The Lower Rhenish Music Festival (German: Das Niederrheinische Musikfest) was one of the most important festivals of classical music, which happened every year between 1818 and 1958, with few exceptions, at Pentecost for 112 times.
In the year 1817 Johann Schornstein, the musical director at Elberfeld, organized a music festival in his town, in which he was assisted by the musicians from Düsseldorf under their conductor Friedrich August Burgmüller. During this festival the idea was born by Schornstein and Burgmüller to repeat this event every year alternately between their cities. In the year 1821 the musicians from Cologne and 1825 from Aachen participated, but with the performance 1827 the responsible persons of Elberfeld decided to stop their commitment, because the town was not up to manage the rush of musicians and guests. This festival continued up to 1958 and took place 112 times. Only during the period of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states and the First and Second World War the meeting was interrupted. After the last war in the year 1948 Cologne resigned out of this cycle of the music festival, whereas the cities Wuppertal, a fusion of Elberfeld and Barmen, and Duisburg acceded to this meeting. But in the year 1958 the festival was closed definitely, because in the meantime some other regional music festivals were founded.
At the beginning the Lower Rhenish Music Festival continued two days and from the year 1826 one day more, every year during Whitsuntide. Temporary in 1834 the king Frederick William III of Prussia interdicted this performance on Whitsun for religious reasons, but by the intercession of his nephew prince Frederick of Prussia, an art enthusiast and protector of the art societies of Düsseldorf, the festival regained permission with some restrictions.
From the beginning the Lower Rhenish Music Festival apprehended as a societal and cultural culmination on a highly artistically level. To the home and foreign guests, politicians, business people and members of the high nobility there were presented all the compositions, which played a significant role at that time. In addition to the local music directors many important conductors, composers and soloists were engaged as director of the festivals. Again and again the stage was used for the performance of world and national premieres and also for the presentation of new versions by known or unknown artists. The focus comprised the music of the last epochs of the Baroque music, the Viennese classical as well as the Romantic Music and later of the 20th-century classical music. There were performed the great symphonic poems, mass, oratorios, chorale, cantatas and here and there chamber music.
This implicated that sometimes the participation of more than 500 musicians. On one side the high number of musicians and the foreign guests connoted a lucrative revenue stream but on the other side also a logistical challenge and risk for the organization.
The table lists the chronology of the Lower Rhenish Music Festival, compiled from a selection of reliable sources.
| serial number | year | place | Directors of festival | specifics/premiere/significant soloists (selection) |
| 0 | 1817 | Elberfeld | Johannes Schornstein | Officially it doesn't ranking to this cycle, but it believes as an initial spark; |
| 1 | 1818 | Düsseldorf | Friedrich August Burgmüller | Top priority: The Seasons and Schöpfungsmesse of Joseph Haydn; Soloist: Johannes Schornstein (piano) |
| 2 | 1819 | Elberfeld | Johann Schornstein | |
| 3 | 1820 | Düsseldorf | Friedrich August Burgmüller | German premiere of the oratorio "Samson" of George Frideric Handel; Soloist: Johannes Schornstein (piano) |
| 4 | 1821 | Cologne | Friedrich August Burgmüller, | The city of Cologne new in the programme; inter alia promote through Erich Verkenius, president of the Cologne University of Music |
| 5 | 1822 | Düsseldorf | Friedrich August Burgmüller | world premiere of the oratorio "Das befreite Jerusalem" of Abbé Maximilian Stadler; For logistic reasons Düsseldorf deputized for Elberfeld. At first-time in the hall of knights of the old castle of Düsseldorf. |
| 6 | 1823 | Elberfeld | Johannes Schornstein | |
| 7 | 1824 | Cologne | Friedrich Schneider | World premiere of the oratorio "Die Sündflut" of Friedrich Schneider |
| 8 | 1825 | Aachen | Ferdinand Ries | City of Aachen new in the programme; German premiere of the Symphony No.9 of Ludwig van Beethoven in celebration of opening of Theater Aachen |
| 9 | 1826 | Düsseldorf | Louis Spohr and Ferdinand Ries | Düsseldorf premiere of the oratorio "The Last Judgement" of Louis Spohr (Text: Johann Friedrich Rochlitz) and the Symphony Nr. 6 D major op. 146 of F. Ries; First-time the festival takes over three days. |
| 10 | 1827 | Elberfeld | Johann Schornstein and Erich Verkenius | Last participation of the City of Elberfeld; |
| 11 | 1828 | Cologne | Bernhard Klein, Ferdinand Ries and Carl Leibl | World premiere of the oratorio "Jephtha" of B. Klein and a new recording concert overture at "Don Carlos" of F. Ries |
| 12 | 1829 | Aachen | Ferdinand Ries | |
| 13 | 1830 | Düsseldorf | Ferdinand Ries | German premiere of the overture "Braut von Messina" op. 162 of F. Ries, (Text: Friedrich Schiller), also Düsseldorf premiere of the oratorio "Judas Maccabaeus" of G. F. Handel |
| 14 | 1832 | Cologne | Ferdinand Ries | |
| 15 | 1833 | Düsseldorf | Felix Mendelssohn | German premiere of Symphony No. 4 (The Italian) and a "festival-overture" of F. Mendelssohn, also the oratorio Israel in Egypt in the German original version of G. F. Handel; new in the programme: morning concerts |
| 16 | 1834 | Aachen | Ferdinand Ries | Soloist: Frédéric Chopin (piano) |
| 17 | 1835 | Cologne | Felix Mendelssohn | Solomon of G. F. Handel in original score and with comp of organ; Choir master: Fanny Mendelssohn |
| 18 | 1836 | Düsseldorf | Felix Mendelssohn | World premiere of the oratorio "St. Paul" of F. Mendelssohn; Choir master: J. Schornstein |
| 19 | 1837 | Aachen | Ferdinand Ries | World premiere of the oratorio "Die Könige in Israel" of Ferdinand Ries |
| 20 | 1838 | Cologne | Felix Mendelssohn | |
| 21 | 1839 | Düsseldorf | Felix Mendelssohn | Guest appearance and successfully artistic breakthrough of the composer Hubert Ferdinand Kufferath; world premiere of a festival-overture of Julius Rietz; Choir master: J. Schornstein |
| 22 | 1840 | Aachen | Louis Spohr | |
| 23 | 1841 | Cologne | Conradin Kreutzer | |
| 24 | 1842 | Düsseldorf | Felix Mendelssohn | |
| 25 | 1843 | Aachen | Carl Gottlieb Reissiger | |
| 26 | 1844 | Cologne | Heinrich Dorn | German premiere of Missa Solemnis D major op. 123 of L. v. Beethoven |
| 27 | 1845 | Düsseldorf | Julius Rietz | German premiere of the "Requiem" of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Nine years pause follows because the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states |
| 28 | 1846 | Aachen | Felix Mendelssohn | Soloist and discovery of the "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind (soprano) |
| 29 | 1847 | Cologne | Heinrich Dorn, Gaspare Spontini and George Onslow | German premiere of the Symphony No. 4 G major op. 71 of G. Onslow |
| 30 | 1851 | Aachen | Peter Josef von Lindpaintner | |
| 31 | 1853 | Düsseldorf | Robert Schumann, Ferdinand Hiller and Julius Tausch | World premiere of the Symphony No. 4 d-minor op. 120 and the festival-overture Op. 123 of R. Schumann; Soloist: Clara Schumann (piano) and Joseph Joachim (violin); |
| 32 | 1854 | Aachen | Peter Joseph von Lindpaintner | |
| 33 | 1855 | Düsseldorf | Ferdinand Hiller | Special performance of the oratorio "Paradise and the Peri" by R. Schumann by special request of the soloist Jenny Lind (soprano) |
| 34 | 1856 | Düsseldorf | Julius Rietz | Düsseldorf provided an alternative venue at short notice because the Cologne concert hall, the "Gürzenich," had to be restored and rebuilt. |
| 35 | 1857 | Aachen | Franz Liszt | |
| 36 | 1858 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | World premiere of the oratorio "Saul" of Ferdinand Hiller |
| 37 | 1860 | Düsseldorf | Ferdinand Hiller | Soloist: Joseph Joachim (violin) |
| 38 | 1861 | Aachen | Franz Lachner | Soloist: Clara Schumann (piano) |
| 39 | 1862 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | |
| 40 | 1863 | Düsseldorf | Otto Goldschmidt and Julius Tausch | Soloist: Jenny Lind (soprano) |
| 41 | 1864 | Aachen | Julius Rietz and Franz Wüllner | First-time in the new "Redoute", the ballroom of the old casino in Aachen; Application of a new organ by organ building company "Ibach" |
| 42 | 1865 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | Soloist: Friedrich Nietzsche as singer |
| 43 | 1866 | Düsseldorf | Otto Goldschmidt and Julius Tausch | World premiere of the Violin Concerto No.1 g-minor, op. 26, of Max Bruch; Soloists: Clara Schumann (piano), Joseph Joachim (violin) and Jenny Lind (soprano); Inauguration ceremony of the new concert hall Tonhalle Düsseldorf |
| 44 | 1867 | Aachen | Julius Rietz and Ferdinand Breunung | |
| 45 | 1868 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | |
| 46 | 1869 | Düsseldorf | Julius Rietz and Julius Tausch | Soloist: Joseph Joachim (violin) |
| 47 | 1870 | Aachen | Franz Lachner and Ferdinand Breunung | last performance of Jenny Lind with the soprano-solo of the oratorio "Ruth" of Otto Goldschmidt |
| 48 | 1871 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | |
| 49 | 1872 | Düsseldorf | Anton Rubinstein and Julius Tausch | World premiere of the religious opera "Der Turm zu Babel" of A. Rubinstein |
| 50 | 1873 | Aachen | Julius Rietz and Ferdinand Breunung | Soloists: Marie Wilt (soprano), Johann Christoph Lauterbach (violin) and Clara Schumann (piano) |
| 51 | 1874 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | |
| 52 | 1875 | Düsseldorf | Joseph Joachim and Julius Tausch | Düsseldorf premiere of the Missa Solemnis of L. v. Beethoven |
| 53 | 1876 | Aachen | Ferdinand Breunung | Inauguration of a new organ by Georg Stahlhuth; Soloist and artistic breakthrough of Adolf Wallnöfer (Tenor) |
| 54 | 1877 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | guest appearance as conductor of Giuseppe Verdi with his Messa da Requiem |
| 55 | 1878 | Düsseldorf | Joseph Joachim and Julius Tausch | World premiere of the choir-performance "Germanenzug" of Julius Tausch; Artistic breakthrough of the Symphony No. 2 of Johannes Brahms; Düsseldorf premiere of "Szenen aus Goethes Faust" of R. Schumann; Soloist: Clara Schumann (piano) |
| 56 | 1879 | Aachen | Ferdinand Breunung and Max Bruch | |
| 57 | 1880 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | Soloist: Clara Schumann (piano) |
| 58 | 1881 | Düsseldorf | Niels Gade and Julius Tausch | Soloist: Eugen Gura (baritone) |
| 59 | 1882 | Aachen | Franz Wüllner | |
| 60 | 1883 | Cologne | Ferdinand Hiller | |
| 61 | 1884 | Düsseldorf | Johannes Brahms and Julius Tausch | Soloist: Eugen d'Albert (piano) |
| 62 | 1885 | Aachen | Julius Kniese and Carl Reinecke | |
| 63 | 1886 | Cologne | Franz Wüllner | |
| 64 | 1887 | Düsseldorf | Hans Richter and Julius Tausch | Soloist: Eugen d'Albert (piano) |
| 65 | 1888 | Aachen | Hans Richter and Eberhard Schwickerath | |
| 66 | 1889 | Cologne | Franz Wüllner | |
| 67 | 1890 | Düsseldorf | Hans Richter and Julius Buths | Soloist: Bernhard Stavenhagen (piano) |
| 68 | 1891 | Aachen | Ernst von Schuch and Eberhard Schwickerath | |
| 69 | 1892 | Cologne | Franz Wüllner | |
| 70 | 1893 | Düsseldorf | Julius Buths | |
| 71 | 1894 | Aachen | Ernst von Schuch and Eberhard Schwickerath | |
| 72 | 1895 | Cologne | Franz Wüllner | |
| 73 | 1896 | Düsseldorf | Johannes Brahms, Julius Buths and Richard Strauss | last performance of J. Brahms in Rhineland; Soloists: Pablo de Sarasate (violin) and Ferruccio Busoni (piano) |
| 74 | 1897 | Aachen | Hans Richter and Eberhard Schwickerath | |
| 75 | 1898 | Cologne | Franz Wüllner | |
| 76 | 1899 | Düsseldorf | Richard Strauss and Julius Buths | |
| 77 | 1900 | Aachen | Richard Strauss and Eberhardt Schwickerath | |
| 78 | 1901 | Cologne | Karl Wolff and Erich Urban | |
| 79 | 1902 | Düsseldorf | Richard Strauss and Julius Buths | The meeting was incorporate under the programme of the Düsseldorf industrial exhibition; second German performance also breakthrough of the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius of Edward Elgar. |
| 80 | 1903 | Aachen | Felix Weingartner and Eberhard Schwickerath | Soloist: George Enescu (violin) |
| 81 | 1904 | Cologne | Fritz Steinbach | |
| 82 | 1905 | Düsseldorf | Julius Buths | Soloists: Ernő Dohnányi (piano), Irene Abendroth (soprano) |
| 83 | 1906 | Aachen | Felix Weingärtner and Eberhard Schwickerath | |
| 84 | 1907 | Cologne | Fritz Steinbach | |
| 85 | 1909 | Aachen | Max von Schillings, Eberhard Schwickerath and Richard Strauss | |
| 86 | 1910 | Cologne | Fritz Steinbach | |
| 87 | 1911 | Düsseldorf | Karl Panzner | Soloist: Eugène Ysaÿe (violin) |
| 88 | 1912 | Aachen | Karl Muck and Eberhard Schwickerath | |
| 89 | 1913 | Cologne | Fritz Steinbach | Cologne premiere of the Symphony No. 8 of Gustav Mahler |
| 90 | 1914 | Düsseldorf | Karl Panzner | Soloists: Elly Ney (piano), Bronislaw Huberman (violin) |
| 91 | 1920 | Aachen | Karl Muck and Eberhard Schwickerath | |
| 92 | 1922 | Cologne | Hermann Abendroth | Cologne premiere of the romantic cantata "Von deutscher Seele" of Hans Pfitzner |
| 93 | 1924 | Aachen | Peter Raabe and Walter Braunfels | |
| 94 | 1925 | Cologne | Hermann Abendroth and Richard Strauss | integrate under the programme of the "millennium-festival of the Rhineland" |
| 95 | 1926 | Düsseldorf | Hans Weisbach | German premiere of the dramatic and symphonic Psalm "Le Roi David" of Arthur Honegger; Soloist: Ludwig Wüllner (reciter), Edwin Fischer (piano) |
| 96 | 1927 | Aachen | Peter Raabe and Walter Braunfels | |
| 97 | 1928 | Cologne | ||
| 98 | 1929 | Düsseldorf | Hans Weisbach | World premiere of "Marianischen Antiphone" of Wolfgang Fortner also the chamber concert op. 43 a of Adolf Busch and the Sonata for flutes, 2 Viola da gamba and Basso continuo according to a scripture in the state library of Hesse of Georg Philipp Telemann |
| 99 | 1930 | Aachen | Peter Raabe and Paul Pella | Highlight: Wozzeck of Alban Berg |
| 100 | 1933 | Aachen | Gottlob Karl Springsfeld, Aachen fabricant and one of the Aachen sponsors of the music festivals has died | |
| 101 | 1946 | Aachen | Theodor Bernhard Rehmann, Heinrich Hollreiser, Günter Wand, Wilhelm Pitz and Felix Raabe | Remake after the pause because the world war; Top priority was English (Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams) aöso French works (César Franck and Maurice Ravel) |
| 102 | 1947 | Düsseldorf | Heinrich Hollreiser | |
| 103 | 1948 | Cologne | ||
| 104 | 1949 | Aachen | Felix Raabe, Theodor Bernhard Rehmann, Hans Weisbach, Michael Sittard | World premiere of the symphonic cantata "Zwischen Zeit und Ewigkeit" op. 65 of Franz Philipp also the "Variations for Orchestra" of Ernst Pepping |
| 105 | 1950 | Wuppertal | ||
| 106 | 1951 | Düsseldorf | Heinrich Hollreiser | Düsseldorf premiere of the oratorio "Das Unaufhörliche" of Paul Hindemith |
| 107 | 1952 | Aachen | Felix Raabe, Heinrich Hollreiser, Theodor Bernhard Rehmann, Günther Wand and Hans Weisbach | world premiere of the symphonic intermezzo from the lyric drama "Boulevard Solitude" of Hans Werner Henze |
| 108 | 1954 | Duisburg | Georg Ludwig Jochum | World premiere of the choral "Wiegenlied der Mutter Gottes" of H. W. Henze, Text: Lope de Vega |
| 109 | 1955 | Wuppertal | Paul Hindemith | World premiere of the cantata "Ite angeli veloces" of P. Hindemith, Text: Paul Claudel |
| 110 | 1956 | Düsseldorf | Hermann Scherchen | World premiere of the choral "Tedeum" of Ernst Pepping also of the concert for piano and orchestra of Hans Vogt |
| 111 | 1957 | Aachen | Wolfgang Sawallisch, Theodor Bernhard Rehmann, Rudolf Pohl, Wilhelm Pitz, Leo Nießen and Karl Venth | Representation of the composer Wolfgang Meyer-Tormin |
| 112 | 1958 | Duisburg | Georg Ludwig Jochum | last performance of the Lower Rhenish Music Festivals |