City Network

Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Telemann about Clausthal-Zellerfeld
"Oh, but what storms I had to endure mentioned above! Hordes of music haters came to my mother and tried to persuade her that I would become travelling performer, tightrope walker, minstrel, woodchuck-trainer, etc., if I did not stop my involvement with music. The next thing I knew, they had taken away all my scores and instruments. With this they had robbed me of half of my life. In order to cure me of my preoccupation with music even more, they had decided to send me away from Magdeburg to a school in Zellerfeld located in the Harz Mountain region. This probably happened because my music tyrants probably thought that the witches in the Harz Mountains could not stand any music at all. So, at the age of 13 with a letter of recommendation in hand, a letter addressed to the Superintendent Mr. Caspar Calvör, who was to watch over my studies carefully. My Latin-teaching custodian, good Mr. Calvör, summoned me to his office and revealed to me the pleasure he had listening to my music and urged me continue my efforts in composing and conducting. This was enough so that my mother abandoned the promise that she had made to others. This then tempted me to once again to indulge myself in a sort of innocent disobedience by beginning to play my spinet again. I did not now forget to practice violin and flute as well. For almost every Sunday I prepared a cantata. For the choir I composed motets and for the city musicians all kinds of special event symphonies."