Panel 9 Music and Vocational School Klingenthal

In 1843, at the suggestion of Cantor Christian Friedrich Weber, a school was founded to train workers in musical instrument making. A well-founded theoretical and practical education in combination with instrumental lessons should enable the next generation “in the field of musical instrument making... to produce quality work and thus ensure the reputation of domestic products and the livelihood of musical instrument makers”.
In addition to the permit, on November 1, 1843, the government allocated him 100 thalers for the purchase of instruments. At the same time, he was assured 60 thalers annually to maintain his establishment.
With the continuation of music lessons, arithmetic, German and drawing were demonstrably added to the curriculum. The school was given the name “Technical School for Musical Instrument Making”.
In 1884, the school underwent a not inconsiderable upgrade with the founding of a “Technical School Committee”, also known as the “Trade School Committee”. Apprentices from all “craft circles” were admitted, but the final reorganisation dragged on until 1889.
The decision of the “Mixed Guild of Craftsmen” in 1889 to send their apprentices to the “Technical School for Musical Instrument Making” for theoretical training resulted in the establishment of two departments, one musical and one industrial (locksmiths, carpenters, etc.).
Five teachers were hired, two of whom taught instrumental lessons and led the group playing for strings and winds. Three of them, working at the same time at the elementary school, taught the subjects of harmony, music history, music theory, singing, German, geometry, drawing and bookkeeping.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, it is noticeable that the accordion and harmonica have received relatively little attention, except for the introduction of practical lessons for tuners in 1880. Apparently, the most common orchestral instruments were in the foreground.
In a report, written shortly after 1900, it can be read ...that the institution - the school - unfortunately had not kept pace with the development or with the transformation of the industry and that this still followed the string and wind instrument manufacture, which was almost on the verge of extinction, but at the same time was of little use to the highly developed reed industry, which at that time dominated and still dominates our region. But it is not too late to make up for what has been missed. The school administration responded.
Starting in 1906 and in the following years, courses for adults were added to the curriculum with the specialties of miller, tuner, adjuster (for reeds), all activities for harmonica construction, and bookkeeping.
In 1907, the previous 2-year attendance of the “Technical School for Musical Instrument Making and Handicraft” was extended to three years.

Since 1914, the “Trade School for Musical Instrument Making and Crafts of the Klingenthal Local Court District” also held apprenticeship examinations.
In 1919, the school, first housed in the Old Cantorate, and until that year in the Klingenthal Elementary School, received a new domicile, namely the building of the “Jahn's Commercial School” on the Amtsberg, erected in 1912, merging the Commercial School with the Trade School, as the latter was colloquially called. The school is still located in this building today.

At that time, the school consisted of three departments:
Music Preschool. Attended by children who had reached the age of 9. They mostly came from the Klingenthal area. The lessons usually served as preparation for the profession of musical instrument maker. The 313 students were taught 110 hours per week.
In 1926 a harmonica orchestra was founded, followed in 1927 by a plucked string orchestra and a harmonica orchestra.
Apprentice Department. This department was divided into three grades with classes for musical instrument makers, classes for metal trades and classes for other trades. In addition to general education subjects, apprentices also received instruction in job-specific subjects, and musical instrument maker apprentices continued to receive music instruction.
Course Department. Continuation of the already mentioned courses for adults.

In 1928, also for reasons of space, a comprehensive reconstruction began, and further training workshops and vocational training beyond musical instrument making were added.
The rebuilt and extended “Commercial School building”, which in the meantime belonged to the city of Klingenthal, was inaugurated at Easter 1929 as part of the anniversary week of the Saxon harmonica industry. The hall was named the “Glier Hall” in honour of the Klingenthal instrument dealer Johann Wilhelm Rudolph Glier, who had brought the harmonica to his hometown of Klingenthal in 1829.

A pause was set by the Second World War. Towards the end of the war, school operations were completely stopped. The school building served as a military hospital. In September 1945, Dr. Moll, who later became the Principal of the school, received permission from the Mayor of Klingenthal to resume school operations. Until the evacuation of the military hospital, a classroom in the City Hall was used for the time being, where the school office was also located.
Having returned to the original school building, the school, consisting of a music school and a vocational school, continued to operate under his leadership.
1952 saw the organizational separation of the vocational and music schools.

The further development of the “Trade School Department” took place during the GDR period via the stages of the municipal vocational school, the company (vocational) school of the VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke, the school combine of the VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke.
In the present day, future musical instrument makers learn on site at the Vocational and Professional School for Vogtland Instrument Making. Both the dual training path in combination with a master workshop or company and practical training in the school’s own workshops are possible.


The Music School

Since 1843, the music school and the vocational school formed a mutually complementary, meaningful unit.
On January 1, 1954, the “Music School Department” was affiliated with the District Music School with its main office in Markneukirchen and thus separated from the Trade School.
After the political change in 1989, many initiatives to reunite the two departments failed.
But even today, both facilities are located under one roof. The music school education is part of the Vogtland Music School.