WORLD MUSIC FORUM, The German Music Council without Music 02

Peter Hübner – The scaffolding scene of the German musical world

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In the present time of great individual, social and ecological crises it is important and sensible for all of us to reflect on the natural, to say good-bye in our thinking and acting from unnatural habits and respect the laws of nature. This applies in particular to musical life.

In this respect, decency must also be newly defined in the practice of classical music under the viewpoint of naturalness.

“That which is against nature,
is against God.”
Hebbel

At the time of Hitler the Nazis were officially the most respected people – under national sovereignty, at the time of Stalin the communists were – under national sovereignty etc., etc.

Thus, it is not the governmental institution, which in art, and, in particular, in music can be seen as the model of all things. And I am glad that in our times of general democratic efforts, I am able to say such a thing without putting myself in danger.

Ever growing movements in people’s consciousness are nowadays trying to rank the power of nature above the power of the state, and to somehow integrate the structure of the state into the structure of nature.

Überhaupt ist alles,
was man
Wohlanständigkeit
nennt,
von derselben Art,
nämlich nichts
als schöner Schein.
Kant

“Naturalness is not only the best,
but also the most noble.”
Th. Fontane

“Where nature does not allow it,
work is in vain.”
Seneca

Why should that therefore also not be the right point in time to act accordingly in German musical life, and to officially give nature more authority – by providing the artist with talent.

“That is how nature carries out its maternal duties.”
Schiller

The present official public musical life regulated by supranational institutions and national financial funds deceives the parents of the musically gifted child in a way that is very dangerous for the person who is gifted: it pretends to be able to support this person’s talent, and to open up channels for him for his later profession. But if this pretence is not stupidity, it is deception – as all governmental training and supportive measures concentr ate only on producing

the ideal mediocrity or on leading the exceptional back to mediocrity – with governmental sovereignty, with posts and dignity of state.

That is the only purpose of titles in art, of official posts, of dignitaries: to deceive the general public regarding mediocrity, and to reduce the exceptional to the ordinary more clearly: to limit it to the common.

“Great gifts come from God,
inferior ones from the Devil.”
Hebbel

“The burden of our times
is the curse of mediocrity.”
Tucholsky

In the interest of the true values of music and the future of music, I can only urgently advise the tax-payers and/or those responsible for the state-funds to privatise all public institutions in musical life, i.e. not to finance them any longer, but to expose them to public competition, as this was also done e.g. with the former state-owned companies of the bankrupt GDR.

Something like the “Treuhandgesellschaft”, a company of trustees, should be established, which handles and privatises the governmental institutions or organisations financed by the state in the same way as it was done with the state-owned companies in the GDR, which had not functioned properly under communist management, and of which the enlightened economic expert knew that they would not function under a western management of state, either.

“Enlightenment is mankind’s exit from their dependence, for which they have themselves to blame. Dependence is the lack of ability, to use one’s mind without direction of somebody else. This dependence is brought upon by oneself if the cause of this is not a lack of intelligence, but of resolution and courage to use this intelligence without directions of somebody else. Sapere aude! Have the courage to use your own mind! Is therefore the motto of enlightenment.”
Kant