HOLDINGS
The Bach family
Among the most important holdings in the collection is the hitherto incompletely known oratorio oeuvre of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, as well as further compositions by the Bach family, among them the Alt-Bachisches Archiv.
Berlin music life of the eighteenth century
The focus of the collection is on the eighteenth century: the Telemann collection, the repertoire of the royal Prussian chapel and the royal court opera of the time of Frederick II, works by Johann Adolf Hasse and the Graun brothers. The rich instrumental music of these holdings remains largely unexplored.
Zelter’s collection of the 17th and 18th centuries
A further complex of this archive unites old German and Italian masters, among them Buxtehude, Scheidt, Rosenmüller, Pachelbel, Froberger, Biber, Caldara, Scarlatti, Steffani, Lotti, and Vivaldi, collected by Fasch and Zelter.
Single works
Significant single works by Händel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven are also to be found in the archive, without exception either contemporary manuscripts or prints, for example, a copy of Beethoven’s piano sonatas op. 2 (1795) with a dedication to Sing-Akademie’s director Fasch in the composer’s hand.
Collection of the 19th century
Large parts of the collection of the 19th century must still be considered missing. The small holdings contain mainly compositions by Sing-Akademie’s inner circle (Rungenhagen, Zelter, Felix Mendelssohn, Otto Nicolai). Of special interest is the correspondence between Rungenhagen and Goethe, as well as other material about Zelter’s 70th birthday.