Heading towards the exit to Von-Flotow-Straße, we now cross the Lindenweg and encounter in plot A2423 the grave of the musicologist Clemens Meyer. Sixty years of a laborious and deprived life lay behind him when he set out to recount his journey in a touching short biography titled "From the Life of a German Musician." Clemens Meyer was born on February 25, 1868, in Oberplanitz in the Ore Mountains as the son of a miner. His inclination towards music became evident at a young age. However, amidst the meager financial circumstances of a six-person miner's family at that time, a formal music education was financially out of reach.

Young Clemens initially received violin lessons from his father. In 1882, funds became available for proper musical training with the town pipers in Zschopau. Clemens Meyer's life journey took him, after completing a three-year apprenticeship, through various stops in Bochum, Arnswalde, Bad Elster, and Bad Ems, to name a few, finally landing in Schwerin in 1893, where he was engaged as the first viola player at the court theater. As a performing artist, he served for 40 years, first in the court chapel and later in the state chapel as a solo violist. However, Clemens Meyer aspired to higher pursuits. Thus, he was also a member of the Schwerin String Quartet for almost as long. Together with Karl Krämer, Artur Meissner, and Karl Knochenhauer, he contributed to an ensemble whose reputation extended far beyond the borders of Mecklenburg. For this activity, he was awarded the title of Chamber Musician in 1903. In 1926, he was appointed Chamber Virtuoso.
The extensive demands of his Schwerin obligations did not hinder Meyer from taking on additional guest appearances, including at the Bayreuth Festival. He was also successful as a composer and in the arrangement of musical works. Additionally, he engaged in music historical research and published significant works such as the history of the Mecklenburg-Schwerin court chapel, the history of the Güstrow court chapel, and our theater. The latter arose on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Mecklenburg State Theater.
Clemens Meyer's greatest contribution was undoubtedly the compilation, expansion, and cataloging of the former grand-ducal music collection of a part of the Mecklenburg State Library. The extensive musical treasures here, consisting of about 18,000 individual items, were meticulously prepared by Meyer for musicological study, thus making them accessible to research beyond the region. Thanks to Clemens Meyer, the name Schwerin became known in music libraries abroad. It is thanks to his efforts in the service of creative humanism that significant musical works by Jewish composers such as Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, Offenbach, and others were not handed over to Nazi cultural barbarism. This risky rescue operation went unnoticed by the public at the time but was later the subject of an unusual tribute on the occasion of his 90th birthday. In the Socialist Unity Party of Germany's congratulatory message, this party stiffened into the following formulation: "We will do everything to continue the construction of socialism, which is the greatest cultural achievement in our history, and to disempower those forces that today want to bring calamity from West Germany again." Clemens Meyer also had to bow to the constraints of his time, into which he was born. However, even hymns of praise from uninitiated sources cannot discredit true achievements. The award of the title of professor for musical achievement and the award of honorary citizenship of the city of Schwerin were well-deserved honors that cannot be diminished even by such adverse circumstances.
In his final years, physical ailments prevented Clemens Meyer from climbing the steep stairs to the workroom of the state library in the annex of Schwerin Cathedral. Retirement, which he entered at the age of 88, was well-deserved, but his expertise in musicology was still in demand, and his residence at Goethestraße 35 always welcomed such inquiries. On August 4, 1958, Clemens Meyer closed his eyes forever.