The 5 km (3 miles) long Leipziger Notenbogen (Leipzig Music Arc) is a supplementary "musical" promenade. Whilst the locations pertaining to the Bach and Mendelssohn eras form the basis of the Leipziger Notenspur (Music Trail), the Leipziger Notenbogen music route focuses primarily on the latter years of the 19th century and the dawn of the 20th century. This is the period of Leipzig's history in which the city witnessed Arthur Nikisch as musical director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Gustav Mahler as conductor of the Opera and Max Reger as Universitätsmusikdirektor (University Music Director). By walking through the Waldstrasse Quarter – a residential neighbourhood in Wilhelminian style without equal in Europe – the Clara Zetkin Park and the Music Quarter, one can still sense the atmosphere of the city whose Gewandhaus attracted composers such as Peter Tchaikovsky, Edvard Grieg and Richard Strauss to Leipzig. In contrast to the Leipziger Notenspur (Leipzig Music Trail), the Leipziger Notenbogen music route does not incorporate any museums and the interior of very few of the locations can be viewed. We therefore recommend this tour for clement weather! In addition, the Leipziger Notenbogen focuses on two indispensable aspects of the city's musical history: The tour includes two educational institutions of exceptionally rich tradition: -
the forum thomanum accommodates and nurtures the choristers of the Thomanerchor (St. Thomas’ Boys Choir) – already in Bach's day a musical institution steeped in centuries of tradition
-
the Hochschule für Musik and Theater (University of Music and Theatre) carries forth and builds on the legacy of the Konservatorium (conservatoire) founded by Mendelssohn in 1843, honing the skills of the next generation of musicians of all disciplines, in collaboration with the city's major musical institutions
Three stations of the Leipziger Notenbogen also pay particular tribute to the contribution Leipzig's Jewish community made to the city's musical tradition. With its various facets, the Leipziger Notenbogen augments our portrayal of the city of music, unveiling the abundance and diversity of its musical heritage and leading us into the 20th century.
