In this study I examine the genesis and compositional purpose of Mendelssohn's seven chorale cantatas which include "Christe, du Lamm Gottes" (1827); "Jesu, meine Freude" (1828); "Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten" (1829); "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" (1830); "Vom Himmel hoch" (1831); "Wir Glauben all an einem Gott" (1831); and "Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh’ darein" (1832). I also re-examine the widely held belief that Mendelssohn's chorale cantatas were juvenilia, functioning only as compositional exercises to better learn the style of J.S. Bach. My examination includes a stylistic analysis of each cantata that shows a direct deviation from an imitation of Bach's musical syntax and form to a re-creation of the chorale cantata genre using nineteenth-century idioms. My approach to analysis is modeled after that of James Garratt, who has done a great deal of research on Mendelssohn's psalm settings. These works, like the chorale cantatas, have also been criticized for being compositional exercises that imitate Palestrina's musical syntax and form. Garratt believes that by using a literary method called translation theory, one can gain an unbiased assessment and evaluation of compositions that are based on pre-existent models. I have applied the tenets of translation theory as the foundation for my analysis to determine if the chorale cantatas were imitations of Bach's model or re-creations of the genre. This approach provides, as Garratt states, "a means of differentiating between the degree of affinity that links the works of Mendelssohn...and [his] models." The stylistic analysis also illustrates how the chorale cantatas are exemplars of Mendelssohn's compositional style. Unique characteristics such as Mendelssohn's frank religious convictions; his perceptive and creative treatment of chorales; his understanding of Baroque forms and styles; and his remarkable contrapuntal prowess are all beautifully exemplified in the chorale cantatas. I conclude that instead of being regarded as archaic, compositional exercises, Mendelssohn's chorale cantatas can and should be viewed as seminal works in his sacred choral-orchestral output.

<p>Fanny Hensel wrote much of Felix Mendelssohn's music. Or so goes the popular misconception. It is true that Felix did publish six of his sister's Lieder under his own name, in his Op. 8 and Op. 9, but there is no evidence that anything else he published was actually by Fanny. The perpetuation of this idea is by no means new to our century; even during her lifetime, Fanny received letters alluding to the possibility that some of her music was masquerading as Felix's. But how could this supposition even be possible?</p><p>Complicating our reception of Hensel's works and our knowledge of her influence over him, and perpetuating our misconception (and perhaps hopes) that some of Felix's music was by Fanny was the unavailability of her music to the general public. For most of the twentieth century, she was known mostly by her eleven published opera (five of which were released posthumously). Before she was able to plan and accomplish any sort of systematic publication of her works, she died suddenly, at the age of 41, leaving behind upwards of 450 unrevised, unpublished works.</p><p>Clearly, we need to reconsider the term "Mendelssohnian," and bring Hensel to the foreground as an equal partner in forming the Mendelssohns' common style. I examine the roots of the "Mendelssohnian" style in their parallel musical educations, their shared enthusiasm for the music of Bach, and their simultaneous collision with Beethoven's music (and the diverse ways each responded to his influence). I explore in detail the relationship between Fanny, Felix, and her fiancé Wilhelm Hensel through the methodology of kinship studies, to contextualize what some have viewed as a quasi-incestuous sibling relationship within the norms for sibling communication in the nineteenth century. Finally, I discuss how deeply their separation after 1829 affected both Fanny and Felix, and how Fanny negotiated her changing life roles and ambitions as a composer and performer.</p><p>One work that Fanny never released, and, indeed, one work that has remained a mystery, is the Ostersonate (Easter Sonata). Believed lost since it was first mentioned in correspondence in 1829, the sonata resurfaced in the twentieth century, when it was recorded and attributed to Felix, and then disappeared again without a trace. In the absence of any identifiable manuscript, it had been impossible to definitively challenge this attribution. My research represents a major breakthrough: I traced the manuscript to a private owner and positively identified it as the work of Fanny Mendelssohn.</p><p>Lurking behind the popular misconception is a broader truth: Fanny Hensel can be heard in much of Felix Mendelssohn's music. In other words, what audiences have recognized as Felix Mendelssohn's music for nearly two hundred years would not have existed as such without the influence of Fanny Hensel. This idea in itself is hardly new, but by revising this line of reasoning, we see that it is equally possible that much of Fanny Hensel can be heard in Felix Mendelssohn's music. In the end, neither composer could have existed as we know them today without the other, and their shared musical style stands as a lasting testament to their shared identity as Mendelssohns.</p> / Dissertation

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universität, Berlin, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 300-320).

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universität, Berlin, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 300-320).

Bonn, Phil. Diss. v. 20. Okt. 1938. - Auch im Buchh. als : Universitas-Archiv. Philos. Abt. Bd 15 - Bd 97 d. Archivs.

Inaug.-Diss.--Frankfurt a. Main. / Lebenslauf. "Anhang: Sechs bisher unveröffentlichte Lieder Mendelssohns": p. 155-166. "Verzeichnis der benutzten Litertur": p. 150-153.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 248-252). Also available online through Digital Dissertations.

Texte remanié de: Th. doct.--Lettres, 1981. / Bibliogr. p. 535-541. Index.

Felix Mendelssohn was a many-faceted individual. While known now primarily as a composer, in his time he was also important as a virtuoso pianist and conductor. His contribution to the musical life of his time and to posterity is significant. As well as composing for nearly every genre (see Table 1) Mendelssohn was a popular soloist and dominated German conducting from 1830 until his death in 1847. Over the years his popularity has waxed and waned. The works of Mendelssohn were highly regarded during his lifetime and remained popular until about 1900. Around 1900, however, there was a major shift in opinion. At this time, his music was considered to be mediocre. The rise of anti-Semitism in Germany during the twentieth century caused a further underrating of Mendelssohn's music in his homeland. It is hoped that this, and other present-day studies, will offer a more objective view of his music. As is true with most composers, in the body of Mendelssohn's compositions, one can find individual pieces to support either greatness or mediocrity. The music which is most familiar to the public: Italian and Scottish symphonies, the Hebrides and Overture and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream orchestral overtures, and the String Octet in E-flat Major are undoubtedly some of Mendelssohn's best. On the other hand, his operas never have been effective. Even at the end of his life, he was still searching for the perfect libretto. But it is inconsistent writing within individual pieces which is the most frustrating aspect of Mendelssohn's music. The first cello sonata is one such example. Here a solid first movement is followed by two weak ones. Included in the total number of pieces of chamber music on Table 1, are the four pieces that Mendelssohn composed for cello and piano. They consist of two short pieces and two sonatas, and were written over a sixteen year span (see Table 3, page 8). This paper aims to familiarize the reader with these cello works, investigate them in terms of the criticisms leveled at Mendelssohn's music, and examine their contribution and place in today's literature for the violoncello.

The reputation of Mendelssohn's music has suffered more than that of most major composers of his era from the vicissitudes of musical taste. From the beginning, the general public felt drawn to his simple lyricism and vitality, expressed within clearly ordered, easily understandable musical structures. Performers and critics at first responded with the same warm enthusiasm, but later became caught up in sweeping changes of musical style and in political propaganda which denounced Mendelssohn's work for non-musical reasons. Until recently his music has rarely received an objective evaluation. During his lifetime his music was received with almost universal acclaim. To the public, even to the most conservative elements of Victorian society, it had an immediate emotional appeal, while professional musician appreciated his polished craftsmanship. Performances of his works were greeted with the eager excitement described in the following London Times review of the oratorio Elijah: "It was as if enthusiasm, long checked, had suddenly burst its bonds and filled the air with shouts of exultation." His friend and colleague Robert Schumann called him a "god among men," and described him thus: "He is the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the brightest musician who most clearly fathoms, and then reconciles the contradictions of our time -- classicism and romanticism." In another comment, Schumann pays tribute to the ease and elegance of his compositional technique: "Mendelssohn I consider the first musician of this day...He plays with everything, especially with the grouping of the instruments in the orchestra, but with such ease, delicacy and art, and with such mastery throughout."