Musical eclecticism can be understood as a well-planned and creative synthesis of different styles and tones from the vast pool of music history. Joachim Raff (1822–1882), composer, musicologist and pedagogue, created a rich, varied and successful oeuvre under this maxim, expressing himself in almost all genres of his time. He attracted the attention of Mendelssohn, was at times a close confidant of Liszt and challenged Wagner. Well-connected in the musical life of his time, he was appointed the first director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt/Main. As part of the symposium to mark the opening of the Joachim Raff Archive (Lachen, CH) in September 2018, numerous participants from academia and practice discussed his work in the spirit of synthesis.