Even something as simple as a music library is ultimately the product of a host of connections, through whose tangents we can witness the rich musical life of a bustling musical center. The physical artifacts however live on, with their own fascinating stories to tell, if only we know how to read them…

A Music-Loving Elector from the House of Habsburg

The Elector’s Musical Inventory

coming soon…

The Bonn Court Theater as an Institution

People and Personalities in Bonn’s Theatrical Life

The Electoral Music Library as the Result of Networks and Transfers

The Fate of the Elector’s Musical Library after 1794

© 2013 John Wilson, click to enlarge

ABOUT THIS PICTURE

When French troops occupied the Rhineland in 1794, the elector’s music collection was evacuated, setting off a convoluted journey across continental Europe that would not end for the next 40 years…