Sources on the early history of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin. Rehearsal books - letters - documents

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jürgen Heidrich
• Subject Area: Musicology ; General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies
• Term: from 2009 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 135556232

The Zeltersche Liedertafel. The Genesis, Charisma and Dissociation of "Denkformen" in the "Bildungsbürgertum" between 1809 and 1945.The project has been running since November 2009 and is sponsored by the DFG. It is divided into four project modules. The estimated total time is six years.The extraordinary amount of prestigious handwritten documents on the history of the "Zeltersche Liedertafel", which have already taken a central position in the first stage of the project "Sources on the early history of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin. Rehearsal books - letters - documents"(N. Mus. SA 1-827) has displayed its value as a singular source on the origins and influence of paradigmatic forms of thought in the "Bildungsbürgertum, particularly since the interdisciplinary conference "Integer vitae" and promises yet more spectacular reappraisal of a neglected social class.However, the promising situation of this source inventory faces a most unsatisfactory state of research. Therefore a thorough exploration of this desideratum would be desirable, which requires at least three project modules.Firstly, the enormous charisma of the cultural concepts, ideas and structures generated in the Liedertafel have to be examined during their development over the "long 19th Century"(Project Module II).This would be followed by an investigation, of how an originally elitist institution like the "Liedertafel" was able to form the nucleus of a hugely influential mass movement that corrupted their initial moral vision, while simultaneously the primary group remained in its splendid isolation (Project Module III).The final module is dedicated to the topic of the tension between mass movement an elitist seclusion, which lasted during the period of two world wars, forcing on the one hand a reform of the choral society, and leading on the other to the complete dissociation of their "Denkformen" in May 1945 (Project Module IV).Altogether, the project would offer an all-encompassing reconstruction of the mentalité of a striking and long-lasting cultural practice in the 19th and early 20th century, which can certainly be interpreted as a parallel phenomenon to the much better explored educational reforms of Humboldt.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Institution: Sing-Akademie zu Berlin e. V.