Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 –
1847), born, and generally known in English-speaking
countries, as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer,
pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic
period.
Mendelssohn was a true Renaissance man. A talented
visual artist, he was a refined connoisseur of
literature and philosophy. While Mendelssohn's name
rarely arises in discussions of the nineteenth century
vanguard, the intrinsic importance of his music is
undeniable. ...(+)
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 –
1847), born, and generally known in English-speaking
countries, as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer,
pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic
period.
Mendelssohn was a true Renaissance man. A talented
visual artist, he was a refined connoisseur of
literature and philosophy. While Mendelssohn's name
rarely arises in discussions of the nineteenth century
vanguard, the intrinsic importance of his music is
undeniable. A distinct personality emerges at once in
its exceptional formal sophistication, its singular
melodic sense, and its colorful, masterful deployment
of the instrumental forces at hand. A true apotheosis
of life, Mendelssohn's music absolutely overflows with
energy, ebullience, drama, and invention, as evidenced
in his most enduring works: the incidental music to A
Midsummer Night's Dream (1826-1842); the Hebrides
Overture (1830); the Songs Without Words (1830-1845);
the Symphonies No. 3 (1841-1842) and No. 4 (1833); and
the Violin Concerto in E minor (1844). While the sunny
disposition of so many of Mendelssohn's works has led
some to view the composer as possessing great talent
but little depth, his religious compositions --
particularly the great oratorios Paulus (1836) and
Elijah (1846) -- reflect the complexity and deeply
spiritual basis of his personality.
In December 1832 and January 1833, Mendelssohn wrote a
pair of works for a trio of clarinet, piano, and the
now nearly arcane basset horn: the Concert Piece No. 1
in F major, Op. 113, and the Concert Piece No. 2 in D
minor, Op. 114. Mendelssohn dispatched these two works
immediately upon completion to clarinetist Heinrich
Baermann and his son Carl, a basset horn player, who
were touring Germany and Russia at the time. As tokens
of the composer's personal friendship with the
Baermanns (and his desire to help young Carl establish
his career as a professional composer), the two Concert
Pieces stand as the only compositions for basset horn
in Mendelssohn's oeuvre.
Of all the nearly forgotten music by Mendelssohn, the
most nearly completely forgotten is his music for
chorus. Only his songs come close to being as almost
entirely ignored, but because a few of them have earned
a place in the recital hall, even they have a more
prominent place in the repertoire.
Although originally created for accompanied Chorus
(SATB), I created this arrangement for Woodwind Quartet
(Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet & Bassoon).
