Nordrhein-Westfalen

The Schola Palatina, established by Charlemagne at the end of the 8th century, followed the papal example and can be considered the cradle of Central European art music; the contours of its premises are marked in the pavement beside the Carolingean/Gothic cathedral  -  Aachen is a spa since Roman times; its waters also wrote music history: Händel found recovery, the promising Norbert Burgmüller drowned here at the age of 26.

Carolingian nucleus, gothic extension. 14 sculptures of  music making angels, representing the whole gamma of medieval music practice

School of choristers, established in 1961 and successor of the Choralenhaus from 1707.

Built on the foundations of Charlemagne's Aula Regia - in the Middle Ages centre of secular music

Built in 1825 - music directors: Leo Blech 1893-99 (°1871 in Aachen) and Herbert von Karajan 1934-43.

Annex of the musical academy of Cologne.

Modern concert hall

Historical concert hall, built in 1782 - appearances by Franck and Liszt 

Händel is mentioned on one of four plaques with famous visitors of the spas

here Händel took a cure for his paralysed right arm in 1737 - he was healed thanks to St. Cecilia, as the nuns thought.

Parental house of the conductor and composer Max Schillings (1868-1933). His birthplace at Oberstraße 26, Düren doesn't exist anymore.

Family grave of Schillings.

The composer Bernd-Alois Zimmermann (1918-1970) was educated here - Organ by Balthasar König 1727, III/p/35 (some of the stops from earlier date)

Birthplace of Bernd-Alois Zimmermann (1918-1970).

Grave of Bernd-Alois Zimmermann. He lived in Kleinkönigsdorf.

Birthplace of the revolutionary composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) - Museum (Sa-Su afternoon) and concerts

Well preserved 18th century castle - visit by Mozart family on 28/29.IX.1763 - Beethoven appeared here as a member of the court orchestra

Many traces of the glorious Cologne music history were wiped out in World War II:  the inn Im heiligen Geist, where the Mozarts stayed in 1763;  the Akademiesaal, where Beethoven made his début in 1778 (his father lied that he was six instead of eight); the Kasino, where Liszt, Clara Schumann and Burgmüller appeared; the predecessor of the present-day opera theatre with important premières by Korngold, Zemlinsky and Schreker. Some plaques compensate for the loss of all composer's houses.

Archeological museum - gravestones of Roman musicians, music scene on Dionysos mosaic

Carl Rosier 1699-†1725 - visit by Mozart 29.IX.1763

Built in 1986 (architects Busmann and Haberer) - concert hall with 2200 seats.

Concert hall of the WDR broadcasting company, a decisive factor in Cologne music life

In the baroque era Seminarium Musicum and sacred theatre performances - visit by Mozart on 29.IX.1763

Monument in honour of Willi Ostermann, composer of carnival songs, †1936

Renowned jazz café since 1973, advertising itself as 'hot spot of Cologne life [!] jazz'

Origins in 15th century as festival hall - from 1820 concert hall, renovated in 1857 in neo-gothic style; Berlioz, Brahms, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, R.Strauss, Mahler conducted here. The nice interior burnt out in 1943; renovated in 1955. Until 1986 main concert hall  -  The Carnival balls take place here too.

Birthplace of the Parisian operetta composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)

Former convent - seat of carnival union Cäcilia Wolkenburg ('Et Zillche')

Birthplace of the composer Max Bruch (1838-1920) - the historical 'Richmodishaus' was demolished (except the tower); now a brewery.

Museum of World Cultures. Collection of c 1700 musical instruments, of which 70 on display, including a complete gamelan ensemble (courses).

Built in 1957 (four renowned forerunners) - première Die Soldaten by Zimmermann (1963) - Plaque of the destructed Synagoge of father Offenbach

Music academy from 1845 (Rheinische Musikschule) -  Teachers include Braunfels, Martin, Zimmermann  - dep. early music, jazz, electronic studio

Institute of musicology  - Bruch archive - instrument collection

Founded in 1964 by Ernst Klusen - large collection of folk and popular music

Original house (1905) of the large collection of autographs, letters and instruments of Wilhelm Heyer until 1926 - now in Leipzig

Grave of the conductor and composer Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885).

A.o. Offenbach and Hiller archive, important MS Musica Enchiriadisfrom the 11th c.  - (downfall of the preceding building in 2009)

House of the Argentinian avant-garde composer Mauricio Kagel (1931-2008).

Extensive collection of texts and images in relation to theatre culture. Wagneriana.

Many sojourns of Max Bruch as guest of the (demolished) Igeler Hof - monument from 1935.

Player piano specialist who co-operated with the leading player piano composer, the American Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997).

Private archive about the composer and theorist Sigfried Karg-Elert (1877-1933), established by Volker Hempfling.

Former monastic church from the 13th century, concert hall - organ by Klais 1980, 82 stops + 8 Trompeteria

Last house of the revolutionary composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) - own publishing-firm Stockhausen Verlag

Grave of Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Residence of the Palatine electors from 1614 until 1716. Italian composers working here:  Biagio Marini, Agostino Steffani; contacts with Carissimi and Corelli (his opus 6 was dedicated to the elector)  -  With the 1. Niederrheinische Musikfest (1818), an important festival tradition started.

Birthplace of the composer Norbert Burgmüller (1810-1836). - In this street (nr 34) was the 'Stadthalterpalais' with theatre and concert hall 1695-1738.

Birthplace of the poet Heinrich Heine °1797 (reconstructed)

House of the family von Sybel. The violinist and composer Ludwig/Louis Spohr stayed here in 1826 and 1835, meeting with Mendelssohn 

Built in 1874 and 1956 - opera and ballet in co-operation with Duisburg

Robert Schumann bust (1955) 

Former Schadowstraße 30 (destroyed), the house of Mendelssohn in 1833-36 - The oratorio Paulus was composed here -  Plaque from 1959.

Theatermuseum (sceneries, costumes, documents) - Dumont-Lindemann theatre archive

Goethe museum - Faust-Saal with musicalia - Hummel and Zelter archive

Heine archive - letters and MSs of Schumann, Burgmüller, Hiller and printed music on Heine texts

Chamber music hall and puppet theatre

Robert und Clara Schumann lived here in 1852-54 - nice double portrait in relief by Rietschel

The young Johannes Brahms lived in 1856-57 nearby Clara Schumann

Organ by Chr. König 1755, interior rebuilt 1977. Mendelssohn and Schumann have played it - organ concerts 

 'Robert-Schumann-Institut der Staatlichen Musikhochschule Rheinland'

Built in 1926 as a planetarium, since 1976 concert hall with 2000 seats.

Düsseldorf's main concert hall between 1948 and '76 , today venue of global music, jazz, comedy.

Grave of Norbert Burgmüller, †1836 by drowning in Aachen

concert hall, built 1900  -  N.B.: Wagner's friend Mathilde Wesendonck-Lückemeyer °1828 in Elberfeld

Built in 1956 (the building from 1905 was destroyed) - seat of Pina Bausch' famous Tanztheater (1972-2009)

Annex of the musical academy of Cologne.

Sammlung Grumbt: a well documented instrument collection in a 17th c. castle

 'Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik' : avant-garde festival, est. in 1936, since 1969 in co-operation with WDR broadcasting

beautiful church from the 13th century - Peter Cornelius composed organ masses in 1852 and '53 - Organ front from 1679

Organ by J. Patroclus Möller, 1722 on the basis of an organ from c 1430, of which many parts have survived. I/pdp/8.

Built in 1966

Music academy in co-operation with Detmold

'Tage Alter Musik' : early music festival, established in 1976, since 1980 in cooperation with WDR broadcasting company.

In the monumental former police station, piano maker Thürmer plans a music centre with a piano museum, concert hall and rooms for music students.

Built in 1966 - annual 'Ruhrfestspiele' from 1947.

Brahms (1882), R.Strauss (1904), Mahler (1906, FP Symphony III) and Reger (1913, FP Böcklin-Suite) conducted here the predecessors of the Essener Philharmoniker.

Built in 1988, remarkable architecture by Alvar Aalto. Adjacent concert hall from 1954/2004

House of the Polish composer Krzystof Penderecki (1933-2020). He taught at the Folkwang Hochschule 1966-68.

Former abbey from the 18th century, since 1927 an interdisciplinary art school (music, theatre, dance, film) -

Built in 1912/1950 - opera and ballet in co-operation with Düsseldorf

Annual Jazz festival

Organ by Peter Weidtmann from 1683, I/pdp/8.

Built in 1952  -  (Mahler presented his Third Symphony in Krefeld; location destroyed) - cooperation with Mönchengladbach

Museum on the characters of the Nibelungenlied, the main source of Wagner's Ring. Siegfried allegedly was born here.

Birthplace of the composer Eduard Künneke (1885-1953), rebuilt.

Monument (D.von Levetzow, 1983) in the Rosengarten, depicting the 'Wandergesell' from Eduard Künneke's operetta Der Vetter von Dingsda.

Künneke room, a reconstruction of his living room, with original objects and memorabilia.

Ancestral manor house of Alphons Diepenbrock's family?

Bell foundry

Museum (1980) of bells and Gescher bell foundry tradition.

Organ, Anonymus c 1600 from Münster, here since 1956 and restored by Paul Ott, II/p/23.

Organ by Clausing or Martens, 1720, reconstructed by Paul Ott in 1965, II/p/25. Concerts. - Baroque church, a rare phenomenon in this region.

History of popular music of the 20th c., 'sound, vision and exhibitions'

Built in 1774 as Salle de Musique for the earl of Bentheim-Steinfurt; since 1997 in use again as a concert hall.

built 1956

Built in the 18th century. Chamber music hall - Small collection of ancient keyboard instruments.

Music academy in co-operation with Detmold

Work shop and instructive museum of organ-builder Friedrich Fleiter.

House of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797-1848), famous as a poetess but also as a composer.  - Autographs, square piano.

Birthplace of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, °1797.

Organ by Joh. Patroclus Möller 1751 - impressive front, Rückpositiv in 11 parts

Birthplace of the composer Hans Werner Henze (1926-2012).

Built 1904 - H.W. Henze worked here in 1945-6  ('Alles bewegt sich auf das Theater hin und kommt von dort zurück')

Museum (1990) about instruments and musical sound, arranged according to educational aims. Over 500 instruments, originals and copies.

Organ front and case by Jorrien Slegel II, 1590 - spring chests.

Built in 1825; with own ensemble - across monuments of Lortzing (1904) and Wagner (1939).

Albert Lortzing lived here in 1827-30  (façade from 1893) - Lortzing and his wife worked as singers in Detmold.

The young Brahms worked here in 1857-59 as piano teacher and conductor. The two Serenades for orchestra were written here - Brahms monument (1936) in garden, wrongly bearded!

Organ by Joh. Markus Oestreich 1793 - large front

Lortzing archive, musical history of Detmold

Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie, co-operating with Dortmund and Münster - concert hall 'Neue Aula' 

Grave of the writer, poet and ethnomusicologist Hoffmann von Fallersleben, †1874  - organ by A. Schneider 1681, 32 stops; notable labia in front - concerts in the Kaisersaal

Organ by Joh. Patroclus Möller 1738 - 41 stops - splendid front

Organ by Joh. Patroclus Möller 1730 - 45 stops, original spring-chests

Instructive museum about organ building - parts, models, pictures

Organ by P. H. Varenholt 1701 - 20 stops, a part of the pipes are from ca. 1400!

The composer Engelbert Humperdinck stayed frequently with his aunt - idyllic spot

Birthplace of Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) - his father was headmaster of this gymnasium. Now city museum with permanent Humperdinck exposition.

From 1600 until 1794 residence of the bishop-electors of Cologne, some of them fervent music lovers. As a member of the court orchestra, Beethoven appeared in several palaces  -  Destroyed are Beethovens 'second home', the Breuning house at Münsterplatz, and the houses Fischerhaus (Beethoven from 1776) and Im goldenen Karpfen (Mozart family 1763) in the Rheingasse.
From 1949 until 1990 Bonn was the capital of the German Federal Republic.

Beethoven played violin in the court orchestra from 1784 to 1792; Neefe and Ries worked here too. Now occupied by the University (with the oldest German musicology department, from 1823).

Beethoven monument (Hähnel 1845) after fund raising by Liszt. The unveiling ceremony was glorious, but didn't go off wholly impeccable (scandalous appearance of the dancer Lola Montez).

Birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Museum and important archive - Also Haydn's impresario in London, Joh. Peter Salomon (1745-1815) was born here.

Beethoven became organist in his baptismal church. (the original keyboard is in the Beethovenhaus)

Built in 1965.

Built in 1959.

Information centre on German music life, > www.miz.org

Graves of Robert und Clara Schumann, the composer Franz Ries, Beethoven's mother, Reger's wife Else and Wagner's friends Otto and Mathilde Wesendonck.

Former asylum dr. Richarz, where Schumann was cured in 1854-†1856 - now a music school with Schumann-room

Beethoven appeared here as a member of the court orchestra

Beethoven appeared here as a member of the court orchestra - visits by Haydn 1790 and '92