Metadata: The Athens Conservatoire Historical Archives
Collection
- Country:
- Greece
- Holding institution:
- Athens Conservatory
- Holding institution (official language):
- Ωδείο Αθηνών
- Postal address:
- Rigilis St & 17-19 Vas. Georgiou B Av., Athens 106 75
- Phone number:
- 0030210 72 40 673
- Web address:
- https://www.athensconservatoire.gr/
- Email:
- info@athensconservatoire.gr
- Title:
- The Athens Conservatoire Historical Archives
- Title (official language):
- Αρχείο του Ωδείου Αθηνών
- Creator/accumulator:
- The Athens Conservatoire
- Date(s):
- 1871/1927
- Language:
- Greek, Modern (1453-)
- French
- German
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The Athens Conservatoire (Conservatory), is the first and one of the most important institutions for performing arts in Greece. Materials pertaining one way or another to the Jewish history are found in the Institution’s Activity Reports and the Minutes Book as well as in the personal archive of one of the Conservatory Teachers. Specifically:
1. Activity Reports (Εκθέσεις Πεπραγμένων) from 1871 to 1901. The report for 1886 includes (on page 14) the names of the administrative personnel of the Music and Drama Association (now Athens Conservatory), including Karolos Rothschild, auditor of financial management in the year 1886. The report for 1900 includes, on page 5, the names of the full members of the Music and Drama Association (now Athens Conservatory), including Antonios Matsas, Zafirios Matsas and Maria A. Matsa.
2. Detailed Reports (Λεπτομερείς Εκθέσεις), that is records of the students, their place of origin, and the instrument they are playing. The first report for 1896-1897 includes (on page 18) the names of Antonios Matsas and Zafeirios Matsas. The detailed report for 1900-1901 includes (on page 26) names of students, including Mathilde Levi, probably from Volos. The detailed report for 1901-1902 includes (on page 23) details of Avraam Koen, probably from Chalkis. The detailed report for 1902-1903 includes (on page 22) names of students, including Lucy Matsa (student at the Drama Department School of Amateurs) and Avraam Koen (Violin student; probably from Volos).
3. The Julius Enning Archive (Αρχείο Ιουλίου Έννινγκ), which is the personal archive of Julius Enning, a musician of German origin, at the time Instructor and Prefect of the Conservatoire. Although there is no indication of his Jewish descent, an incident where two of his students used an antisemitic insult is a point of interest. Mr. Enning kept a very detailed and meticulous personal archive, containing notes, correspondence drafts, and letters to the Board of Directors. His archive forms a sort of diary on everyday life at the School. Enning’s writings are all in perfect Greek, using also a few words in French and even fewer in German. The relevant items in this collection include a letter from Enning to Mr Hatsopoulos, cashier at the Conservatory, dated 9 May 1874, a report by Enning, dated 21 May 1874, and a note by Enning on the incident of the attack by the student Kalliniatis. "He followed him down the stairs shouting "Jew, Jew, vous êtes un Jew!". The note is dated 9 May 1874.
4. Minute books. The minutes of the 83rd and 84th meetings of the board of the Music and Drama Association, dated 8 and 14 May 1874 respectively, deal with the students who called their teacher Ioulios Enning a Jew, aiming to offend him, and Enning’s resignation of because of the incident. The collection also includes the minutes of the board meeting on 6 May 1927, where the decision was made to give honorary membership of the Association to Otto Kahn, a German Jew, who was a banker in America. He loved Greece and music and supported the School financially.
- Archival history:
- The Athens Conservatoire Historical Archive is a collection of different manuscripts and printed material, such as records of the School’s Council, progress records of the students, class registers, administrative documents and architectural sketches, programmes of concerts and the referent material. It is an uninterrupted documentation of “musical life in Athens during the last 140 years and, in some cases, the political history of modern Greece” (from the institution’s site).
- Access points: locations:
- Athens
- Subject terms:
- Antisemitism
- Education
- Music
- Theatre
- System of arrangement:
- The volumes are arranged in chronological order.
- Access, restrictions:
- Contact the archivist to be granted access to the collection.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum of Greece
- Author of the description:
- Dora Kechagia
