The sheet music presented at the exhibition was created by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche on March 6, 1873, as a wedding gift for his friend Gabriel Monod, a French historian, who married Alexander Herzen’s daughter Olga.

Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the greatest and most controversial philosophers of all time, was also passionate about music. His love for it was not limited to his friendship with the composer Richard Wagner, whom he admired greatly: Nietzsche himself composed 73 music pieces, most of which were piano solos and duets. Nietzsche began his musical journey even before turning to philosophy: he received primary music education from his father, who was a Lutheran pastor. In his younger years, Friedrich Nietzsche was known for his improvisational piano skills and his habit of playing his compositions to friends at university. Nietzsche’s musical career was at its peak in 1862 when he created “Heldenklage” (Hero’s Lament), “Ungarischer Marsch” (Hungarian March), “Wie sich Rebenranken schwingen” (There Goes a Stream), and “Im Mondschein auf der Puszta” (In the Moonlight on the Puszta).

Nietzsche came to know the Herzens through the German writer Malwida von Meysenbug. She wrote the memoir “Memories of an Idealist” and at one point was tutoring Herzen’s children. Malwida actually became a “second mother” to Herzen’s daughter Olga and accompanied her to Florence. Later, Herzen would complain that Olga began to resemble a foreigner, more than his other children.

Nietzsche had a long-lasting friendship with Malwida von Meysenbug, so much so that the latter even attempted to marry off Alexander Herzen’s oldest daughter Natalya to Friedrich. The future great philosopher had feelings for Natalya, but the union of two houses was not in the cards: Friedrich was not content with Natalya being his own age. Nietzsche wrote, “I have been thinking about Natalya Herzen… But she is also thirty years old, and it would be better if she were twelve years younger. Truth be told, her character and mindset are quite compatible with mine.” It is possible that the German philosopher read Herzen’s works, particularly his book “From the Other Shore”.