„… uns unter die angenehmen Concerte der großen Componisten verfügen.“ Drei „musikalischen Bibliotheken“ und das Bewusstsein der Musikrezeption in Norddeutschland um 1770

Abstract

From the musikalische Bibliotheken presented by J. C. Stockhausen (1758 and 1764;significantly revised in 1771), J. A. Hiller (1768), and Ch. D. Ebeling (1770), one can infer which music and composers were regarded as exemplary in Northern Germany at that time. The awareness of music reception expressed therein suggests that music in Northern Germany was considered aesthetically and qualitatively superior to that in Southern Germany and Austria, as the former had fundamentally showcased its distinctiveness through the music of the “older Italians,” while the latter, on the other hand, had been strongly influenced by the “new Italians,” which was seen as a sign of its inferior quality compared to Northern Germany. The fact that “Germany” around 1770 was perceived differently in terms of music reception between the South and the North underscores the importance of considering the regional diversity of music history, which was still prominent at that time and closely linked to the respective cultural and political contexts. Reading the musikalische Bibliotheken would significantly contribute to advancing research on the composers who, while having played a prominent role in certain musical genres, have so far received little attention in terms of genre history (e.g., C. H. Graun in operas, G. H. Stölzel in church cantatas, F. Benda in violin music).departmental bulletin pape