The Museum of Musical Instruments at Cologne’s Institute of Musicology in Nazi-era networks

The Museum of Musical Instruments at the University of Cologne’s Institute of Musicology has undergone numerous historical and institutional transformations throughout its lifetime of over 80 years. The collection was founded in 1932 by Theodor Kroyer, the first full professor of musicology to be appointed after the re-establishment of the University of Cologne in 1919. Between 1932 and 1991, the collection grew to number around 180 artifacts. These include historical string and wind instruments, non-European instruments and models for teaching purposes. The focus of the collection is on historical and modern keyboard instruments, with these also constituting the majority of the inventory.The project addressed the history and development of the collection as tangible historical heritage of the University of Cologne and its Institute of Musicology. The goal was to critically review the acquisitions made for the collection in the Nazi era in the context of local, national and international networks, and to shed light on uncertain acquisition circumstances. Examining the provenance of the collection’s objects is of interest particularly in light of the Institute’s staffing circumstances at the time of the Third Reich: Theodor Kroyer’s successor, Karl Gustav Fellerer, is of particular importance with regard to the unclear acquisition circumstances of several of the collection objects due to his links to the special task force for music within the Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce and his activities on its behalf.The researchers were able to explore the collection’s historical background as part of the project, and based on this, they obtained findings about public institutions’ various work processes, and also about the opportunities and problems involved in researching the provenance of musical instruments.

List of persons and institutions that are historically relevant to the project

· Theodor Kroyer (Full Professor of Musicology at the University of Cologne 1932–1938)

· Karl Gustav Fellerer (Full Professor of Musicology at the University of Cologne 1939–1970)

· Ernst Bücken (Adjunct Professor of Musicology at the University of Cologne 1921–1937)

· Georg Kinsky (Lecturer in Musicology at the University of Cologne, curator of the Wilhelm Heyer historic music collection, Cologne, 1921–1932)

· Herbert Gerigk (Head of the Office of Music in the Rosenberg Office, 1935–1954, and of the special unit for music in the Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce, 1940–1945)

· Hermann Corsten (Director of the University and City Library of Cologne, 1933–1954)

· Oscar Schlitter (Donor, also held senior positions at Deutsche Bank and IG Farben)

· J. C. Neupert (Musical instrument maker and donor)

· University of Leipzig

· Musikhistorisches Museum Wilhelm Heyer, Cologne

· Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce

(c) Universität zu Köln, Musikwissenschaftliches Institut