The Music of Luxembourg is an important component of the country's cultural life. The new Philharmonie concert hall provides a venue for orchestral concerts while opera is frequently presented in the theatres. Rock, pop and jazz are also popular with a number of successful performers. The wide general interest in music and musical activities in Luxembourg can be seen from the membership of the Union Grand-Duc Adolphe, the national music federation for choral societies, brass bands, music schools, theatrical societies, folklore associations and instrumental groups. Some 340 music groups and associations with over 17,000 individual members are currently represented by the organization.
History
Music in what is now the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has a history stretching back to the Gallo-Roman period. The 3rd-century Roman mosaic from Vichten presents excellent representations of the muses Euterpe with her flutes and Erato playing the lyre, testifying to an early interest in music. The 6th-century Latin poet Venantius Fortunatus tells us he was impressed by the music he heard in the region. From the 8th century, the Abbey of Echternach became an important centre for church music. Around the year 900, the abbey produced the Officium Sancti Willibrordi manuscript, one of the first examples of musical notation from Luxembourg.
After the Grand Duchy was established in 1815, interest in music slowly developed across the country, initially with patriotic music played by military bands. In 1842, the Luxembourg Army Band known as the Musique militaries grand-ducale was found in Echternach with some 24 musicians from the battalion stationed there. In 1852, the Société philharmonique was founded in Ettelbrück by the local priest J. B. Victor Müllendorf with the objective of "supporting all types of vocal and instrumental music". On the occasion of the first train from Luxembourg to Thionville on 4 October 1859, the national poet Michel Lentz wrote the words and music for De Feierwon, a patriotic song with the famous line Mir welle bleiwe wat mir sin (We want to remain as we are).
In the middle of the 19th century, music and singing societies became increasingly popular. A series of local composers wrote vocal music and light pieces to be performed by the brass bands and choirs which were also emerging everywhere. They included Joseph-Alexandre Müller, Louis Beicht and Emile Boeres as well as Gustave Kahnt and Pol Albrecht who, apart from being prolific composers, were bandmasters for the Luxembourg Band.
Overview
Luxembourg's music and cultural heritage is Germanic. The national music federation is the Union Grand-Duc Adolphe (UGDA); another important institution is the Luxembourg Conservatory of Music with some 2,600 students each year. Annual music festivals include the Echternach Music Festival and the Rock um Knuedler in Luxembourg City. The national radio station, Radio Luxembourg, is listened to throughout Europe. Modern Luxembourg is home to an array of performers with the rise of folk, classical, popular music (pop, rock, hip hop) and electronic dance music (hardstyle, jumpstyle, hardstyle).
The national anthem is "Ons Heemecht" ("Our Homeland"), which was composed and written by Jean-Antoine Zinnen and Michel Lentz. It has been the national anthem since 1895.
Classical music
One of the most influential and versatile musicians in Luxembourg was Laurent Menager (1835–1902). Often referred to as Luxembourg's national composer, he was also an enthusiastic choirmaster, organist and teacher. In 1857, he founded the national choral association Sang a Klang. His many compositions include choral works, church music, orchestral pieces and operettas as well as music for brass bands and the theatre.
The Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, originally known as the RTL Grand Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1933. Since 2005, when the Philharmonie Luxembourg concert hall was opened, the orchestra has had its own home. Recent directors have done much to enhance its image, particularly in regard to 20th-century French music. Opera is frequently performed in Luxembourg City at the Grand Théâtre and in Esch-sur-Alzette at the Théâtre d’Esch as well as at the annual Wiltz festival.