/\j6 14
No96' FELIX MENDELSSOHN AS ORGAN COMPOSER: UNPUBLISHED AND LITTLE
KNOWN WORKS, A LECTURE RECITAL, TOGETHER WITH THREE RECITALS
OF SELECTED WORKS OF S. ADLER, J. ALAIN, J. S. BACH, W.
BOLCOM, J. CABANILLES, A. DE CABEZON, J. CHARPENTIER,
H. DISTLER, J. FROBERGER, S. A. DE HEREDIA, M.
KLUGE, G. LIGETI, G. LITAIZE, 0. MESSIAEN,
J. OXINAGAS, M. REGER, AND A. WYTON
DISSERTATION
Presented to the Graduate Council of the
North Texas State University in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of
Doctor of Musical Arts
By
David Lloyd Petrash, B. M., M. M.
Denton, Texas
August, 1975 Petrash, David Lloyd, Felix Mendelssohn as Organ Composer:
Unpublished and Little-Known Works, A Lecture Recital, T
With Three Recitals of Selected Works of S. Adler, J. Alain,
J. S. Bach, W. Bolcom, J. Cabanilles, A. de Cabezon, J. Char
pentier, H. Distler, J. Froberger, S. A. de Heredia, M. Kluge,
!,Oxinagas, M. Reger,G. Liqeti, and G. Litaize, 0. Messiaen, .
A. Wyton. Doctor of Musical Arts (Organ Performance), August,
1975, 25 pp., bibliography, 30 titles.
The lecture recital was given on April 18, 1974. Some
Mendelssohn organ works in manuscript were performed during the
lecture to illustrate Mendelssohn's indebtedness to baroque
models and his evolution as an organ composer. While the Six
Sonatas and Three Preludes and Fugues have been a standard
part of the repertoire, a knowledge of the early unpublished
organ works and the single later compositions enhances Mendel
ssohn's position in nineteenth-century organ literature.
In addition to the lecture recital, three other public
recitals were performed, including solo compositions for organ
and three chamber works for organ and percussion.
The first solo recital was on March 20, 1973, and included
works of Cabezon, Heredia, Cabanilles, Oxinagas, J. S. Bach,
Ligeti, Alain, Distler, and Litaize. The second solo recital, on November 26, 1973, consisted of works by Froberger, J. S. Bach, Reger, and Kluge.
The final recital, on March 31, 1975, included solo works by J. S. Bach, Charpentier, Messiaen, and chamber works by
Wyton, Adler, and Bolcom.
All four programs were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed with the written version of the lecture material as a part of the dissertation. Tape recordings of all performances submitted as disser tation requirements are on deposit in the North Texas State
University Library.
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page PERFORMANCE PROGRAMS
First Solo Recital ...... vi
Second Solo Recital ...... vii
Lecture Recital ...... viii
Third SoloaRecital...... ,.... . ix
LIST OF TABLES ...... x
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...... * ...... xi
MENDELSSOHN AS ORGAN COMPOSER: UNPUBLISHED AND LITTLE-KNOWN WORKS ...... 1
BIBLIOGRAPHY . .* ...... 23 NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC presents DAVID L. PETRASH in a Graduate Organ Recital
Tuesday, March 20, 1973 8:15 p.m. Main Auditorium
Canci6n religiosa ...... Antonio de Cabez6n (1510-1566)
Obra de Octavo Tono Alto, Ensalada ...... Sebastign Aquilera de Heredia (1570-16??)
Tiento XVIII ...... Juan Bautista Jos6 Cabanilles (1644-1712)
Fuga en Sol Menor ...... Joaquin Oxinagas (18th Century)
Concerto in G Major, B.W.V. 592 ...... Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Allegro Grave Presto
INTERMISSION
Volum ina ...... G y6rgy Ligeti (1923- )
Deuxieme Fantaisie ...... Jehan Alain (1911-1940)
Partita (Choral, Bicinium und Pastorale)...... Hugo Distler "Christ, der du bist die helle Tag" (1908-1942)
Prd1ude et Danse Fugude ...... Gaston Litaize (1909- )
Presented in partialfulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical A rts.
Vi NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC presents DAVID L. PETRASH
in a
Graduate Organ Recital Monday, November 26, 1973 8:15 p.m. Recital Hall Jakob Froberger ...... Toccata in A Minor
Johann Sebastian Bach Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist (B.W.V. 671) Allein Gott in der H6h' sei Ehr (B.W.V. 675) Dies sind die Heil 'gen zehn Gebot' (B.W.V. 678) Prelude and Fugue in D Major (B.W.V. 532)
Intermission
Max Reger . . . Phantasie fiber den Choral "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott," Op. 27
Manfred Kluge ...... Fantasie in drei Rhythmen I. Frei, nicht langsam II. Bewegt III. Frei bewegt, ruhig
Presentedin partialfulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree Doctor of Musical A rts
vii North Texas State University School of Music presents DAVID L. PETRASH
in a Graduate Lecture Recital
Thursday, April 18, 1974 8:15 p.m. Main Auditorium
MENDELSSOHN AS ORGAN COMPOSER: UNPUBLISHED AND LITTLE-KNOWN WORKS
Fugue in D Minor (c. January, 182 1) Andante in D Major (May, 1823) Passacaglia in C Minor (May, 1823) Fantasia in G Minor (c. 1827) Fugue in E Minor (July, 1839) Fugue in F Minor (July, 1839) Sonata in A Major, Con Moto Maestoso (August, 1844)
Presented in partialfulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical A rts
viii NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY School of Music presents DAVID L. PETRASH assisted by
RICK ALEXANDER MIKE LANEY DOUG WALTER LARRY YEAGER CHARLES McADAMS
in a Graduate Organ Recital
Monday, March 31, 1975 8:15 p.m. Main Auditorium
Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major (BWV 552) ...... Johann Seb. Bach
Six Offertoires (1959) ...... Jacques Charpentier I. Pour la Sainte Trinit6 V. Pour le premier Dimanche de Carime
Concert Piece (1973) ...... Alec W yton Percussion, Conductor, Rick Alexander Charles McAdams Mike Laney Larry Yeager
INTERMISSION
X enia (1972) ...... Sam uel Adler Percussion, Conductor, Rick Alexander Charles McAdams Doug Walter Verset pour la Fete de la Dddicace (1960) ...... Olivier Messiaen
Black Host, for Organ, Percussion, and Tape (1967) . . .. William Bolcom Percussion, Doug Walter
Presentedin partialfulfillm en t of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical A rts.
NORTH TEXA$ STATE UNIVERSITY PAINTING OFFICE, DENTON, TEXAS
ix LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
I. Unpublished Mendelssohn Organ Works Currently Found in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek ...... 2 II. Mendelssohn Organ Works Currently in Print . . . . . 3
x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page 1. A comparison of the themes of J. S. Bach's Pas sacagjia in C Minor and Mendelssohn's Passacaglia inC Minor - -- 13
2. A comparison of manual figuration in J. S. Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor and Mendelssohn' Passacaglia in.C Minor ***, ** ,14
3. A comparison of Mendelssohn's Alle in B-flat and Widor's Allegro vivace from the Fifth Symphony*a
xi FELIX MENDELSSOHN AS ORGAN COMPOSER:
UNPUBLISHED AND LITTLE-KNOWN WORKS
The musical era from the death of Bach to the time of
Mendelssohn is not rich in organ literature. Except for cer
tain isolated works, the more important composers chose other
media for their art, and after two centuries of exceptional
prominence, organ composition and performance experienced a
drastic decline.
Mendelssohn's efforts in reviving the works of such
older composers as Bach and Handel contributed to a renewal
of interest in organ performance and composition. His own
Sonatas and Preludes and Fuques were enthusiastically received,
and their popularity continued through the nineteenth century.
Even today, the repertoire of every capable organist is expected
to include selections from these works. Other Mendelssohn
organ works remain, however, relatively neglected.
In a recent article by Roger B. Wilson, attention is
Roger B. Wilson, "Collecting for Recording the Organ Works of Mendelssohn - A Personal Odyssey," The Diapason, LXIV (June, 1973), 3, 15.
1
.1 2 focused on these less-familiar pieces. The manuscripts con
taining these pieces were carefully preserved in green leather volumes in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in East Berlin. It is unfortunate that some of the pieces originally bound were destroyed during World War II. Such compositions include the
Allegro in D Minor and the Andante in F j, both of July,
1844. These works were examined in the Staatsbibliothek by
A. M. Henderson, the English music critic, in 1900, but are 2 no longer there. It must be assumed that they suffered the same war-time doom that Ludwig Altman reported for the manu scripts of the Andante with Variations, the Prelude in C
Minor, and the Allegro in B-flat.3
Unpublished manuscripts presently in the Deutsche Staats bibliothek are listed in Table I.
TABLE I
UNPUBLISHED MENDELSSOHN ORGAN WORKS CURRENTLY FOUND IN THE DEUTSCHE STAATSBIBLIOTHEK
Composition Date CoMleted
1. Minuet (25 measures) c. 1820 2. Fugue in G Minor December, 1820
2 A. M. Henderson, "Mendelssohn's Unpublished Organ Works," The Musical Times, LXXXVIII (November, 1947), 347-348. 3 Ludwig Altman, "Introduction," Mendelssohn and Hummel, Two Andantes for Organ (London, 1966), p. 2. 3
3. Fugue in D Minor December, 1820 4. Fugue in D Minor December, 1820 5. Andante in D Major May 9, 1823 6. Passacaglia in C Minor May 10, 1823 7. Chorale Prelude on Die Tuend wird durchs Kreuz getbet August 2, 1823 8. Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor c. 1827
At the end of the article on Mendelssohn in Grove's Dic tioary, the pieces in Table I are astonishingly referred to as "many fugues for organ." In spite of the current popu larity of the Three Preludes and Fues, Op. 37 and the Six
Sonatas, Op. 65, very little mention is made in Grove's of the remaining organ works. Those which are currently in print are listed in Table II.
TABLE II
MENDELSSOHN ORGAN WORKS CURRENTLY IN PRINT
COHlsion Date Completed
1. PrAludium in D Minor November, 1820 Abingdon Ed. No. APM-698 2. Three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 37 April-December, 1837 Peters Ed. No. 8521 3. Fugue in E Minor July, 1839 Hinrichsen Ed. No. 1744b
4 Percy M. Young, "Mendelssohn (Bartholdy), (Jakob Ludwig) Felix," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th edition (London, 1954), V, 706. 4
4. Fugue in F Minor July, 1839 Hinrichsen Ed. No. 1744b 5. Prelude in C Minor July, 1841 Abingdon Ed. No. APM-698 6. Andante with Variations July, 1844 Hinrichsen Ed. No. 784 7. Allegro in B-flat December, 1844 Abingdon Ed. No. APM-698 8. Six Sonatas, Op. 65 August, 1844 Peters Ed. No. 8521 January, 1845
Do these lesser-known works sound like Op. 37 and Op. 65?
How did Mendelssohn's style develop? How great was the in
fluence of J. S. Bach in the earlier works? Are these pieces
really of any importance?
Perhaps only Mozart can be compared to Mendelssohn with
respect to his early proficiency at the keyboard, general
understanding of music, and compositional prowess. Felix's
father, Abraham, was determined that his children would have
the very best education that money and social position could
procure.
Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn often entertained cultural
leaders in Berlin as well as famous visitors to the city. Such
personalities included the historian Leopold von Ranke, Jakob
Grimm, collector of fairy tales, E. T. A. Hoffmann, the poets
Ludwig Tieck and Heinrich Heine, and the philosopher Georg
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.5 Friends of the house were, among
5 George Richard Marek, Gentle Genius, The Story of Felix Mendelssohn (New York, 1972), pp. 80-81. 5
others, the violinist Eduard Rietz, his conductor brother
Julius Rietz, the cosmopolitan musician and personality
Ferdinand Hiller, Carl Maria von Weber, Ludwig Spohr, Berlin
Royal Opera director Gasparo Spontini, and Johann Nepomuk
Hummel, who taught the children extemporization for a short
time. In 1821, Felix had the first of many enjoyable visits
with Goethe.
After elementary keyboard study with their mother, who
often played from Bach's Well-Temered Clavier, the children
began study with the famous pianist Ludwig Berger. He intro
duced the technique of Clementi and the cantabile style of
Field, and familiarized his charges with other masters such
as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Weber. Berger did not neglect
older composers like Scarlatti, Frescobaldi, and the French
clavicinists, whose music was virtually unknown at that time.6
Thus Felix had an excellent knowledge of keyboard literature
at an early age.
He also received training in many other areas. Carl Wil
helm Henning introduced Mendelssohn to the study of the violin.
He retained a mastery of the viola throughout his life, and
6 Eric Werner, Mendelssohn, a New Image of the CoQ2oser and His Age, trans. by Dika Newlin (London, 1963), pp. 14-15.
r"Mughl., %--141,-lAllmr_ -I,- - - 11 ",7%- FKUI, 6
with his younger brother, Paul, also took up the cello. At
the age of ten, Mendelssohn began singing with the Sinakademie,
which was conducted by Carl Friedrich Zelter, Mendelssohn's
most influential teacher. Here he gained familiarity with
the choral music of the great masters.
Mendelssohn's role in the musical life of Berlin and his
interest in the works of Bach followed both family and civic
tradition. His great aunt, Sara Levi (1756-1854), was a student
of C. P. E. Bach and a patron of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, and
she appeared often as a pianist in the Singakademie concerts.
She collected many autographs and copies of pieces by Bach and
his sons, and bequeathed them to the Singakademie.8
During the latter eighteenth century a devoted group of
Bach enthusiasts was centered around several of his pupils in
Berlin. Among members of the society were the former students
Johann Philipp Kirnberger, Johann Gottfried Goldberg, Johann
Christoph Atnikol, Johann Christoph Kittal, as well as Philipp
Emanuel Bach and occasionally Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg. Manuscripts were copied and cir
culated by this group, and eventually many of the organists
in north and central Germany obtained copies of many of the
7 Ibid. 8 Susanna Grossmann-Vendrey, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy und die Musik der Vergangenheit (Regensburg, 1969), p. 14.
I 7
keyboard works and instrumental concertos.9
Baron van Swieten had been a member of this circle as a
diplomat in Berlin.10 Later in Vienna it was in his home that
Mozart studied the works of Bach and Handel in 1782. Van
Swieten also introduced Haydn to the same works,11 and young
Beethoven had often played fugues for van Swieten late at
night.
Thus the smaller works of J. S. Bach were being played
more at the turn of the century than we are often led to believe.
In 1799, the London organist August Friedrich Christoph Koll
mann prepared a new edition of the organ Trio-Sonata in E-flat
and also wanted to have the Well-Tempered Clavier published.1 2
The larger works were unknown primarily because the manuscripts
were in museums and libraries and therefore not easily acces 13 sible to concert organizations. In Germany, Johann Nicolaus
Forkel laid the foundation for the appreciation of Bach with
9 Friedrich Blume, Two Centuries of Bach, trans. by Stanley Godman (London, 1950), pp. 32-33. 10 _Ibid., p. 27
11 Ibid., p. 29 12 Alfred Einstein, Music in the Romantic Era (New York, 1947), p. 48. 13 Marek, 22*_ _cit., p. 135. 8
the publication of his book tber Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben,
Kunst und Kunstwerke in 1802. From his position as Professor
at the University of Berlin and Director of the Singakademie,
Karl Friedrich Zelter was also a primary exponent of Bach's
art.
Felix began studying with Zelter at the age of eight;
Zelter was fifty-nine. Mendelssohn's evolution as a composer
would have been much different without this dominating figure
in his life. To the chagrin of Ludwig Rellstab, a violinist,
music critic, and friend of the family, and Ludwig Berger,
Felix's famous piano teacher, Zelter usually treated Mendel
ssohn's perfection as something to be accepted as the usual. 1 4
In 1820, after three years of study with Zelter, compo
sitions literally began to pour from the pen of the eleven
year-old prodigy. It was also in this year that he began to
date the manuscripts. Represented are compositions in a wide
variety of styles such as fugues, songs, little operas (Sol
diers' Love and The Uncle from Boston), a Concerto in D Minor
for violin, two piano concertos, and Opus 1, the Piano Quartet
in C Minor. Felix copied the styles of various composers
14 Heinrich Eduard Jakob, Felix Mendelssohn and His Times, trans. by Richard and Clara Winston (Englewood Cliffs, 1963), p. 37. 15 Marek, jo. _cit., p. 113. 9 in these works, and Mozart's music was a noticeable influence
from the age of ten.
The four organ pieces from the last two months of the year
1820 exhibit many traits found in the later works. The in
fluence of J. S. Bach is at once evident in the fugues, which are all dated December, 1820. They are written in three voices
on separate staves, with a pedal part as technically demanding
as those in Bach's trio sonatas. The FMiuein G Minor and
the Fugue in D Minor which begins
are typical pieces in the normal form with answers and counter
subjects. However, the other Fugue in D Minor which begins
is not a real fugue at all. It is rather an imitation of a
Bach trio sonata in that it is in binary form, allots one voice to each hand and the feet, and has no counter-subjects, expositions4, or episodes. Melodic sequences combining both diatonic and chromatic harmonies are freely used. Mendelssohn 10
must have had an extraordinary pedal technique, especially
for a child of eleven, not only to envision, but also to play
this fugue41 The pedal range up to high f is rather unique for
the time. Mendelssohn was indignant when, in his travels, he
would play an organ which did not have the upper pedal range
needed to play many of the organ works of Bach.1 6
The fourth composition of 1820, the Priludium in D Minor,
was written a month earlier, in November. Here we find the
diatonic style of the slow movements from the Sonatas, Op. 65.
As in most Mendelssohn organ works, a ternary design is de
finitely present. The middle section seems lacking in inspi
ration, however, hampering the success of the work.
Yet many characteristics of his mature organ writing are
evident in these early works. After eighth- and sixteenth note movement during the whole piece, the last four measures of the initial flqueg in D Minor are all half notes. Similar endings are used for the Prelude in C Minor (Op. 37/1), the
Fugue in E Minor of 1839, the first movement of Sonata in F
Mio (Op. 65/1),, the finale of Sonata in li Malor (Op. 65/5), and the final chorale variation of Sonata in D Minor (Op. 65/6).
The PrAludium in DMinor has several pedal points, both
16 Felix Mendelssohn, Letters, ed. by G. Selden-Goth (New York, 1945), p. 28. 11
regular and inverted. These are also found in the Prelude in
C Minor (Op. 37/1)j, the Prelude in G Major (Op. 37/2), the
Fugue in F Minor of 1839, and the first movement of Sonata
in F Minor (Op. 65/1). Diatonic pedal scales found in the
fuque (or trio sonata) in D Minor also occur later in the
Eugue in E Minor of 1839, the first movement of Sonata in C
Minor (Op. 65/2), and the second movement and finale of So
nata in D Minor (Op. 65/6).
A factor of utmost importance in Mendelssohn's organ
works is his tremendous proficiency at improvisation. As
a child he enjoyed improvising and composing pieces modeled
after different composers especially Mozart and Weber.1 7
The technique and improvisatory ability of the famous organ
ist, Ludwig Berner, made a great impression on Felix when
he heard the organist in 1823 during a trip to Silesia. Dur
ing the same year, we find three more organ works in manuscript
the Andante in D Major, the Passacaglia in C Minor, and the
Chorale Prelude on Die Tugend weird durchs Kreuz getibet (Faith and Peace Attained thrRsh the Cross). The last piece is dated July 30-August 2, 1823, and perhaps was influenced directly by Berner's playing. It contains three variations,
17 Bernhard Bartels, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Mensch und Werk (Bremen, 1947), p. 30. 12
the first variation with the theme in the pedals, the second
with the theme in canon at various intervals, and the third
in a rather free toccata style. The difference between the
third variation and the other two is most striking! The
broken chord passages and pedal figurations are, unlike the
other two movements, very similar to those of J. S. Bach. The
first two variations suffer from excessive length and are very
definitely student compositions.
During these formative years the influence of certain
composers would at times be particularly evident, as in the
case of the trio-sonata movement. Occasionally Mendelssohn
would find the certain combination of these elements which became his personal style. Such was the case with the Andante
in D aj or of 1823, which could pass for a typical slow move ment from the sonatas of 1844-45. The ternary form, the diatonic movement, the longing suspensions, and the typical
Mendelssohn sound are all present.
The Passacaglia in C Minor is dated May 10, 1823 - only one day after the Andante in D ajsr. The use and treatment of the basso ostinato form is recognizably under the influence of Bacl's Passacalia in C Minor. (See Fig. 1.) 13
Fig. 1--A comparison of the themes of J. S. Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor (above) and Mendelssohn's Passaglia in C Minor (below)
The theme, however, has slower harmonic rhythm and a strong tonic-dominant feeling, as contrasted to the more numerous and rapid chord changes implied in the baroque example. Like the Bach model, the theme is carried from the pedal to the soprano and middle voices, but the treatment there is not identical. The theme occasionally loses clarity due to its position in the eighth-note figurations. (See Fig. 2.) How ever, the composition carries no student overtones, and the variations move smoothly from one to another.
Is it too much to suggest that Mendelssohn wrote mature organ compositions in 1823 at the age of fourteen? Even Zelter acknowledged that Felix emerged as a composer in his own right in 1824, by virtue of the Overture to The Uncle from Boston, the Concerto in E Mjor for Two Pianos and Orchestra (which 14
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Fig. 2--A comparison of manual figuration in J. S. Bach's Passa cg lia in C inor (above) and Mendelssohn's Passacaglia in C Minor (below) 15 was written in 1823), and the ymphoy _in Minor, Op. 11.
The following years, 1825 and 1826, brought Mendelssohn's first two actual masterpieces, the Octet, Op. 20, for double string quartet, and the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor was written around 1827.19
The fugue is unfinished beyond the exposition, perhaps indi cating that Mendelssohn was not pleased by the work. A general regression to baroque models and an unusual amount of chromatic harshness characterize the composition. This extensive use of chromaticism is, however, surpassed in a much later work, the Prelude in C Minor of 1841. As is characteristic in fan tasias, sudden changes in style are present. One style used is recitative, which also appears later in the third movement of the Sonata in F minor (Op. 65/1). In spite of its short comings, the Fantasy is an interesting example of a nineteenth century treatment of the baroque organ genre.
The Three Preludes and ugues, Op. 37, for organ, were written in April, 1837, well after the historical performance of the St. Matthew Passion on March 11, 1829. In these pieces the old baroque form was successfully adapted to accomodate
18 Young, 22. cit., p. 678. 19 Henderson, _op. _cit., p. 348. 16
the more cantabile nineteenth-century style.2 0
In July, 1839, Mendelssohn wrote a set of three fugues in
the keys of e minor, c major, and f minor. The Fugue in C
Major was incorporated into the second sonata when he was
writing it in December, 1844, and is, therefore, quite familiar.
The other two fugues are not so well-known. Yet they deserve
to be recognized and played, and are available in a modern
edition.
A richer texture makes the Fugue in E Minor and the Frue
in F Minor much more demanding technically than either their
c major counterpart or the three fugues of Op. 37. The two
fugues differ greatly in style, the e minor piece being fast
and exciting while the f minor work is slower, more intro
spective, and lyric. The latter work bears a striking resem blance to the Brahms Fugue in A-flat Minor for organ.
In 1841 the English musician Henry E. Dibdin was compiling a book of psalm tunes, and, desiring to acquire a good repre sentation of composers, wrote Mendelssohn asking him to compose a long-measure psalm tune for his psalter. Mendelssohn replied with the Prelude in C Minor and wrote from Leipzig in July, 1841, that he was not sure what a long-measure psalm
20 Werner, p. cit., p. 165. 17
tune was, nor could he find anyone who knew, and that he apo
logized if the piece was not what was desired. The prelude
is slow and contrapuntally conceived. Intense chromaticism
and wide leaps resolved by half-steps closely resemble twentieth
century usage. Since the manuscript was destroyed during World 21 War II, the composition is available only in a modern edition.
The seven months from July, 1844, through January, 1845,
produced a tremendous amount of writing for organ -- almost
more than all the other works combined. Of the three pieces
written during July, 1844, which include the Andante in F
!4aijsA, the Andante with Variations, and the Allegro in D Minor,
only the Andante with Variations is currently in print. This
composition, one of Mendelssohn's lesser efforts, is more of
a Sunday morning improvisation than a lasting work of art.
The theme is not inspired, and the variations seem mechanical.
The original manuscript, once in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, 22 was also destroyed during World War II.
The other two pieces of July, 1844, which are no longer
available, were strictly contrapuntal. The Andante in F Maor
21 Ludwig Altman, "Introduction," Three Unfamiliar organ 92mp]nby Mendelssohn (Nashville, 1969), p. i. 22 Ludwig Altman, "Introduction," Mendelssohn and Hummel Two Andantes for rgan (London, 1966), p. 2.
1--polampa omwwfiowmwm - - aqwAVAPNOWWWWWWOM 18 was in a three-part, organ trio style. According to Henderson, it was Mendelssohn at his best. The Allegro in D Minor was in three sections2 (a) the left hand in sixteenth notes while
the right hand had a long cantabile theme, (b) a chorale-like 23 section, and (c) a fugue.
The Allegro -in B-flat is dated December 31, 1844, during
the writing of the sonatas. Its style, however, is remarkably
similar to many compositions of the late nineteenth-century
French organ school. Mendelssohn's Allegro and Charles Marie
Widor's Allegro vivace from the Fifth Symphony are both char
acterized by rhythmic exuberance in a homophonic framework.
(See Fig. 3.) Novello published the Allegro in B-flat, to gether with the Andante with Variations, in 1898. The manuscript of this Allegro was destroyed during World War II, but the piece 24 is currently in print.
The final composition on the program, from Sonata in A
Major (Op. 65/3), is not an unpublished or unfamiliar work, as the title of this paper might imply. It was programmed to provide a comparison of the less-familiar pieces with one
23 All the information about the Andante in F Major and the Allegro in D Minor is from Henderson, 22* cit., p. 347. 24 Ludwig Altman, "Introduction, " Three Unfamiliar Organ Compositions _y Mendelssohn (Nashville, 1969). 19
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1 LI
i
Fig. 3--A comparison of Mendelssohn's Allegro in B-flat (above) and Widor's Allegro vivace from the Fifth Symphony (below). relatively well-known. A favorite technique of Mendelssohn's, found very often in his Elijah, is the combination of themes previously introduced separately. The Sonata in AMajor 20
contains a perfect example of this. A majestic introduction
is followed by two separate and contrasting fugues, whose
subjects are later combined. The chorale Aus tiefer Not
appears in the pedals during the double fugue. An example
of Mendelssohn's fondness for cyclicism is the hint of the
first fugue theme in the coda.
An explanation for the small number of organ compositions
by Mendelssohn was probably his tremendous facility at impro
visation. Why write pieces when they could just be improvised!
Indeed, as late as 1800 organ playing was still considered to
be, ideally, an improvised art.2 5
Schumann's superlative judgment of Mendelssohn as com
poser and performer is well documented. In 1842 he called
Mendelssohn "the finest living musician in the world, ,26 and beginning in 1835 when Mendelssohn directed his first
Gewandhaus concert, Schumann devoted more space in the Neue
Zeitschrift fr Musik to Mendelssohn's works than those of
2 5 Charles Stagmaier Brown, Jr., "The Art of Chorale Preluding and Chorale Accompaniment as Presented in Kittel's Der angehende praktische. Organist, " unpublished doctoral dis sertation, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 1970, p. 15.
26 Robert Schumann, Robert Schumanns Briefe, ed. by F. Gustav Jansen (Leipzig, 1904), p. 213. 21 27 any other composer.
Has the esteem which Schumann held for Mendelssohn lost
any of its luster? Mendelssohn's contributions are not as
original, perhaps, as those of Schumann, Chopin, or Berlioz,
and his innovations are concealed in a traditional framework.2 8
His craftsmanship and awareness of proportion are very close 29 to the eighteenth-century spirit. Mendelssohn's efforts to
foster a greater appreciation of the works of J. S. Bach are
of utmost importance, and too little is usually said of his
same services for Handel. With regard to organ literature,
Mendelssohn revived the organ as a medium for written compo
sition instead of strictly improvisation. His classical techniques were of great influence on Johannes Brahms and
Max Reger, whose works would be difficult to understand 30 without Mendelssohn's precedent.
27 Leon B. Plantinga, Schumann as Critic (New Haven and London, 1967), p. 263. 28 Hans and Louise H. Tischler, "Mendelssohn's Style The Songs Without Words," Music Review, VIII (August, 1947), 273. 29 Rey Morgan Longyear, Nineteenth-Century Romanticism in Music (Englewood Cliffs, 1969), p. 60.
30 Jakob, op. cit., p. 95. 22
His organ music is a rebirth of the art in a time when
organ composition and organ performance were at a very low
ebb. The lack of organ composition during Mendelssohn's
era emphasizes the fact that full attention should be given
all the works of this great master. These unpublished and
little-known compositions should be re-examined, and, if of
sufficient merit, should be acknowledged and performed. No
longer should scholarly books list Mendelssohn's organ works
as only the Three Preludes and Fugues and the Six Sonatas.
The pending publication of the manuscripts under the title
"The Leipzig Edition of the Works of Felix Mendelssohn Bar 31 tholdy will no doubt help this situation.
31 Wilson, p. sa.. p. 15. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Bartels, Bernhard, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Mensch und Werk, Bremen and Hannover, Walter Dorn Verlag, 1947.
Blume, Friedrich, Two Centuries of Bach, trans. by Stanley Godman, London, Oxford University Press, 1950.
Einstein, Alfred, Music in the Romantic Era, New York, W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1947.
Grossmann-Vendrey, Susanna, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholy und die Musik der Vergangenheit, Regensburg, Gustav Bosse Verlag, 1969.
Jakob, Heinrich Eduard, Felix Mendelssohn and His Times, trans. by Richard and Clara Winston, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1963.
Longyear, Rey Morgan, Nineteenth-Century Romanticism in Music, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1969.
Marek, George Richard, Gentle Genius, The Story of Felix Mendelssohn, New York, Funk & Wagnalls, 1972.
Mendelssohn, Felix, Letters, G. Selden-Goth, ed., New York, Pantheon Books, Inc., 1945.
Plantinga, Leon, B., Schumann as Critic, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1967.
Schumann, Robert, Robert Schumanns Briefe, Neue Folge, F. Gustav Jansen, ed., Leipzig, Breitkopf und HArtel, 1904.
Werner, Eric, Mendelssohn, a New Isage of the Composer and His trans. by Dika Newlin, London, The Free Press of Glencoe, 1963.
23 24
Articles
Henderson, A. M., "Mendelssohn's Unpublished Organ Works," The Musical Times, LXXXVIII (November, 1947), 347-348.
Tischler, Hans and Louise H., "Mendelssohn's Style - The Songs Without Words," Music Review, VIII (August, 1947), 256-273.
Wilson, Roger B., "Collecting for Recording the Organ Works of Mendelssohn - A Personal Odyssey," The Diap2son, LXIV (June, 1973), 3, 15.
Encyclopedia Article
Young, Percy M., "Mendelssohn (Bartholdy) , (Jakob Ludwig) Felix," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Eric Blom, ed., 5th edition, London, Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1954.
Unpublished Material
Brown, Charles Stagmaier, Jr., "The Art of Chorale-Preluding and Chorale Accompaniment as Presented in Kittel's Der angehende p tische Organist," unpublished doctoral~dis sertation, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 1970.
Butler, Douglas Lamar, "The Organ Works of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy," unpublished doctoral dissertation, School of Music, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 1973.
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, Unpublished manuscripts from the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek 1. Minuet 2. Fugue in G Minor 3. Fugue in D Minor 4. Fugue in D Minor 5. Andante in D Major 6. Passacaglia in C Minor 7. Chorale Prelude on Die Tugend wird durchs Kreuz geidbet 8. Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor 25
Music
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, Orel-koMpositionen, Leipzig, C. F. Peters, n.d.
, Three Unfamiliar Organ CoMpo sitions bv Mendelssohn, Ludwig Altman, ed., Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1969.
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix and Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Two Andantes for Orlan, LudwigAltman, ed., London, Hinrich sen Edition, Ltd., 1966.
Wesley, Samuel and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Three Organ Fugues, Ludwig Altman, ed., London, Hinrichsen Edition, Ltd., 1962.
Widor, Charles Marie, Fifth Symphony, Op. 42, No. 5, New York, Edward B. Marks Music Corporation, 1936.