The Deutsches Musikinformationszentrum (MIZ) is the information and documentation institution of the Deutscher Musikrat. It has set itself the task of providing information about the structures, tasks and developments of the widely ramified musical life in Germany. To this end, it provides statistics, structural data and background information and offers guidance on current funding opportunities, specialist events and further education and training courses in the field of music. [1]
The Deutsches Musikinformationszentrum (MIZ) is part of the Deutscher Musikrat gemeinnützige Projektgesellschaft mbH with headquarters in Bonn. The sole shareholder of the project company is the Deutscher Musikrat, based in Berlin. The project company and registered association together form the Deutscher Musikrat.
The MIZ is funded by the Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM), by the Kulturstiftung der Länder , the City of Bonn and privately by the Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten (GVL). The private sponsor is the music publisher Hal Leonard Europe. [2]
As an information and documentation facility of the German Music Council, the German Music Information Centre (MIZ) bundles data and facts about musical life in Germany on a broad basis. The spectrum ranges from musical education and training to amateur music-making , professional music practice and events to media and the music industry. It thus pursues the goal of providing an orientation on the widely ramified and diverse musical landscape in Germany and presenting musical life primarily from the perspective of its institutions. [3] Central areas of responsibility are:
In addition, the MIZ takes up current topics and presents them in separate focal points. The most comprehensive publications published in 2017 were the information portal "Church Music – Music in Religions" [5] and in 2018 the portal "Musik und Integration". [6] At irregular intervals, the MIZ also publishes print publications, most recently the compendium "Musikleben in Deutschland", [7] which also appeared in an English translation. [8]
To safeguard its tasks, the MIZ works closely with the network of the German Music Council. [9]
The Deutsches Musikinformationszentrum (MIZ) was founded in 1997 under the umbrella of the German Music Council. On 26 February 1998, the official opening took place in the Haus der Kultur in Bonn. [10] The new institution took over, among other things, the editorship of the Musik-Almanach , which the German Music Council had published since 1986. [11] The Music Almanac listed the institutions of musical life in Germany (associations, music theatre, orchestras etc.) and presented all institutions with basic information and contact details. In 2007, the Musik-Almanach appeared in its seventh edition and for the last time in printed form. [12] Since then, the data has been published exclusively online in the institutional database on the MIZ website.
In addition to updating the institutional database, the MIZ was assigned numerous other tasks when it was founded, which aimed to focus on musical life as a whole. These included the publication of statistics, the provision of background information on various areas of institutionalised musical life and the compilation of offers for further and continuing musical education. Since then, these offers have been continuously expanded and extended. [13]
Since its foundation, the work of the MIZ has been accompanied by an advisory board, which includes representatives from professional associations, collecting societies, documentation, science and teaching as well as cultural policy. [14] The first chairman of the advisory board in 1997 was the then executive director of the Stiftung Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv Frankfurt und Potsdam-Babelsberg, Joachim-Felix Leonhard . In 2020, Robert von Zahn, Secretary General of the Landesmusikrat Nordrhein-Westfalen , took over the office. [15]
As a member of The International Association of Music Information Centres (IAMIC), the MIZ cooperates with more than 40 national music information centres worldwide and acts as a specialist information and referral centre for enquiries, also from other European and international countries. [16]
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig is a public university in Leipzig. Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatorium der Musik , it is the oldest university school of music in Germany.
The Répertoire International des Sources Musicales is an international non-profit organization, founded in Paris in 1952, with the aim of comprehensively documenting extant historical sources of music all over the world. It is the largest organization of its kind and the only entity operating globally to document written musical sources. RISM is one of the four bibliographic projects sponsored by the International Musicological Society and the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres, the others being Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale, Répertoire international d'iconographie musicale, and Répertoire international de la presse musicale.
Friedrich Blume was professor of musicology at the University of Kiel from 1938 to 1958. He was a student in Munich, Berlin and Leipzig, and taught in the last two of these for some years before being called to the chair in Kiel. His early studies were on Lutheran church music, including several books on J.S. Bach, but broadened his interests considerably later. Among his prominent works were chief editor of the collected Praetorius edition, and he also edited the important Eulenburg scores of the major Mozart Piano Concertos. From 1949 he was involved in the planning and writing of Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.
Since the 18th century Berlin has been an influential musical center in Germany and Europe. First as an important trading city in the Hanseatic League, then as the capital of the electorate of Brandenburg and the Prussian Kingdom, later on as one of the biggest cities in Germany it fostered an influential music culture that remains vital until today. Berlin can be regarded as the breeding ground for the powerful choir movement that played such an important role in the broad socialization of music in Germany during the 19th century.
Georg Katzer was a German composer and teacher. The last master student of Hanns Eisler, he composed music in many genres, including works for the stage. Katzer was one of the pioneers of electronic new music in the German Democratic Republic and the founder of the first electronic-music studio in the GDR. He held leading positions in music organisations, first in the East, then in the united Germany, and received many awards, including the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic, the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German Music Authors' Prize.
Hans Joachim Moser was a German musicologist, composer and singer.
Helmut Winschermann was a German classical oboist, conductor and academic teacher. He founded the Deutsche Bachsolisten ensemble for historically informed performances, and was their conductor from 1960 until his death. They made many recordings and toured internationally, especially to Japan.
Wilhelm Ehmann was a German musicologist, editor, church musician and conductor. He founded the choir Westfälische Kantorei that toured internationally and made many recordings. He was a cofounder and director of the later Hochschule für Kirchenmusik Herford.
The Young Voices Brandenburg are a jazz and popular music choir of over 20 voices, composed of 18 to 26-year-old male and female singers. The musical ensemble is specifically auditioned from the State of Brandenburg, Germany on a two-year rotation. They have toured the United States, China, and South Africa as well as having recorded numerous highly acclaimed CDs. The group has been featured with prominent media periodicals/broadcasts such as Der Tagesspiegel, Cue TV and RBB.
Tilo Medek, originally Müller-Medek, was a German classical composer, musicologist and music publisher. He grew up in East Germany, but was inspired by the Darmstädter Ferienkurse. He composed radio plays and incidental music. His setting of Lenin's Decree on Peace led to restrictions, and after he showed solidarity with the expatriated Wolf Biermann, he also had to move to the West, where he composed an opera Katharina Blum based on Heinrich Böll's novel, and worked in education. He received international awards from 1967 onwards.
The Neue Musikzeitung is a magazine focused on Classical music.
The Deutscher Musikrat is an umbrella organization for music associations and the 16 music councils of the German federal states. It represents over 14 million music-loving citizens who, for professional reasons or as amateurs, are affiliated with the Musikrat and its member organizations. With more than 100 member associations, institutions and numerous personalities, it acts, together with its projects and support measures, as an advisor and competence centre for politics and civil society.
Fred K. Prieberg was a German musicologist. He was a pioneer in the field of history of music and musicians under the Nazi regime.
Wolfgang Rathert is a German musicologist born in Minden.
Reinhold Zimmermann was a German school headmaster, choir conductor and musicologist.
Harry Goldschmidt was a Swiss musicologist.
Siegfried Pank is a German cellist and viol player. He was a member of the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig from 1962 to 1980, and toured with the Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum. He turned to playing the viol in historically informed performance, and lectured cello and viol at the Musikhochschule Leipzig from 1984, as professor from 1988 to 2001. He was a co-founder of the International Telemann Association in 1991, serving as its president from 2012.
Günther Noll is a German music educator and university faculty.
Siegfried Borris was a German composer, musicologist and music educator. He became a lecturer at the Musikhochschule Berlin in 1929, but his career was interrupted during the Nazi regime. He was appointed professor in 1945 and became an influential pedagogue, composer of music for young players, and active in music organisations. He was president of national associations, of Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband from 1963 to 1972, and of Deutscher Musikrat from 1971 to 1976.
Robert Ehrlich is a Northern Irish recorder player and university professor. From October 2015 until 2019, he was rector of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. Previously, he was rector of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig from 2006 to 2015.