2016 - News - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Salutation,

The awarding of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize in Berlin to exceptionally talented, advanced students at music academies in Germany is an outstanding event every year.

Founded in 1878, the prize has a rich history and has remained publicly recognised since then. Its recognition is based not least on the reputation of previous prizewinners, the prestige of the awarding institution, the objective expertise of the jury and the originality of the objective.

In addition to the financial prize, the objective prize conditions include public concerts, firstly today's prizewinners' concert and secondly follow-up concerts in various cities in connection with the "Chamber Music Prize of the Friends of Young Musicians Germany".

23 German music academies take part in the competition, which is organised by the Rectors' Conference with the involvement of renowned expert jurors. Every year is a special year. Every year, we experience high-quality and impressive young musicians at the beginning of their artistic careers in the selection process - a gift for us and an opportunity for the young talents. Throughout the years, the basic motive has always been the same: to directly support young musicians who are still in training. The decisive factors are direct competition and selection among the best.

In his welcoming address to the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize, Federal President Köhler rightly points out that top talent does not fall from the sky, but is top because there is a broad basis. And he goes on to say: "This foundation can only be created by a good general musical education for children and young people. This is important for everyone, and it is important for our coexistence, because music also has a lot to do with harmony and creativity in a figurative sense. That's why wherever music is made with infectious joy - in kindergartens, schools, music schools, choirs, bands, clubs - an indispensable contribution is made for all of us."

This is an eminently important political statement. In recent years, we have seen how drastically music education has been cut back in school lessons and elsewhere. It is precisely this necessary breadth of music education, the consistency of starting early and sticking with it, that we have taken away. German music academies, on the other hand, are still in demand worldwide for their quality. So it is not surprising that more and more foreign students are being educated. A prize like the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize is therefore a profoundly cultural-political prize. It honours the best, not the best Germans. The respective result is perhaps something of a trend statement about the importance of musical education and appreciation of the music practised in a society.

It is also interesting to note that the Federal President attaches an important role to civic engagement in this context. And in a dual function: as lay organisations in the most diverse artistic fields and as supporting associations, voluntary work, sponsors or patrons.

Strengthening civic engagement can mean a positive development for musical life, as it not only offers funding opportunities through alternative forms of financing, but also achieves a more intensive connection and vitality through personal commitment and personal action. In recent decades, we have become too accustomed to the state organising everything.

This issue has a lot to do with the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Prize, as it was a civic act that started the prize in 1878. The heirs of General Music Director Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy bequeathed the music manuscripts and the estate to the State of Prussia, and Prussia in turn agreed to support young musicians through scholarships and an annual competition.

The entire estate is now in the Berlin State Library, an institution of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. The Mendelssohn family produced important cultural and economic personalities from the 18th century to the 20th century. They were also outstanding patrons in the cultural, scientific and social fields. In the 19th century, a dynamic educational offensive began in Germany, especially in Prussia, supported by a gradually emancipating middle class, not always without tension with the authorities. Against the backdrop of enormous economic, social and political changes, particularly in the second half of the 19th century, an upper middle-class patronage emerged, which was reflected in the upswing of communal foundations for the promotion of art and science. The commitment of Jewish patrons to art and culture was disproportionately high. Although the Jewish population made up only 4.3 per cent of Berlin's inhabitants before the outbreak of the First World War, almost 38 per cent of the foundation assets administered by the city came from Jewish ownership. However, Berlin not only had a special position among the Jewish economic elite, but also among the Jewish cultural elite.

After the National Socialists seized power, the foundations for civic patronage collapsed. The awarding of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize also had to be discontinued during the Nazi era. Today, in a united Germany, civic action is beginning to take hold again. Community foundations are growing in number and self-help is being organised. What is needed, however, is a greater reduction in bureaucratic obstacles for civil society initiatives and a comprehensive reform of the non-profit and donation law, which has grown unsystematically over decades, combined with additional tax incentives.

It is gratifying to see that the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize, which originated from patronage, has now been endowed by citizens. The decision by the "Friends of Young Musicians" in Berlin, Bremen, Kassel, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Frankfurt a.M., Mainz/Wiesbaden, Munich and Budapest to assign the endowed chamber music prize to the same quality requirements and award procedures is a welcome addition.

This not only closes a circle of civic engagement, but this development also raises justified hopes for a co-operation between the state, experts and patrons for the productive promotion of young artistic talent. A great deal would be gained - not only money, but also appreciation and the joy of experience.