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Fourteen informative essays bring the vibrant musical age of Luther et al alive in the 300-plus-page Music in the German Renaissance, edited by John Kmetz.

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Hanau-born Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) was banned by the Nazis and composed his most important orchestral compositions outside his homeland. The Hindemith Institute (www.hindemith.org) in Frankfurt am Main promotes his music and safeguards his estate. Perhaps better known is Dessau-born Kurt Weill (1900–50), another composer who fled the Nazi terror. He teamed up with Bertolt Brecht in the 1920s and wrote the music for Die Morität von Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife) in Brecht’s Dreigroschenoper (Threepenny Opera). Weill ended up in New York, where he wrote successful Broadway musicals.

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Visit the website of violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter (http://anne-sophie-mutter.com) to begin exploring the contemporary classical music scene.

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Germany’s most prestigious orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker (1882; Click here), was shaped by conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886–1954) and, from 1954 until his death in 1989, the illustrious Herbert von Karajan (1908–89). Dresden opera orchestra Click here and the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester are also important stops on the classical trail. The young Kammersymphonie Berlin (Berlin Chamber Symphony), established in 1991, recaptures the multifaceted music scene of 1920s Berlin through its focus on less common orchestral works. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter (b 1963) is the unchallenged star of the modern contemporary scene, performing with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra (founded 1966) at the age of 14 and more recently performing the works of Russian-born Sofia Asgatowna Gubaidulina (b 1931), who has lived and worked in Germany since the early 1990s and is one of its most exciting composers.

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Since 1980 the average male chest has increased in size by 7.3 cm (to 106.1 cm); women’s chest size has expanded by 2.3cm (to 98.7 cm).

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CONTEMPORARY

Jazz is popular in Germany, and most towns have a jazz club or two. Till Brönner (b 1971) – who studied at the Cologne Music School – has trumpeted, sung and composed his way to renown, recording his Oceana album (2006) in Los Angeles with contributions from Madeleine Peyroux (b 1974) and singing Italian model and First Lady of France Carla Bruni (b 1967).

On the downtempo scene, where you find various blends of jazz, dub, hip hop, house and African music, Jazzanova (www.jazzanova.net) is the undisputed master, with remixes and original tunes. It founded the Sonar Kollektiv label (www.sonarkollektiv.com) in the late 1990s, which today includes German acts like Micatone (www.micatone.de, in German) and international figures like Daniel Paul, Georg Levin and Forss. For its 10th anniversary, the label put together the Sonar Kollektiv Orchester with artists such as Clara Hill (www.clarahill.com) and Thief (based around Sascha Gottschalk).

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For more information, practical and historical, on the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, tune to www.berlin-philharmonic.com.

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These contemporaries complement the soaring sounds of musicians such as Albert Mangelsdorff (1928–2005), saxophonist Heinz Sauer (b 1932), and Klaus Doldinger (b 1936) who formed the legendary fusion band Passport. JazzFest Berlin brings the best of German and European jazz to the capital each November.

One big question facing most German rock bands is whether to sing in German, English or both. Scorpions, probably the most successful band abroad, sang in English. A contemporary band who chose to sing in German and found success abroad is Rammstein, part of a ‘New German Hard’ (Neue deutsche Härte) movement that combines industrial rock, metal and dance. The band, which – it says – is mistakenly seen as being right wing and nationalistic and sees itself as outside these labels or even left of the political spectrum, is known for its provocative lyrics and