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Why does there seem to be so little discussion of Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and his works around here?

I admittedly know almost nothing about him. Sure, I know he was a composer from the 19th century, but I had never ventured into playing any of his works or listening carefully to them until someone mentioned they could play op. 19, no. 6 which I listened to and fell in love with. Now I'm enamoured by all of op. 19 and am striving to learn at least a few of the Songs Without Words.

Felix Mendelssohn wikipedia entry

Feel free to discuss his works, his life, what you're working on or struggling with and anything else related to the composer here. I for one, am a big fan now and know his piano works will always be on my list of potential repertoire choices.

I love Mendelssohn's piano music. I have Martin Jones' set of the complete piano music. There's some wonderful music there besides the SWWs.

also be sure to check out the violin concerto in E, it's gorgeous music!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLKXD_Ar5CM

I had the pleasure to see it live last week along with his Ouvertüre to A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was very impressive...

Also check out Barry Targan's short story, "Harry Belton and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto." A very funny story.

I'm a huge Mendelssohn fan. Just the other night, I was putting the kids to bed, and started flipping through TV channels. PBS had Joshua Bell playing the Violin Concerto... I made the kids get out of bed, and come watch it with me. 2 of the 3 feel asleep within about 5 minutes, but still...

I've been playing piano for only about a year and half, and my progress is steady. I had hoped one day to play some of the Songs without Words, but have chalked that up to "some day way in the future". I'd be delighted to learn I'm wrong on this, and that there are some approachable pieces for beginners.

Am I?

^Not beginner, but there's some reasonable intermediate ones to work out. Give yourself another year and a half. My edition lists the following for intermediate: 9,4,2,6,12,14,48,25,28,33,19,35. I'd say the first half of that list would probably be attainable after the three year period based on what I heard at the recital. Of course, I didn't see how difficult that was to work out or how your playing was tension-wise.

I'd ideally like to work through op. 19, but that would be a stretch for me. 3 and 5 would be a struggle.

The Songs Without Words has been on my music stand for the last three months and I don't see it moving any time soon. So much stuff to work through.

You can try the Children's Pieces, Op. 72.

The songs without words are more intermediate. I have just finished Op19.2 which is a Grade6/7 piece and pretty tricky, but its well worth the effort! It took me about nine months to learn, but then I only practice about half an hour, 5 times a week or so!

I've had lessons for about 5 out of the last 8 years, so maybe you could try in a year or two?

Op 30 no 3 is a lot easier although some of the chords are trying - might be one to try first? I think its no 9.

Regards, they are lovely pieces, nice to hear I'm not the only one who admires them wishfully!

^op. 19, no. 2 is nice. Any chance we can hear a recording of you playing? I think it's moved up to number two on my list to learn.

From my edition of the Songs without Words, Mendelssohn is quoted as saying/writing:

"There is much talk about music, and yet so little is said. For my part, I believe that words are insufficient for such a purpose, and if I found they were sufficient, I would wish to have nothing more to do with music. People frequently complain that music is too ambiguous: that it is unclear to them what they should be thinking about whtn they hear it, whereas everyone understands words. For me, it is exactly the reverse. And that is not only for an entire speech, but even for individual words. These seem to me to be ambiguous, vague, and so easily misunderstood in comparison with real music which fills the soul with a thousand things expressed better than with words.

The thoughts I find expressed in music that I love are not too indefinite, but on the contrary, too definite to put into words. ... If you ask me what I was thinking when I wrote a certain piece, I would say: the song, just the song, as it stands. And if I should have happened to have certain words in mind for one or another of these songs, I would not like to tell them to anyone, because the same words never mean the same things to different people. Only the song can say the same thing and arouse the same feelings in one person as in another -- a feeling that cannot be expressed, however, by the same words."(1)

(1) Seldon-Goth, G., ed. Felix Mendelssohn Letters. New York: Kraus Reprint, 1969.


Interesting. I suppose one would expect him to be rolling over in his grave over the word titles attributed to the Songs without Words.

Check out the Mendelssohn Project website. The list of unpublished works is huge.

http://www.themendelssohnproject.org

It's a shame we didn't put on a recital in honor of his bicentennial.

I'm still working on getting it to sound how I want it to, as I learnt it on my Clavinova and I've just moved to my new acoustic, so I'm having to adapt a little! Thanks for asking though! Maybe later...!

The too young died componist......only 38 years old, the same range of short lifes and same emotions like Robert Schumann.

I particularly like the religious work of Felix B:
O for the wings of a dove; Hear my prayer-Psalm 55
I waited for the Lord from Lobgesang.....

Nice melodies, full of religious emotions; as ex-churchorganist (now pianist) I feel this music from my head to my toes, I like it.

Best regards,
Johan B

Booktip for intermediate to advanced pianolevel:

The essential collection Mendelssohn Gold / Kate Bradley /Chester music, London 2004

www.musicsales.com

hmmmm......does not seem to work......well google Chestermusic...

^Is this what you are looking at?

The Essential Collection: Mendelssohn Gold

Thanks for the completion....

Johan B

Among my favorite Mendelssohn is Op 17. Beautiful pieces; the first shows Bach's influence very clearly, and it's well within an intermediate player's grasp.

I love the Songs Without Words. I just bought the complete Schirmer Edition (it was on sale) and it is embarrassing how they are all named. I suppose the editor came up with the names? Things like "The Fleecy Cloud" and "Sadness of Soul". I don't think Mendelssohn intended any of that.

I am currently working on op 19 #4, and will probably submit that at the next ABF recital. I have a long list of them that I want to learn though.

And I just recently found out that he was an artist as well as a musician. Here's a sketch he did of the Thomasschule in Leipzig

What a nice sketch! I love the clarity of it - wouldn't mind having a print of this in my office -

Oh! Now I do I just right clicked and printed the picture. It's small, but I can hang it on a short dividing wall. Thanks, Sam.

Cathy

His "Scottish" symphony is one of my favorites! His Op14 Rondo Capriccioso and Emi Scherzo are great piano pieces as well.