MUSIC PERIODICALS, 1722-1940

Part 1: Eighteenth Century Music Periodicals from the Musikbibliothek der Stadt Leipzig

"Journals and other periodicals make up an essential element of music literature. In the form of general music journals, they mirror musical life and contemporary musical attitudes more immediately and more extensively than any other publication...."
Foreword to Musikperiodika - Bibliographische Verffentlichungen der Musikbibliothek der Stadt Leipzig

This new project, which will be of great interest to researchers of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century music, commences with a collection of important Music Periodicals for the period 1722-1792 from the rich holdings of the Musikbibliothek der Stadt Leipzig. Leipzig is undeniably one of the foremost musical centres of Europe. Telemann established the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig in 1704 and Bach spent the last 27 years of his life there, 1723-1750, filling various roles including that of Kantor of the Thomasschule and civic music director. Mozart performed at the Gewandhaus in 1789, and the song school established by J A Hiller was one of the important early choral societies in Germany. Allied to this Leipzig was also a centre for music publishing from the creation of J G I Breitkopf in 1719 to the establishment of more than 60 separate music publishers there by the end of the 19th century.

The 11 periodicals that we offer in Part 1 have been carefully screened against previous projects such as the Rpertoire Internationale de la Presse Musicale to avoid duplication. The periodicals have been selected to cover a broad time scale and to include a good selection of items published in Leipzig. The titles featured are:

Critica Musica Hamburg 1722, 1725
Neu Erffnete Musikalische Bibliothek Leipzig 1736-1738, 1740, 1742-1743, 1746-1747, 1752, 1754
[Musikalischer Starstecher] Leipzig 1739-1740
[Der Kritische Musikus] Hamburg 1737-1740
[Kritische Musiku]s Leipzig 1745
Des [Kritischen Musikus] an der Spree Berlin 1749-1750
Plus Ultra Hamburg 1754-1755
Kritische Briefe ber die Tonkunst Berlin 1759-1763
Studien fr Tonkunstler und Musikfreunde Berlin 1791-1792
Wochentliche Nachrichten und Anmerkungen die Musik betreffend Leipzig 1766-1770
Musikalischer Almanach fr Deutschland Leipzig 1782-1784, 1789

The project is accompanied by a Guide which includes full bibliographic descriptions of the periodicals taken from Musikperiodika - Bibliographische Verffentlichungen der Musikbibliothek der Stadt Leipzig, an introduction to the holdings of the library written by Brigitte Geyer, the head of the Music Library and a listing of the Contents of Reels to Parts 1 and 2.

These music periodicals from the Music Library of Leipzig, one of the leading music centres in Europe, will provide researchers with a vast source of previously untapped material. They will be of interest to all libraries supporting Musicology and the History of Music.