This special-issue volume examines music education in the two Germanies and how music has had a great influence in the culture of the nations. The presentation is a professional and objective portrayal of music training and cultivation in Germany in the last decade of the present century. The articles attempt to outline the problems and tasks that need to be addressed in order to preserve the traditional role and function of music in German society. Articles include: (1) "A Land of Music" (Richard Jakoby); (2) "Music Education and Training in Germany" (Eckart Rohlfs); (3) "Mutuality through Music" (Michael Jenne); (4) "Where Does Youth Encounter Classical Music or Vice-versa?" (Reinhard Schulz); (5) "Alternative Music Training: Opportunities for Children and Young Persons Outside Music Schools and Music Associations" (Brigitte Schafer); (6) "Jazz and Popular Music in Germany" (Markus Woele); (7) "Jazz in the Former GDR: A Chequered History" (Bernd Noglik); and (8) "From the German Music Council's Point of View: A Final Word" (Franz Muller-Heuser). (EH)