German Classical Music and Culture

German composers have made a huge cultural contribution to the world’s cultural heritage. Many great musical geniuses were born and worked in Germany including Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Today their work and that of other German composers continues to be performed to enthusiastic new generations of music lovers in concert halls and opera houses around the world.

The development of early German music followed much the same track as that of other European countries. During the early Middle Ages music evolved in the courts and monasteries of Europe. The basis of sacred music was the Gregorian chant, which was introduced by Pope Gregory I in the late 6th Century. An influential role in medieval court music was played by roving poets (Minnesanger) who sang love verses to a lute accompaniment.

From the 14th Century, German singing guilds known as Meistersinger emerged. Unlike Minnesanger, these artistes adopted a settled lifestyle. In the succeeding centuries both vocal and instrumental music continued to evolve with many new forms appearing. In the second half of the 17th Century, interest in organ music developed and organ schools were established in many German towns. One of the best was in Nuremberg.