Music Museums in Germany
This website was developed by the Commissioner of the Federal Government for Culture and Media.
© Copyright 2007-2010 Arbeitsgemeinschaft Musikermuseen in Deutschland
English translation: Helge Goldhahn
Kötitzer Straße 30
01640 Coswig bei Dresden
Telefon +49.3523.700 186
Fax +49.921.75728-22
Web: www.villa-teresa.de, www.boerse-coswig.de
E-Mail: schmidt@boerse-coswig.de
Tuesdays and Thursdays
10 am to 6 pm*
Saturdays and Sundays
when required.
Tours for groups and individuals
may be arranged on request.
*booking in advance
is strongly recommended
It was in London in the June of 1892 that Eugen d'Albert (1864 - 1932) married the Venezuelan pianist Teresa Carreño. At that time the two musicians stood at the peaks of their careers and were received with enthusiastic applause in concert halls all over Europe and overseas. The romantic location of the villa not far from the Elbe River and close to Meißen must have seemed a haven of tranquillity to the travel-weary couple. Yet the proximity of Dresden with the Royal Opera House and its musical director Ernst von Schuch, famous for many opera world premieres, finally tipped the scales in favour of acquiring this expensive estate. Eugen d'Albert had been striving to acquire fame as a composer ever since 1890, aspiring to go beyond being merely a performer of Beethoven piano works.
After decades of neglect, the Villa Teresa and its surrounding park were completely reconstructed between the years 2000 and 2008 and reopened as a memorial for the music culture of the 19^th century. On the main floor, the former belétage of the villa, a modestly-sized room for chamber music and smaller theatre performances invites small but select audiences, whereas the upper floor has been turned into a museum with numerous authentic exhibits, which is dedicated to the lives and work of two great artists: Teresa Carreño and Eugen d'Albert.
Germany possesses musical traditions and legacies of extraordinary value: Handel, Schuetz and Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Wagner - to mention only a few names - are composers who are known and treasured throughout the world. Their work has played a significant role in shaping a unique musical landscape.
Numerous orchestras, choruses, ensembles, renowned music festivals and series, music houses with museums, public archives and libraries, but also private collections preserve their musical heritage.
It is necessary to revitalize this inestimable fund again and again and to develop it for the present. At the same time, an important role befits the houses combined in the consortium of music museums of Germany. In them we encounter the work of the musicians and composers who have extraordinarily enriched the cultural nation of Germany. However, beyond the individual portrait, beyond the procurement of individual oeuvres, the music museums also contribute overall to the maintenance of musical tradition. The present brochure underscores this aspect of the synoptic presentation and invites the reader on a journey into the musical history of Germany. I hope this tour guide will be actively used and receive a large response.
Bernd Neumann, Member of the Lower House of the German Parliament
Minister of State with the Federal Chancellor
Commissioner of the Federal Government for Culture and Media
Quoted from: Foreword to the brochure "Music Museums in Germany", 2007.