Music Museums in Germany

Henselt Studio and Henselt Archives at City Museum Schwabach

Museumsstraße 1
(Entrance: Dr.-Haas-Straße)
91126 Schwabach

Phone: +49 9122 8339-33
Fax: +49 9122 8339-35

Web: www.schwabach.de/stadtmuseum
E-Mail: stadtmuseum@schwabach.de

Opening hours

Wednesdays to Sundays and Bank Holidays:
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

24th/25th/31st December and 1st January:
closed

A permanent exhibition at the City Museum Schwabach (“Henselt Studio”) is dedicated to the piano virtuoso and music pedagogue Adolph von Henselt (1814 - 1889). State of the art devices allow an audio-visual experience of the artist.

Adolph Henselt was born on 9th May 1814 in Schwabach. In the 1830s and 1840s he was considered as one of the most prominent piano virtuosos of the romantic era, together with Chopin and Liszt.

Later Henselt moved to Russia, where where he was knighted for his achievements at the Imperial educational establishments, invigorating music teaching through his pedagogical activities.

The City Museum also houses the Henselt archives. A wealth of documents concerning the life and achievements of the city’s great son are amassed there including ca. 30 original letters, ca. 560 copies of letters with transcriptions in German, original scores, relevant documents and literature on Henselt and his family as well as a collection of discs and portraits. Scholars are welcome to the archives by appointment.

In the City of Schwabach the International Adolph-Henselt-Society is located too. Its role is as much the research of life and work from Henselt as to organise activities and events concerning Henselt and his music. (www.henselt-gesellschaft.de).

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.