Friedrich Nietzsche as Pforta Student at the age of 17

" Gott hat uns die Musik gegeben, damit wir erstens, durch sie nach oben geleitet werden. Die Musik vereint alle Eigenschaften in sich, sie kann erheben, sie kann tändeln, sie kann uns aufheitern, ja sie vermag mit ihren sanften, wehmütigen Tönen das roheste Gemüt zu brechen. Aber ihre Hauptbestimmung ist, daß die unsre Gedanekn auf Höheres leitet, daß sie uns erhebt, sogar erschüttert. ... Auch gewährt die Musik eine angenehme Unterhaltung und bewahrt jeden, der sich dafür interessiert, vor Langeweile. Man muß alle Menschen, die sie verachten, als geistlose, den Tieren ähnliche Geschöpfe betrachten. Immer sei diese herrlichste Gabe Gottes meine Begleiterin auf meinem Lebenswege und ich kann mich glücklich preisen, sie liebgewonnen zu haben. Ewig Dank sei Gott von uns gesungen, der diesen schönen Genuß uns darbietet!"

[God gave us music so that we, first and foremost, will be guided upward by it. All qualities are united in music: it can lift us up, it can be capricious, it can cheer us up and delight us, nay, with its soft, melancholy tunes, it can even break the resistance of the toughest character. Its main purpose, however, is to lead our thoughts upward, so that it elevates us, even deeply moves us. ... Music also provides pleasant entertainment and saves everyone who is interested in it from boredom. All humans who despise it should be considered mindless, animal-like creatures. Ever be this most glorious gift of God my companion on my life's journey, and I can consider myself fortunate to have come to love it. Let us sing out in eternal praise to God who is offering us this beautiful enjoyment.] (Nietzsche in 1858, at the age of fourteen years "Über Musik" [On Music] (in: "Aus meinem Leben" [From my Life].

 

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Of a thinker who, already at the age of fourteen years, declared music to be a vital part of his life, we are likely to expect a great deal of information on the development throughout his life of his relationship to it.

Therefore, we would like to invite you to trace this development in the in-depth essay Nietzsche and Music by Helmut Walther, which is available in English and to which we provide the following link:  Nietzsche and Music.  In order to return to this site, we ask you to click the "back" button on your browser.  Have an interesting time of exploration and also interesting listening experiences!

After reading this excellent essay by Helmut Walther, we might wish to move on to taking an even closer look at Nietzsche's development as composer, namely via the link on the menu bar to the left or via the following link. Enjoy!