as part of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival in collaboration with the Research Center
Article in Morgenweb from May 27, 2015, by Hans-Günter Fischer
Article in the Schwetzinger Woche dated May 28, 2015, by Angelika Bermann-Scherer
Final concert: Listen here (mp3)
Saturday, July 4, 2015, 6:00 p.m., Heidelberg, Karlstraße 4, Hofgarten
Serenade Concert
Rediscovered String Quartets of theMannheim School
The newly formedCramer Quartetwill perform, featuringThierry Stöckel (first violin), Covadonga Alonso Villasenor (second violin), Julien Heichelbech (viola), and Matthias Bergmann (cello)
Free admission and open seating
An event organized by Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in collaboration with the Research Center
Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, Photo 4, Photo 5, Photo 6, Photo 7
Review of the concert in the Mannheimer Morgen on July 6, 2015
The quartet plays on the exquisite original instruments crafted by the electoral court luthiers Jacob Rauch and Mathias Gülich—that is, on original instruments from the immediate circle of Elector Carl Theodor’s famous court orchestra. The quartet’s name is derived from the violin virtuoso Wilhelm Cramer , who was one of the famous Sons of Mannheim and one of the most gifted pupils of theMannheim School. It is possible that the 1759 Gülich violin even came from the virtuoso’s own collection (see the essays: Kohl/Pelker). The original instruments will be played in public for the first time during the serenade concert.
2014
Friday, January 31, 2014, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen, Palais Hirsch, Conference Room
Making Music Together—Captured in Art. On the Iconography of the Wittelsbach Court Concerts
Public Lecture: Dr. Annette Frese (Heidelberg)
Free admission
The evening lecture focuses on depictions of the Wittelsbach family making music. It spans the spectrum from individual portraits of the electoral couple Carl Theodor and Elisabeth Augusta in Mannheim to family gatherings of the Wittelsbachs in Bavaria. These occasions gave rise to joint court concerts and, like theatrical performances in the Baroque era, were a natural part of courtly entertainment and self-presentation. Captured in images, such depictions featuring multiple figures—portraits and group portraits—offered the opportunity to present to princely guests and visitors a harmonious interplay among all participants, rooted in familial harmony.
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung from February 3, 2014, by Maria Herlo
Saturday, March 1, 2014, Mannheim Baroque Palace, Knights' Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Court Music of the Wittelsbachs
Works by Franz Xaver Richter, Georg Joseph Vogler, Christian Danner and Ernst Eichner
Soloists: Dorothea Stepp (violin), Tae-Min Hyun (piano)
Kurpfälzisches Chamber Orchestra, Conductor: Martin Brauß (Hanover)
The soloists are graduates of the Institute for the Early Promotion of Musically Gifted Children (IFF) in Hanover, IFF flyer
Vogler, Piano Concerto in C Major (Live recording, 1st movement)
Danner, Violin Concerto in F Major (Live recording, 2nd and 3rd movements)
Review in the Mannheimer Morgen, March 4, 2014, by Monika Lanzendörfer
Sunday, March 2, 2014, Mannheim, rem, Museum of World Cultures D 5, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m.
Mannheim – Paris – Zweibrücken. The Paths of the Wittelsbach Court Music
Public academic conference chaired by Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold
Opening Remarks: Prof. Dr. Dres. h.c. Paul Kirchhof (President of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities)
Speakers: Prof. Dr. Matthias Schnettger (Mainz), Prof. Dr. Hans Ammerich (Speyer), Prof. Dr. Hans Ottomeyer (Ottobrunn), Prof. Dr. Hermann Kleber (Trier), Dr. Roland Würtz (Weisenheim am Berg), Dr. Hans Oskar Koch (Bobenheim/Roxheim), Prof. Dr. Herbert Schneider (Saarbrücken)
Flyer for the concert and conference
Thursday, May 22, 2014, 8:00 p.m., Rokokotheater, Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen SWR Festival (in collaboration with the Research Center)
“Leucippo” by Johann Adolph Hasse (1757 Schwetzingen version)
Using the Palatinate libretto and two handwritten copies of the score, Bärbel Pelker reconstructed the “Schwetzingen version” of the opera, which was first performed on June 15, 1757, at the Palace Theater in Schwetzingen to celebrate the birthday of the Electress’s sister, Princess Maria Franziska Dorothea Christine von Sulzbach.
More information about the performance
Live recording of the opera from May 22, 2014, at the Schwetzingen Palace Theater
Review in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung on May 24–25, 2014, by Matthias Roth
Friday, May 23 – Saturday, May 31, 2014, Foyer of the Rokokotheater, Schwetzingen
Cabinet Exhibition on Court Music in the Electoral Palatinate
Topics of the moment: The Court Opera and the Court Orchestra
Saturday, May 31, 2014, 7:30 p.m., Rokokotheater, Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen SWR Festival – “Schwetzingen Court Music Academy” (in collaboration with the Research Center)
Concertissimo
Concertante Symphonies by Ignaz Holzbauer, Carl Stamitz and Christian Cannabich
Edited by: Midori Seiler and Jaap ter Linden
Host: Markus Brock
Working together with the festival and the faculty, Bärbel Pelker developed the program concept Concertissimo for the Court Music Academy. She also prepared the sheet music for the concertante symphonies by Ignaz Holzbauer, Christian Cannabich, and Carl Stamitz, which were performed again for the first time on May 31, 2014. Another program item, the opera sinfonia to*Artaserse*,was a small homage to Niccolò Jommelli (1714–1774) on the occasion of his 300th birthday.
Closing Concert with Participants of the Orchestra Workshop (Live Recording)
Interview with Midori Seiler in the Mannheimer Morgen on June 2, 2014, by Hans-Günter Fischer
Wednesday, December 31, 2014, 8:15 p.m., Christuskirche Mannheim
Festive New Year's Eve Concert – Virtuoso Music from the Baroque and Classical Periods
including the world premiere of Anton Dimler's Clarinet Concerto (B)
Soloist: Nikolaus Friedrich, Sinfonietta Mannheim, conducted by Johannes Michel
Review in Mannheimer Morgen on January 2, 2015, by Eckhard Britsch
2013
The main themes of the year were the the 250th anniversary of the Mozart siblings’ journey of the Mozart siblings and the Year of the Wittelsbachs. In addition to its own events, which took place under the direction of Bärbel Pelker as part of the “Fascination with Court Music” series, the research center also participated as a partner in several projects organized by municipal cultural institutions during this thematic year.
April 26 – June 2, 2013, Schwetzingen Palace, Southern Circle
“The orchestra is, without a doubt, the best in Germany”—the legendary court music of Elector Carl Theodor
Exhibition as part of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival
To mark the opening of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, the Research Center is presenting a small special exhibition that will shed light on the famous court music of Elector Carl Theodor. In conjunction with the new “Schwetzingen Court Music Academy,” the exhibition focuses specifically on the court orchestra, which, according to many contemporaries, was among the largest and finest ensembles in Europe. On display will be a small selection of orchestral works, the court composers of the Elector’s instrumental music, and examples of 18th-century orchestra formations—including, for the first time, the concert formation of the legendary Electoral Court Orchestra.
Articles in the Schwetzinger Zeitung from April 26, 2013, by Katja Bauroth,
3May 2, 2013, by Katja Bauroth,
May 29, 2013 (via the Hofmusik Academy) by Katja Bauroth
Schwetzinger Woche, June 5, 2013
May 26 – June 1, 2013, Schwetzingen Palace, Southern Circle
Sound Workshop: In the Footsteps of Jacob Stainer
In this public workshop, visitors are warmly invited to see how violin-making students from Mittenwald , under the guidance of master violin maker Thomas Wörnle, carve the famous lion heads modeled after Jacob Stainer’s violins. Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn fascinating facts about the time-honored art of violin making at the renowned Mittenwald School.
In conjunction with this, the research center will, for the first time, display original instruments from the immediate circle of the legendary electoral court music.
Article in *Sonntag Aktuell* from May 26, 2013, by Katja Bauroth
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on May 28, 2013, by Maria Herlo
Friday, May 31, 2013, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Südlicher Zirkel
Sound Workshop: Historical Violin Making
A lecture by master violin maker Matthias Kohl from Heidelberg, accompanied by music performed by Hans-Joachim Berg and Christiane Schmidt, who will bring the original string instruments on display—crafted by the electoral court instrument maker Mathias Gülich—back to life for the first time with works by Carl Stamitz and Joseph Haydn.
Preliminary report in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on May 29, 2013, by Katja Bauroth
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on June 3, 2013, by Maria Herlo
Saturday, June 15, 2013, Schwetzingen, Palais Hirsch, conference room
Mozart Variations – Franz Danzi and the Worship of Mozart in the Late 18th Century
Public academic conference chaired by Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold
Saturday, June 15, 2013, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Hunting Hall
Franz Danzi–A Tribute to the 250th Anniversary of His Birth
Concert by the Mannheim Court Quartet
Program:
Franz Danzi: Quartet No. 1 in C major (from Op. 29)
W. A. Mozart: Quartet in G major (K. 156)
Franz Danzi: Quartet No. 3 in D major (from Op. 29)
Franz Danzi: String Quartet (“Figaro Quartet”) in B-flat major (Op. VI, No. 2)
Sunday, June 16, 2013, 11 a.m., Schwetzingen, Palais Hirsch
The Myth of the Child Prodigy
Panel discussion with Silke Leopold, Martin Brauß and Armin Brinzing
Sunday, June 16, 2013, 8:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Mozart Hall
Child Prodigies – Virtuoso Works by Mozart and Danzi
Program:
Christian Cannabich: Symphony (B) for Orchestra (World Premiere)
W. A. Mozart: Concerto in G for Flute and Orchestra (K. 313, composed in Mannheim in 1778)
W. A. Mozart: “Jenamy” Concerto (formerly “Jeunehomme” Concerto) (E-flat major) for piano and orchestra (K. 271, composed in 1777 in Salzburg)
Franz Danzi: Concertante (B) for clarinet, bassoon, and orchestra (Op. 47, composed in 1808)
Soloists: Matvey Demin (flute), Johannes Schultz (clarinet), Jusara Moser (bassoon),Elisabeth Brauß (piano)
Kurpfälzisches Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Martin Brauß (Hanover)
The soloists are graduates of the Institute for the Early Development for Musically Gifted Children (IFF)
Preview of the “Wunderkind” weekend in the Schwetzinger Zeitung, June 14, 2013
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on June 19, 2013, by Werner Schilling
Friday, June 21, 2013, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen, Palais Hirsch, Conference Room
A Temple of the Muses Instead of Prostitution and a Beggar’s Staff – Venice’s Girls’ Conservatories, as Exemplified by the Pietà
Public Lecture: Prof. Dr. Helen Geyer (Weimar)
The Ospedale della Pietà – one of the four major Venetian ospedali—was one of the city’s four women’s conservatories, which were among the attractions for travelers and music lovers of the
of the 17th and 18th centuries in Venice. It is associated with the name Antonio Vivaldi ,
through the genre of the solo concerto and a unique fusion of architecture and music,
which was built here in the second half of the 18th century.
At all four conservatories the musicians attended, music was drilled into their heads
They shaped tastes, sparked the listeners’ imagination, and established experimental and unconventional aesthetic standards. This was underpinned by a rigorous training system
not only on this basis, but also on a unique combination of external and structural circumstances.
After all, this offered the poorest members of society a wonderful opportunity, although
although only a small part of it had an effect "outwardly," nevertheless and nonetheless for everyone else
The residents of the Ospedali were offered unusual opportunities and circumstances in life.
Sunday, July 14, 2013, 2–6 p.m., Schlossplatz, Schwetzingen
City Festival in Honor of the Mozart Family
2:00 p.m.:The Mozart family arrives at Schlossplatz
2:30 p.m.: Unveiling of the plaques commemorating the Schwetzingen court musicians’ quarters and Mozart’s stays in the Electoral Palatinate at the “Rotes Haus” (Dreikönigstr. 6)
Bärbel Pelker wrote the plaque texts and identified the musicians’ quarters based on handwritten lists of quarters from 1758 and 1762, which are preserved at the State Archives in Karlsruhe. The confirmed residences are marked on the revised building inventory map by Hermann Blank, which documents property ownership in Schwetzingen after 1748 (map, in: Hermann Blank/Wilhelm Heuss,Schwetzingen—A History of the Town and Its Houses, Vol. 1, Schwetzingen 1979)
The Mozart Family's Arrival in Schwetzingen in 2013
Unveiling of the plaque inscriptions at the “Rothen Haus” (Dreikönigstraße 6) in Schwetzingen
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung from July 15, 2013, by Katja Bauroth
Article in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung on July 15, 2013, by Stefan Kern
Thursday, July 18, 2013, 8:00 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Mozart Hall
Electoral Festive Ceremony
Concerto Köln, Conductor and Soloist: Martin Sandhoff (flute)
Program:
Ignaz Holzbauer (1711–1783): Symphony No. 16 in F major for orchestra
Jean Baptist Wendling (1723–1797): Concerto in G Major for Flute and Orchestra
Christian Cannabich (1731–1798): Symphony in G Major for Orchestra (World Premiere)
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart (1756–1791): Symphony in E-flat Major, K. 16
Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi (1732–1788): Symphony in C Major for Orchestra (world premiere)
Ignaz Fränzl (1736–1811): Symphony No. 5 in C Major for Orchestra
The sheet music for the two world premieres is being produced exclusively for the concert by the research center (edited by Bärbel Pelker)
Preliminary report in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on July 4, 2013
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung from July 20, 2013, by Maria Herlo
Article in the Mannheimer Morgen from July 20, 2013, by Monika Lanzendörfer
Article in the Schwetzinger Woche dated July 24, 2013, by Angelika Bergmann-Scherer
Photo of "Wolfgang" and "Nannerl"
Saturday, July 20, 2013, Schwetzingen Palace, Rococo Theater
JOININ!
Children's Music Festival with the international children's and youth baroque orchestra "Die Telemänner"
Director: Steffi Bade-Bräuning
Workshop, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., for children ages 10–17
Concert by the "Telemänner," 3:00–4:00 p.m.
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on July 22, 2013, by Maria Herlo
Article in the Schwetzinger Woche dated July 24, 2013, by Angelika Bergmann-Scherer
LISTEN LISTEN!
Musical tour with Dr. Ralf Wagner for children ages 8 and up as part of the Children’s Music Festival
GAME JOIN IN!
12:00–2:30 p.m., Schwetzingen Palace, Meeting point: Foyer of the Rococo Theater
By attending the workshop and the concert by the "Telemänner"
Monday, September 30, 2013, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen, Palais Hirsch
The Myth of Mozart
Public Lecture: Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold (Heidelberg)
As part of the 38th Schwetzingen Mozart Festival organized by the Mozartgesellschaft Schwetzingen e.V.
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung from October 2, 2013, by Maria Herlo
Friday, November 8, 2013, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen, Palais Hirsch, Conference Room
Electoress Therese Kunigunde of Bavaria – A Passion for Music in Exile, or: “Vivaldi? Never heard of him!”
Public Lecture: Dr. Britta Kägler (Munich)
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung from November 11, 2013, by Maria Herlo
Friday, November 15, 2013, 7:00 p.m., Schwetzingen, Palais Hirsch, Conference Room
Electoress Elisabeth Augusta of the Palatinate – A Passion for Power and Music
Public Slide Presentation: Dr. Stefan Mörz (Ludwigshafen)
Article in the Schwetzinger Zeitung on November 19, 2013, by Maria Herlo
May 11, 2013
WDR 3: Marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Franz Danzi, the composer from Schwetzingen
Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold in conversation with Christian Schruff
2012
Autograph of the Opera Rosamunde identified
As part of the preparation of performance materials for the world premiere of the German-language opera*Rosamunde*by Anton Schweitzer based on the libretto by Christoph Martin Wieland at this year’s Schwetzingen Festival, Bärbel Pelker was able to identify the opera’s manuscript beyond a doubt as the composer’s original manuscript.
Press Releases (Selected)
June 23, 2012, Palais Hirsch
Upper Rhine Harpsichord Tour with Roland Götz (harpsichord)
2011
December 2 and 3, 2011, Schwetzingen Palace
A Princely Arcadia: Summer Residences in the 18th Century
International Scientific Conference
Musical entertainment
December 2, 2011, 8:00 p.m., Mozart Hall, Schwetzingen Palace
Christmas at Courtwith the La Folia Baroque Orchestra
December 3, 2011, 8:00 p.m., Palace Chapel, Schwetzingen Palace
Courtly Palatinate Chamber Musicwith the ensemble flauto con bassi
Events as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 2011