Great hall of Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde

The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien (), also known as the Wiener Musikverein (German for 'Viennese Music Association'), is an Austrian music organization that was founded in 1812 by Joseph Sonnleithner, general secretary of the Court Theatre in Vienna, Austria.

Overview

Its official charter, drafted in 1814, stated that the purpose of the Gesellschaft was to promote music in all its facets. In early 1818, Franz Schubert was rejected for membership in the Gesellschaft as a professional musician, something that might have furthered his musical career. The Gesellschaft accomplished its goals by sponsoring concerts, founding the Vienna Conservatory in 1819, founding the Wiener Singverein in 1858, constructing the

Musikverein The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. The acoustics of the building's 'Great ...

building in 1870, and by systematically collecting and archiving noteworthy music-history documents. It is now one of the world's leading music archives. The first music director of the Gesellschaft was

Carl Heissler Carl or Karl Heissler (18 January 1823 – 13 November 1878) was an Austrian violinist and violist. Biography He studied with Joseph Hellmesberger, Sr., Matthias Durst and Joseph Böhm at the Academy of the Vienna Music Friends Society. In 184 ...

, who was followed by Anton Rubinstein (appointed in 1871) and

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

(appointed in 1872). Other notable music directors include Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan and

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

. Membership in the Gesellschaft has included a

who's who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...

of notable 19th- and 20th-century musical figures, including composers, conductors and instrumentalists.

External links

Official website

Website of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde archives

Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters
– Selected and annotated by Styra Avins. Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 419. 19th century in music Music in Vienna Austrian music history Music organisations based in Austria Organizations established in 1812 {{music-org-stub