MENDELSSOHN, CHOPIN, SCHUMANN

Felix’s gift  He proved to be gifted in music.  At ten, he was reading Latin and studying arithmetic, geometry, history and geography. He also played the piano and violin and began music theory and composition lessons. He began to compose, write poetry and paint  By the time he was twenty, he had composed more than 100 pieces.  In his twenties, he continued to perform as a conductor and pianist and travel a great deal.  In 1835, he was appointed conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra  In 1843, he was appointed director of the Berlin Cathedral Choir and director of the Berlin Opera.  In May of 1847, his sister Fanny suddenly died; he composed the String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80 in her honor. Soon after her death, he became ill and died on November 3, 1847 after a series of strokes

Mendelssohn’s Music  He continued the Classic tradition in his works, while adopting some of the less extreme ideas of Romanticism.  His style is more transparent and lighter than that of other early Romantic composers; smaller in scale  Composed 5 symphonies (best known Scottish Sym. (#3) and the Italian Symphony (#4) and several overtures (best known Hebrides Overture)  Composed several concertos, mostly for piano, but also for violin.  Composed two major oratorios, Elijah and St. Paul  Songs, string quartets, sonatas and piano trios

LISTEN  First movement from Concerto in E Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64  Composed in 1844 for solo violin and orchestra  The movements follow one another without a break  In contrast to the Classical concerto, melodies are initially stated by the soloist instead of by the orchestra  The cadenza in the first movement is placed immediately after the development section, instead of coming at the end like an afterthought  Double-stopping – the violinist is required to finger and bow two strings simultaneously

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel  Sister to Felix  Talented pianist and gifted composer  Her father strongly disagreed with her pursuing a career in music; though, amateur music making was acceptable, as it was the province of a cultivated woman  She wed Wilhelm Hensel, a painter and artist at age 24. They had a son and she was a housewife.  She continued to play the piano and after her mother’s death, she took over the organization of the famous Sunday concerts at her parents’ home.  She died while rehearsing the chorus for a performance of a cantata composed by Felix; she had a stroke.

Fanny’s Music  She composed many songs, some cantatas and oratorios, chamber music and small piano works  Like Felix, she called the small piano works Songs Without Words  Some of her early songs were published in collections with pieces by her brother, though they carried Felix’s name.  After her father’s death, she arranged for publication of one or two works under her own name  Fanny composed about 400 works, most never being published

LISTEN  Lied from Songs without Words, Op. 8, No. 3  Composed in 1840? For piano  Not published until after Fanny’s death  This is the third of a four-piece set, entitled Lied (Song), is also marked Lenau, the name of a German poet, suggesting that an actual poem may have inspired her to write this song.  ABA form

Fryderyk Chopin  First of the great piano virtuosos in the Romantic era. Achieved fame as a performing pianist  Almost all of his compositions are for solo piano  Born in 1810 to a French father and a Polish mother.  His father taught French and his mother taught piano at a school in Warsaw  Chopin began formal piano lessons at age 7; his first composition was published that same year.  At age 8, he gave his first public concert and at age 15, he played before Tsar Alexander I of Russia, who presented him with a diamond ring.

Inspired to become a touring musician  At 19, Chopin heard the great violinist Paganini and was inspired to become a touring virtuoso.  Most of his compositions at this time were designed for his own use. They were often based on traditional Polish dances such as the polonaise of the mazurka.  In 1830, he completed two piano concertos, which he performed in public concerts  In 1831, at 21, he settles in Paris, never to see Poland again

Meets Aurore Dudevant  Chopin is introduced to Aurore Dudevant, a well-known novelist who is published under the male name George Sand.  The years they spent together were among the most productive in Chopin’s life.  Their relationship ended in 1849, after which Chopin’s health rapidly deteriorated. Even though he was not in good health, he gave two recitals in London and Paris. It is noted that he was too weak to play louder than mezzo- forte.  He died in 1849 at age 39. At his request, Mozart’s Requiem was played at his funeral

Chopin’s Music  Composed Dances: polonaises, mazurkas, (both Polish dances) and waltzes (becoming the favorite ballroom dance of 19 th century)  Free forms without dance rhythms: preludes (one in each of the major and minor keys), etudes (study- pieces), nocturnes (mood, introspective pieces) and impromptus (capture improvisation)  Chopin calls for rubato – “robbed” The player keeps the tempo going in the accompaniment while the melody slows down slightly before catching up a moment later.

LISTEN  Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, for piano  Composed between  Composed 24 preludes during this time  They follow the same idea as Bach’s two sets of preludes and fugues  ABA’ structure  In the A section, an almost static melody is accompanied by steady chords that constantly descend.  B section has melodic arpeggios and has more rhythmic movements  Return of the A section is varied, listen for the expressive silence before the end

Robert Schumann  Born in 1810 in a small German town. His father was a bookseller so Robert had at his fingertips popular Romantic writings of the day.  He loved to read and soon began writing poems and novels of his own.  He also played the piano, but he stated, “I was always a fiery performer, but my technique was full of holes.”  After his father died, Schumann went to the University of Leipzig to study law, but did not like it.  He drank heavily and spent his money on having a good time.  While in Leipzig, he met Friedrich Wieck, an eminent piano teacher. Schumann began lessons.

Turning point  A turning point came in Schumann’s life after he heard the Italian virtuoso Paganini play.  He decided that he wanted to be a piano virtuoso  He gave up his undisciplined life, enrolled as a full-time student with Wieck and practiced constantly  Unfortunately, he practice too much and injured himself.  After this event, Schumann turned from performing to composing  He met Clara (Wieck’s daughter) and fell in love  Wieck did everything to try to prevent the relationship: he took Clara on long tours (she was a gifted pianist), refused to let the couple meet and even threatened to shoot Schumann if he tried to see Clara  They finally wed in In this year, Schumann composed 140 songs, including 3 song cycles

Tragedy  In 1845, Schumann was depressed and only composed sporadically  In 1850, he was appointed as music director in Dusseldorf, but his mental health interrupted his ability to perform his duties.  In 1854, he left his house in slippers and threw himself into the Rhine River; he was later pulled out by a fisherman.  A few days later, he was put into a mental institution  He died at age 46

Schumann’s Music  Much of his music was inspired by literary references  Composed Character Pieces – (small programmatic movements)  Composed only one piano concerto – it is unlike the typical Romantic piano concerto, as it is restrained and tender, not flashy  Composed four symphonies and chamber music

 Robert Schumann  Traumerei (Dreaming), from Kenderszenen (Scenes for Childhood), Op. 15  Composed in 1838 for piano  ABA’ structure  The melody features an upwards shape called an ascending contour

Clara Schumann ( )  Gave her first solo recital at age 11  By the time she was married at age 20, she had an international reputation as a concert pianist  She was renowned for playing everything from memory and for her musicality at the keyboard  Continued to compose and perform, but in 14 years, she had eight children  By the time of her husband’s death, she published 20 or 30 compositions which included: character pieces for piano, songs, some chamber music and a piano concerto  After her husband’s death, she continued to perform and teach, but quit composing  Later in her life, Clara found in friend in Johannes Brahms (a protégé of Robert Schumann)  Though good friends, Clara never remarried and Brahms remained a bachelor.  She died on May 20, 1896 at the age of 77, while her grandson played Robert Schumann’s music at the piano.

LISTEN  Third Movement from the Trio in G Minor  Composed in 1846 for Piano, Violin and Cello  The 1 st and 4 th movements use sonata form and the middle two movements reverse the ordering of the conventional 4 mov’t arrangement: the scherzo is the 2 nd movement and the slow movement is the third.  ABA’