Kinsky, Georg Ludwig (EN)

Kinsky Georg Ludwig, *29 September 1882 Marienwerder (now Kwidzyn), †7 April 1951 Berlin, German musicologist. From 1898, he lived in Berlin, working in the music trade and in a scientific antiquarian bookstore. He was self-taught in music. From 1908, he was an assistant at the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin under the supervision of A. Kopfermann, where he gained his knowledge of musicology. From 1909 to 1926, he was the conservator and director of the Musikhistorisches Museum W. Heyer in Cologne. He prepared a catalogue of the collections, organised lectures and concerts of music played on historical instruments, and in 1925 he obtained a doctorate from the University of Cologne. At the same time, between 1922 and 1932, he lectured at the University of Cologne on musical notation, instrumentology, music bibliography and publishing techniques. From 1932, he worked privately; in 1944, the Nazis confiscated his collections and documentation. After the war, he completed the catalogue of L. Koch’s collection, which he had begun in 1930, and resumed work on the thematic catalogue of Beethoven’s works, which had been secured during the war by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. This work was published after Kinsky’s death by H. Halm. 

Kinsky’s most important works are his catalogues, especially the thematic catalogue of Beethoven’s works, which has been fundamental for further research on the composer’s manuscripts and prints, conducted by W. Hess (14 volumes of supplements to the collected works of Beethoven) and K. Dortmüller (ed. Beiträge zur Beethoven-Bibliographie. Studien und Materialien zur Werkverzeichnis von Kinsky-Halm, Munich 1978); Kinsky’s descriptions and classifications of instruments were also of paramount importance for further research. Kinsky was also a pioneer – together with D.F. Scheurleer – in the field of musical iconography. His work laid the foundations for international research into various areas of musical culture, developed by The Galpin Society, the International Association of Music Libraries and the Répertoire International d’Iconographie Musicale.

Literature: E.E. Mueller v. Asow Georg Kinsky, “Die Musikforschung” IV, 1951; H. Halm, foreword in: G. Kinsky, H. Halm Das Werk Beethovens. Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner sämtlichen vollendeten Kompositionen, Munich 1955.