Mission and aim of the society

In the 12 years of the so-called "millenial empire" the Nazi governors altered music history through decrees and interdictions. They denied the importance of Jewish musicians in the musical culture in Germany or declared it "degenerate" and corrupting. They expelled performers and composers from Germany and, later, from occupied countries all over Europe. Others were deported to concentration camps, many of them were killed. Their music was destroyed and fell into oblivion. musica reanimata set itself the goal to remember these musicians and to re-integrate their works into today's musical life. Posthumously, at least, they shall take their due place in music history, and they shall no longer be deprived of the critical recognition of a free public.

The society musica reanimata was founded in 1990 with the purpose of integrating the works of composers persecuted by the Nazi regime into present-day musical culture.
In the first years of its existence, musica reanimata centered its activities on the composers who had been imprisoned in Theresienstadt (Terezín) and killed in death camps. Their work was at that time mostly unknown - musicologists, publishers, performers and concert promoters hardly knew about it. Over the years, the field has broadened. Composers have been featured who were exiled (e.g. in the USA, UK, South America, Australia), among them those who are still alive. Composers are the main interest of the society's activities, but it is also committed to raising public awareness of the life, work and fate of performers, music publishers and musicologists who were persecuted by the Nazis.

The society exclusively and directly serves community interests. It has set as its goals
a) biographical research, in support of the preservation of and execution of musicological research on musical texts, to be carried out by its own members, as well as competent persons and institutions,
b) encouragement of the editorial work on, and publication of, musical texts by publishers,
c) supporting the dissemination of musical works in public concerts.

musica reanimata organizes lecture concerts and musicological conferences, produces its own series of writings under the title Verdraengte Musik ("Displaced Music") and in the periodical mr-Mitteilungen.

The board consists of:
Dr. Albrecht Dümling (chairman)
Habakuk Traber
Bettina Brand
Prof. Jascha Nemtsov
Melina Paetzold

Secretary:
Peter Sarkar
Steubenstr. 35, D-99423 Weimar
Tel.: +49 (0)3643 400156
e-mail: peter.sarkar@musica-reanimata.de

musica reanimata has approximately 100 members at present. They are active in music research and archival work, as musicologists and journalists, as musicians, publishers and music organizers; others have joined just to support (financially and otherwise) the ideals of the society.

We cooperate with:
- DeutschlandRadio Cologne (Deutschlandfunk)
- Konzerthaus Berlin
- Universitaet der Kuenste Berlin (UdK)
- Zentrum fuer Antisemitismusforschung /Technische Universitaet Berlin (Center for Research on Antisemitism at the Technical University of Berlin)