Its official charter, drafted in 1814, stated that the purpose of the Gesellschaft was to promote music in all its facets. In early 1818,
Franz Schubert was rejected for membership in the Gesellschaft as a professional musician, something that might have furthered his musical career. The Gesellschaft accomplished its goals by sponsoring concerts, founding the
Vienna Conservatory in 1819, founding the
Wiener Singverein in 1858, constructing the
Musikverein building in 1870, and by systematically collecting and archiving noteworthy music-history documents. It is now one of the world's leading music archives. The first music director of the Gesellschaft was
Carl Heissler, who was followed by
Anton Rubinstein (appointed in 1871) and
Johannes Brahms (appointed in 1872). Other notable music directors include
Wilhelm Furtwängler,
Herbert von Karajan and
Gustav Mahler. Membership in the Gesellschaft has included a
who's who of notable 19th- and 20th-century musical figures, including composers, conductors and instrumentalists. ==External links==