Musiker und Denker unter sich

Abstract In Carl Fuchs, Friedrich Nietzsche found a correspondent who made a name for himself as both a theoretician of music and a practicing musician. Fuchs is primarily known as a representative of the theory of musical harmony developed by Hugo Riemann, which was intended to reform the traditional division of beats and measures within a musical piece, and which paved the way for alternative approaches to interpretation. Among other sources, Fuchs drew upon insights into the metrics of antiquity. To Nietzsche, he compared musical phrasing with the punctuation of a literary text. The foundation existed for a lively exchange between the two correspondents; however, their correspondence was instead characterized by misunderstandings, a mix of respect and aversion, and divergent personal interests. Nevertheless, the exchange of letters clarifies Nietzsche’s positions regarding musical aesthetics and philosophy.