Rhythmic Freedom in Mendelssohn's Six Organ

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Authors Thomas , William Kullen

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RHYTHMIC FREEDOM IN MENDELSSOHN’S SIX

by

William Kullen Thomas

______

Copyright ©William Kullen Thomas 2020

A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the

FRED FOX SCHOOL OF MUSIC

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

In the Graduate College

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

2020

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THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE

As members of the Doctor of Musical Arts Document Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by William Kullen Thomas, titled Rhythmic Freedom in Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts.

______Date: June 15, 2020 Professor Rex A. Woods

______Date: June 15, 2020 Dr. Jay Rosenblatt

Date: June 15, 2020 Professor Edward Reid

Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the document to the Graduate College.

I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement.

Date: June 15, 2020 Professor Rex A. Woods Document Committee Chair Fred Fox School of Music

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, thank you to the major committee members of my doctoral advisory committee, Professor Rex Woods, Dr. Jay Rosenblatt, and Professor Edward Reid. I am sincerely grateful for both your guidance and assistance in the development of this document.

I am also very grateful to several mentors that have guided me along my musical journey. First, thank you to my high-school organ teacher, Canon Dr. Michael Velting from Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville, Tennessee, for always supporting and encouraging me through the years. Thank you to my undergraduate organ professor Dr. J. Ryan Garber for believing in my potential as a performer, and thank you to my graduate organ teacher Professor John Brock for helping me advance my skill level as an organist.

Thank you also to Musicologist, Dr. Rachel Golden, with whom I studied at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. While working on a master’s degree, Dr. Golden strongly encouraged me to purse a doctorate and continue with my love and research of . Importantly, thank you to my mother, Dr. Donna Eley Bush, retired Professor of Business from Middle Tennessee State University, for teaching me the importance and value of achieving higher education.

Finally, it is to the wonderful clergy and congregation of Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona to whom I feel the most indebted. I have had the privilege and honor of serving as the Director of Music and an Administrative Associate at Christ the King during my doctoral work. Without the love and support of the members of Christ the King, the completion of my DMA would not have been possible.

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DEDICATION

To the members of Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona.

“Words seem to me so ambiguous, so vague, so easily misunderstood in comparison to a piece of genuine music, which fills one’s soul with a thousand better things than words .”

Felix Mendelssohn

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES...... 6

LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES...... 7

ABSTRACT...... 9

INTRODUCTION...... 10

CHAPTER 1: MENDELSSOHN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ORGAN...... 11

1.1 A Non-Conventional Approach to Playing …………………..…….11

1.2 The Spontaneous Mendelssohn ...... 18

CHAPTER 2: APPROACHES TO RHYTHM…………………………………………………..22

2.1 The Nineteenth Century ...... 22

2.2 The Twentieth Century ...... 24

CHAPTER 3: FEATURES OF AND GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR PERORMANCE PRACTICE IN THE SIX ORGAN SONATAS OPUS 65…………...…………………….....…29

3.1 Background and Overview………………………………………………….………..29

3.2 Registration…………………………………………………………………………..32

3.3 Ambiguity of Slurs …………...... 33

3.4 Rhythmic Irregularities.…………..……………………………………………….….36

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION...... 51

REFERENCES...... 53

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Advertisement July 24, 1845 in the Musical World …………………………………...30

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LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES

Musical Example 1. , Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 1-2..………13

Musical Example 2. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 21-22.…….13

Musical Example 3. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 30-33..……14

Musical Example 4. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 34-36…..…14

Musical Example 5. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ No. 1 in F Minor , Op. 65 first movement, mm. 96-103…….……………………………………………………………………………...…33

Musical Example 6. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , fourth movement, mm. 14…………………………………………………………………………………………………34

Musical Example 7. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , Op. 65 first movement, mm. 27-29………………………………………………………………………...…35

Musical Example 8. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , second movement, mm. 1-7……..……………………………………………………………………………………36

Musical Example 9. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , fourth movement, mm. 60-66…..…………………………………………………………………………………………36

Musical Example 10. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , second movement mm. 1-13…………………………………………………………………………………………37

Musical Example 11. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , third movement, mm. 15……..…………………………………………………………………………………..……....37

Musical Example 12. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , first movement, mm. 61-65……………………………………………..………………………………………………38

Musical Example 13. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , first movement, mm. 121-129…………………………………………………………………………………………..38

Musical Example 14. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , first movement, mm. 116-120…..……………………………………………………………………………………....39

Musical Example 15. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , third movement, mm. 44-52….………………………………………………………………………………………….40

Musical Example 16. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 2 in C Major , third movement, mm. 60-68……………………………………………………………………………………………..41

Musical Example 17. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , first movement, mm. 20-26….………………………………………………………………..……………………..….42 8

Musical Example 18. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , second movement, mm. 49-55..……………………………………………………………………………………....42

Musical Example 19. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm. 182-190………………………………………………………………………………………..…42

Musical Example 20. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 2 in C Major , first movement, mm. 19-23….………………………………………………………………………………………….43

Musical Example 21. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 2 in C Major , second movement, mm. 1-4….……………………………………………………………………………………….43

Musical Example 22. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm. 58-61….………………………………………………………………………………………….44

Musical Example 23. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm. 66-69..………………………………………………………………………………………...….45

Musical Example 24. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm. 81-83..………………………………………………………………………………………..…..45

Musical Example 25. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm. 95-97………………………………………………………………………………………….….45

Musical Example 26. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm. 101-104……………………………………………………………………………………….….46

Musical Example 27. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-Flat Major , first movement, mm. 1-4…………………………………………………………………………………...……...46

Musical Example 28. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , first movement, mm. 1-26…..…………………………………………………………………………………………..47

Musical Example 29. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm. 1-25….…………………………………………………………………………………………...47

Musical Example 30. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm. 20-29..………………………………………………………………………………………...….48

Musical Example 31. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm. 53-58…….……………………………………………………………………………………….49

Musical Example 32. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm. 90-96……..………………………………………………………………………………...…….50

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ABSTRACT

German performer and composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) represents one of the most popular and well-known musicians from the Romantic era. In November of 1820 at age 11,

Mendelssohn started composing for the organ. His organ works range in difficulty from moderate to advanced, and the Six Organ Sonatas , Opus 65, call for considerable virtuosity.

Although a vast amount of information exists on Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas , the research mainly focuses on categorization or theoretical components.

The study at hand, however, provides a stylistic guide to rhythm in Mendelssohn’s Six

Organ Sonatas. A basic introduction to Mendelssohn’s association with the organ as a performer, improviser, and composer unfolds in the first chapter of the study, while the second chapter investigates rhythmic ideologies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that affect performance practice of Romantic works. The third chapter analyses the distinct features of

Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas and provides suggestions for performance.

With understanding of irregular rhythmic trends that developed in the mid-nineteenth century as well as information from and about Mendelssohn, a more historically accurate way of performing his Six Organ Sonatas incorporates rhythmic freedom. Further, rhythmic freedom allows a performer to add rhythmic nuances even when not specified in the score. The rhythmic insertions may include a ritardando at a cadential point, an accelerando at a harmonically climatic moment, or a fermata at the end of a phrase for emphasis. During the mid-nineteenth century, composers and performers, including Mendelssohn, utilized heightened degrees of rhythmic irregularity. Additionally, research clearly reveals Mendelssohn’s expressive approach to playing organ repertoire and a direct correlation between his improvisations and movements within the Six Organ Sonatas . 10

INTRODUCTION

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847), more commonly known as Felix

Mendelssohn, possessed a strong association with the organ as a performer, improviser, and composer. Mendelssohn composed numerous preludes and as well as other works based on chorales for the organ. His most notable contribution to organ literature, however, occurred in

1844, with the Six Organ Sonatas , Opus 65. In the twenty-first century, scholars debate the appropriate classification for the Six Organ Sonatas .

Some scholars claim Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas represent pieces written in a

“quasi-Baroque or “Classical style.”1 The study at hand, however, firmly asserts that

Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas represent Romantic compositions. A heightened utilization of rhythmic irregularity represents one of the clearest Romantic features of Mendelssohn’s Six

Organ Sonatas . For example, Mendelssohn calls for drastic tempo shifts in the first movements of Organ Sonata No. 3 and Organ Sonata No.6 .

Further, through a Romantic lens, Mendelssohn departed from the conventional Classical sonata form and embraced contrapuntal fugal writing in the Six Organ Sonatas . He also utilized extreme shifts in dynamics and inserted chorale melodies. Though rhythmic irregularities exist in the manuscript of Opus 65, the score fails to reflect the full extent of rhythmic freedom that

Mendelssohn likely envisioned.

1Hans Davidson, “Mendelssohn’s Sonatas, Op. 65, and the Graighead-Saunders organ at the Eastman School of Music: Aspects of Performance Practice and Context,” in Mendelssohn, the Organ and the Music of the Past: Constructing Historical Legacies , edited by Jürgen Thym (Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2014), 145.

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CHAPTER 1: MENDELSSOHN’S ASSOCIATION WITH THE ORGAN

1.1 A Non-Conventional Approach to Playing Organ Repertoire

Along with composing, conducting, and performing as a , Mendelssohn achieved a virtuoso level as an organist during his career. Unlike other accomplished organists, however,

Mendelssohn never worked for a church, and he only performed a few organ recitals in his lifetime. 2 The most famous organ recital occurred in 1840 at St. Thomas Church in ,

Germany. German Romantic composer Robert Schuman (1810-1856) attended and provided a review of the program. Schuman praised Mendelssohn’s performance, and stated, “Would that I could record last evening in these pages with golden letters!” 3

In contrast to the broad range of selections that Mendelssohn’s piano repertoire included, his organ repertoire only consisted of his own compositions and a few major free works as well as chorale preludes of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). 4 One of Bach’s major free works, the

Prelude and in A Minor , BWV 543 developed into a signature piece for Mendelssohn, and several accounts of him performing the work exist. One account provides an interesting insight on Mendelssohn’s adherence to the manuscript of Bach’s Prelude in A Minor . The account states,

His mind has become so assimilated to Bach’s compositions that at one point in the prelude, either by accident or by design, he amplified and extended the idea of the author, in a manner so in keeping and natural, that those unacquainted with its details could not

2 Wm A. Little, “Mendelssohn as Organist: Performance Characteristics,” in Mendelssohn and the Organ (New York, Oxford University Press, 2010), 78.

3 Little, “Appendix E: ’s Review of Mendelssohn’s Organ Recital in Thomas-Kirche, in Mendelssohn and the Organ ,” 429.

4 Little, “Mendelssohn’s Organ Repertoire in Mendelssohn and the Organ , in Mendelssohn and the Organ ” 104. 12

by any possibility have discovered the departure from the text.” 5

Though some scholars claim that Mendelssohn possessed a strong view on strictly adhering to a composer’s score, the possibility exists that Mendelssohn intentionally embellished some aspect in his performance of Bach’s Prelude in A Minor that departed from the score.

Whether the embellishment dealt with pitches, rhythm, volume, or all three details, remains unclear. Clearly, however, Mendelssohn’s enhancement demonstrated a strong skill level as an organist and impressed the listener. In the previous quote, the author uses descriptions of

“amplified and extended” for how Mendelssohn altered Bach’s Prelude in A Minor.

Generally, amplified refers to volume, but no dynamic markings exist in the known manuscripts of Bach’s Prelude in A Minor . The word extended tends to align more with pitches but a possibility of a reference to rhythm also exists. Notably, Bach’s Prelude in A Minor strongly resembles a toccata, and by construction alone, German Baroque toccatas contain irregular rhythmic features that create an improvisatory feel. 6 For instance, due to the ascending and descending direction of the line, many performers start Bach’s Prelude in A Minor with a gradual accelerando instead of setting a strict tempo that clearly marks four equal sixteenth notes to a quarter note pulse.

5 Little, “Mendelssohn as Organist: Performance Characteristics, in Mendelssohn and the Organ ” 84.

6 Don Michael Randel, The New Harvard Dictionary (Cambridge: The Belknap Press, 2001), 859 .

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Musical Example 1. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 1-2.

In addition, various other places in Bach’s Prelude in A minor also imply a manipulation of the literal rhythm written on the page such as in measures 21-23 and measures 30-35.

Musical Example 2. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 21-22.

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Musical Example 3. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 30-33.

Musical Example 4. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, mm. 34-36.

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Regardless of whether the account from the previous quote referencing Mendelssohn’s intentional or accidental alteration of Bach’s Prelude in A Minor involves rhythm, the account demonstrates possible innovation in Mendelssohn’s approach to playing organ repertoire. Other clearer accounts of Mendelssohn’s originality surface with his approach to organ registration.

With the Fugue in A Minor , BWV 543, various accounts reveal Mendelssohn clearly departed from the conventional Berlin standard of playing Bach’s free works on one manual with full organ throughout the duration of the entire piece. 7 Although some advanced Bach free works indicate manual changes, most of the compositions lack any instruction regarding manuals.

Edward J. Hopkins (1818-1901), an English organist who knew Mendelssohn, recalls his innovative registration changes.

Hopkins states that Mendelssohn, “threw out points unsuspected before, as in the A

Minor Fugue, where he took the episode on the swell, returning to the Great Organ when the pedal re-enters, but transferring the E in the treble to Great Organ a bar before the other parts.”8

An additional account of Mendelssohn playing Bach’s Fugue in A Minor comes from composer

Robert Franz (1815-1892). Franz states,

Many years ago I heard Mendelssohn play the great Bach A Minor Fugue on the organ. In that moment the scales fell from my eyes. On the organ one can only mark the rhythm, because the sounds themselves allow of no differentiation in strength. Mendelssohn’s playing here was capable of bringing out the caesurae, even the most subtle in the work. One heard every entry of a new voice, as well as exit from the scene. 9

The above quote implies Mendelssohn utilized the same registration changes mentioned in the

7 Little, “Mendelssohn as Organist: Performance Characteristics in Mendelssohn and the Organ ,” 85-86.

8 Ibid., 85.

9 Ibid. 16

Hopkins quote, and Franz uses the word caesurae, meaning to break, pause, or interrupt flow. 10

Thus, the above quote strongly implies that Mendelssohn manipulated the rhythm to some degree.

Similarly, English organist Elizabeth Mounsey (1819-1903) claims Mendelssohn’s Bach playing contained an irregular rhythmic nuance. She states,

Whether playing Bach or his own works, there was always such depth of expression. The organ does not easily lend itself to do that, therefore it was the more wonderful to hear him. I remember how, according to my inexperience, he played Bach slower than I expected; but instead of rattling off the semiquavers he made them flow impressively and seriously. 11

Mounsey mentions that Mendelssohn’s playing always contained “such depth of expression.”

Expression in the context of the above quote clearly refers to some level of rhythmic irregularity.

To what degree or what specific feature about the rhythm caused Mounsey to label

Mendelssohn’s organ playing as expressive remains unknown, but her choice of words seems to convey Mendelssohn definitely played with a sense of rhythmic freedom.

Mendelssohn’s freer expressive approach also surfaces in an account of him playing his

Six Organ Sonatas . During the account the listener observes,

Particularly wonderful was the wise and continuously changing use of the tone colors of the various stops, as well as their deep inner connection with the spirit of the works performed. Whereas we often encounter either a tiring monotony of tonal effects or alternatively a coarse pilling-up of effects produced through sharp contrasts in the change of the tone colors, the organ seemed here, under Mendelssohn’s hands, to become a completely new, unknown instrument. We have never since heard the organ sing in such a manner, never since experienced so harmoniously arranged and agreeable increases of tone by the use of the reeds. The instrument turned itself into a rich full-toned orchestra, above which one thought one was hearing the voice of a single singer, and then the

10 Randel, 57.

11 Little, “Mendelssohn as Organist: Performance Characteristics,” 82. 17

voices of whole choirs! 12

In the above quote, the listener clearly noticed Mendelssohn’s innovative approach to registration. Also, the observer mentions “We have never since heard the organ sing in such a manner.” The word sing in the context of the previous quote implies expressiveness, which several other observers of Mendelssohn’s organ playing mention.

Schumann also implies expressiveness in a quote from him upon hearing Mendelssohn play his Six Organ Sonatas . He states,

Only the other day we became quite absorbed in your Organ Sonatas . . . You are always striving to advance still more. . . . These intensely poetical new ideas -- what a perfect picture they form in every sonata! . . . Above all, Nos. 5&6 seem to me splendid. It is really a fact, dear Mendelssohn, no one else writes such fine harmonies and they keep on getting purer and more inspired. 13

By definition the word poetical, from the above quote, means “having an imaginative or sensitively emotional style of expression.” 14 With the description of “intensely poetical,”

Schumann implies he observed rhythmic irregularities in Mendelssohn’s playing of his Six

Organ Sonatas.

As with his organ playing, Mendelssohn’s piano playing also contained notable expression. Reginald R. Gerig, in his book Famous and Their Technique , opines that,

“Mendelssohn’s performance and technical ability revealed some of the gentleness, sensitivity,

12 Mark Douglas Edwards, “A Performer’s Study of Three Organ Sonatas from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Centuries: Bach, Mendelssohn, and Hindemith” (DMA document, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993), 48.

13 Thym, 145.

14 Randel, 57.

18 and refinement of Chopin as well as much of the brilliance and excitement of Liszt.” 15

Importantly, Gerig compares Mendelssohn to (1811-1886). Liszt, known for utilizing heightened rhythmic irregularities, received high praise from audiences in the mid-nineteenth century for exciting and dramatic performances. 16

Gerig also supplies an important quote from an English student that studied with

Mendelssohn at the Leipzig Conservatory. Mendelssohn’s student, William Smyth Rockstro, provides enormous insight as to how he approached rhythm in teaching. Rockstro states about

Mendelssohn,

He wishes his pupils to understand the principles by which he himself was guided to his interpretation of the works of the great masters, and at the same time to discourage servile imitation of his own rendering of any individual composition. In fact, with regard to special forms of expression, one of his most frequently reiterated maxims was, “If you want to play with true feeling, you must listen to good singers. You will learn far more from them than from any players you are likely to meet with. 17

Mendelssohn clearly encouraged emotion in playing, and he believed good singers provided the best model to demonstrate expression. Furthermore, based on the above quote, Mendelssohn likely envisioned expressiveness in performances of his own compositions, and he omitted many, not all, rhythmic nuances which left much to the discretion of the performer.

1.2 The Spontaneous Mendelssohn

Although improvisation lost some value during the twentieth century, an expectation of

15 Reginald R. Gerig, “The Schumann Circle,” in Famous Pianists and Their Technique, New Edition , (Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2007), 199.

16 Greig, 523.

17 Gerig, 201.

19 the skill existed for performers in the nineteenth century. 18 Mendelssohn demonstrated exceptional talent as an improviser at an early age. Notably, one of Mendelssohn’s piano teachers, Ludwig Berger (1777-1839) stated, “Felix is certainly going to be one of the most significant composers and improvisers who have ever lived or improvised.” 19 In the fall of 1821, the first account of Mendelssohn improvising emerges. The account states,

This was a very simple tune in triplets that Zelter played for him on the piano. Felix played it after him, and the next minute went off into the wildest allegro, transforming the simple melody into a passionate figure, which he took now in the bass, now in the upper part, weaving all the manner of new and beautiful thoughts into it in the boldest style. Everybody was in astonishment, as the small childish fingers worked away at the great chords, mastering the most difficult combinations, and evolving the most surprising contrapuntal passages out of a stream of harmonies, though certainly without paying much regard to the melody. 20

Similar astonishing accounts of Mendelssohn’s extraordinary ability to improvise continued into his teen years. On one occasion in the spring of 1825, Mendelssohn attended a rehearsal as aguest, and afterward the director asked him to improvise at the piano. The director comments,

He took some of the principal melodies, especially “Lo the Conquering Hero Comes,” and began to extemporize on them. I hardly know which was more wonderful, the skillful counterpoint, the flow and continuity of the thoughts or the fire, expression, and extraordinary execution that characterized his playing. He must have been very full of Handel at that time, for the figures which he used were thoroughly Handelian, and the power and clearness of his passages in thirds, sixths, and octaves, were really grand; and yet it all belonged to the subject-matter, with no pretension to display, and was thoroughly true, genuine, living music. It quite carried me away, and though I often heard his wonderful playing afterwards, I do not think it ever produced such an overpowering effect on me as it did on that occasion, when he was but a boy of sixteen. 21

Once again, a listener uses the word expressive to describe Mendelssohn’s playing. In fact, one

18 Little, “Mendelssohn As Organ Improviser,” 90.

19 Little, “Mendelssohn as Organ Improviser,” 90-91.

20 Ibid., 91.

21 Ibid. 92. 20 of the most famous monarchs in English history implies Mendelssohn’s improvisations contained ultra-expressive qualities.

Queen Victoria of England (1819-1901) writes in her diary,

He asked us to give him a theme upon which he could improvise. We gave him 2, “Rule Britannia,” & the Austrian National Anthem. He began immediately, & really I have never heard anything so beautiful, the way in which he blended them together & charged over from one to the other, was quite wonderful as well as the exquisite harmony & feeling he puts into the variations, & the powerful rich chords, & modulations, which reminded one of all his beautiful compositions. At one moment he played the Austrian Anthem with the right hand and played “Rule Britannia” with his left! He made some further improvisations on well-known themes & songs. We were all filled with greatest admiration. Poor Mendelssohn was quite exhausted when he had done playing. 22

The Queen observes two important trademark features of Mendelssohn’s improvisation. She comments on the “feeling he puts into the variations,” and how the improvisation reminded her of one of his beautiful compositions.” 23 Thus, Queen Victoria implies Mendelssohn possesses the ability to create material on the spot equal to a completed work.

Similarly, Schumann directly claims that Mendelssohn’s improvisations sound as developed as a completed composition. In the review of Mendelssohn’s organ recital at St.

Thomas Church in Berlin, Schumann commented, “Mendelssohn finished the concert with a fantasy of his own, where he displayed the fullest glory of his art; if I am not mistaken, it was based on the chorale text, ‘O Sacred Head Now Wounded,’ into which he afterwards introduced the name of B A C H and a fugued movement, rounded of in such a clear and masterly whole, that if printed, it would have appeared a finished work of art.” 24 Even though all compositions start out as an improvisation to some degree, Mendelssohn apparently possessed such

22 Little, “Mendelssohn; The Mature Years, 1839-1847,” 66.

23 Ibid.

24 Little, “Appendix E: Robert Schumann’s Review of Mendelssohn’s Recital in the Thomas-Kirche,” 430. 21 extraordinary talent as an improviser listeners felt that no difference existed between his improvisations and completed compositions. On rare occasions, Mendelssohn provided specific details about his approach to improvisation, and one account of such commentary surfaces in

1840.

During a trip to Engelberg, Switzerland, a group of monks requested for Mendelssohn to improvise at the organ on various themes including the Credo. Mendelssohn felt passionately about his Engelberg Credo improvisation. He stated, “It is the only time in my life that I wish I could have written down, but now I can only remember the general format.” 25 In the rest of the quote, Mendelssohn supplies specific details about the construction of the Engelberg Credo

Variation, and he implies he utilized a notable rhythmic nuance. Mendelssohn stated, “just at the close the semi-quavers became quite wild,” and the description of “became quite wild,” strongly implies Mendelssohn utilized an accelerando.26

Significantly, scholar William Little claims Mendelssohn utilized the Engelberg Credo formula for the final improvisation at his famous Berlin organ recital. The same improvisatory formula serves as the model for the first movement of Organ Sonata No. 6 . By utilizing a heightened degree of rhythmic irregularity, Mendelssohn stretched the distinctive line between an improvisation and a completed work. In some cases, no difference exists.

25 Little, “Mendelssohn As Organ Improviser,” 94.

26 Ibid. 22

CHAPTER 2: APPROACHES TO RHYTHM

2.1 The Nineteenth Century

One of the most distinctive features of Romantic music in the nineteenth century involves the irregular rhythmic technique of tempo rubato. While some degree of ambiguity surrounds the term tempo rubato, more commonly known only as rubato, scholars broadly define tempo rubato to mean robbed or stolen time with an alteration in tempo. 27 Scholars strongly differ, however, on the conventional acceptable degree of alteration in tempo. For example, twentieth-century organ scholar Harold Gleason (1892-1980) provides the description of “a slight alteration in tempo” in his definition of tempo rubato. 28 In contrast, Scholar Richard Hudson identifies a form of tempo rubato that utilized a heightened degree of rhythmic flexibility in his book Stolen Time the History of Tempo Rubato .

According to Hudson, in the mid to later part of the nineteenth century, performers and composers utilized the heightened level of tempo rubato at their discretion. 29 Further, the second half of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century represent an apex of rhythmic freedom for the solo performer. Generally, performers felt entitled to apply rhythmic flexibilities, even to alter the composer’s manuscript on occasion in order to achieve their own personal concept of expression. 30 One scholar from the nineteenth century provides the

27 Don Michael Randel, The New Harvard Dictionary (Cambridge: The Belknap Press, 2001), 719.

28 Harold Gleason, “Tempo Rubato” in Method of Organ Playing Eight Edition (Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, 1996), 277.

29 Richard Hudson, “Performing” in Stolen Time the History of Tempo Rubato (New York, Oxford University Press, 1994), 384.

30 Ibid. 23 following illustration for rubato,

A composition may be compared to a country passed through by a traveler. As long as the road is smooth, his pace is regular. If it is interrupted by ditches and banks, rough places and rising grounds, his walk and his pace will vary. And just as the traveler regulates his pace according to the nature of the ground, the musician will modify his rate of tempo according to the ascending or descending structure of the phrases, and the quality of the harmonic transitions and undulations. 31

Researchers frequently classify rubato into two main categories. Scholar Wayne Leupold identifies the two types of rubato as melodic rubato and free rubato. 32 In regard to the first type of rubato, Leupold states, “Melodic rubato had its origins in singing, and was used to enhance expressiveness and aid in musical coloring especially when repeating a musical phrase.”33 In melodic rubato the left hand maintains a regular rhythmic pattern, while the right hand operates in an irregular manner. Additionally, Leupold provides the following information about the second type of rubato in which all parts proceed with an irregular rhythmic scheme. He states,

During the course of the Romantic Era, “free rubato” came to be regarded as an increasingly important part of the performer’s art. The terms “ritardando,” “rallentando,” “accelerando,” “rubato,” and “espressivo” were all used to designate the use of free rubato, although organists also freely employed it where there was no direction. 34

Despite never specifically using the term rubato in the manuscripts of his Six Organ

Sonatas, Mendelssohn provides numerous tempo indications that suggest rhythmic irregularities.

Of equal significance, research clearly revels that listeners who heard Mendelssohn perform commented on his expressiveness. Arguably, both Mendelssohn’s association with

31 Wayne Leupold, “Preface: IV. Rhythmic Alternation,” in César Franck The Complete Organ Works Series I: Original Compositions Volume 2: Trios Pièces , Trios Chorals , (Colfax: Wayne Leupold Editions, 2002), xix.

32 Ibid.

33 Leupold, xix.

34 Ibid. 24 expressiveness and the rhythmic trend of the time, justifiably call for the application of tempo rubato in Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas .

2.2 The Twentieth Century

After a century that embraced artistic freedom, the pendulum sifted to the complete opposite end of the spectrum. During the early part of the twentieth century, an extreme ideology surfaced about strictly adhering to the score of a composer. Scholar Christopher Small addresses the problematic twentieth-century philosophy in his book Musicking the Meanings of Listening and Performing . Small states,

There is nothing in the rule book that tells us that the score is a sacred text that must not be altered in any way that approximates as nearly as possible to the way it was performed in the composer’s time. Or if such a rule does exist, it was invented in the twentieth century by composers and musicologists as part of a contest for control over the musical texture. 35

In addition to the problematic issue that arose about strictly adhering to a composer’s score, the twentieth century also changed the performance practice standard in regard to rhythm.

Although the rhythmic performance practice standard of the nineteenth century allowed for heightened liberties in solo performances, the twentieth-century model shifted toward a rhythmically controlled style for performance practice, even in solo performances. Hudson addresses the twentieth-century model of rhythm. He states, “Throughout the twentieth century artists employed tempo rubato in a more restrained manner.” 36

On the other hand, English pianist, teacher, and composer Tobias Matthay (1858-1945)

35 Christopher Small, “Summing up the Dead Composer,” in Musicking The Meaning of Performing and Listening , (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press,1998), 89-92.

36 Hudson, 385.

25 stresses the importance of rubato. Matthay uses the illustration of a straight line to represent the

“continuity of tempo” and a curved line to represent rubato. 37 While Matthay stresses the importance of a clear underlining pulse that remains constant, he also encourages rhythmic flexibility that varies among performers. He states, “In fact, we may, and should in nearly all music, thus curve round the line of an otherwise straight–on Pulse, but while we do this we must never forget the line’s true position in Time-space.” 38

Matthay, who lived nearly half of his life in the nineteenth century and half of his life in the twentieth century, demonstrates enormous frustration with twentieth-century ideologies that seek to eliminate emotion in playing. In his book Musical Interpretation, Matthay states,

I must protest against the tendency amongst some to imagine that because a great Master lived so many years ago, because his body has long been dead and buried, his music must also be in a sense dead, unemotional, un-alive and passionless. Surely, all these great Masters were pulsating, living beings, at least quite as alive and fervent as we are, as emotional, as full of passion, as full of strong feeling and thought as the best of us today, and probably more so! Indeed, is it not evident, that it is just because they had such Phenomenal Enthusiasm for their art, because they had such phenomenal feeling and vitality and reasoning power, that they were able to give us masterpieces? Then again, the records, we have of their playing, are they records of Mendelssohnian cold glitter? Do we not read just the contrary? Yet it is pretended by some, today, that it is not “classical” to put any human emotion into Beethoven or Bach! 39

Interestingly, in the above quote, Matthay uses the phrase “Mendelssohnian cold glitter,” which implies he associates Mendelssohn with inexpressiveness. Hudson and Leupold also generate similar claims. Leupold categorizes Romantic composers into two categories. In one

37 Tobias Matthay, Section III The Element of Rubato,” in Musical Interpretation , (Boston: The Boston Music Company), 63.

38 Matthay, 63.

39 Ibid. 65. 26 category, Leupold places performers who embraced rubato in a more restrained manner, and in the other category he lists performers who utilized rubato in more elaborate fashion. 40 With

Luepold’s model, Mendelssohn falls under the category of conservative composers.

Similarly, Hudson, mentions a “Mendelssohnian approach” when discussing rhythm. By

“Mendelssohnian approach,” Hudson specifically describes Mendelssohn possessing a stricter approach to rhythm. 41 While Mendelssohn’s conducting style employed a strict approach to rhythm, evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that as a performer and composer, he utilized rhythmic irregularity. Thus, twentieth-century scholars created a narrative that incorrectly generalized Mendelssohn as ultra-strict in all of his approaches to rhythm.

Additionally, a separate ultra-strict rhythmic model that allowed for little or no rhythmic flexibility surfaced in the general area. During the first part of the twentieth century, a movement known as “The New Objectivity” surfaced in music, painting, architecture, and literature. “The movement contained an intense rejection against the extreme emotions and subjectivity that characterized Romanticism.”42 “The New Objectivity,” specifically claimed that

“Romantic interpretations contained overly exaggerated gestures due to the constant use of rubato, and the new fashion favored strict metronomic tempi.”43

Under the twentieth-century model of rhythm as well as the incorrect perception scholars

40 Leupold, xix.

41 Hudson, “The Later Romantic Rubato,” 312.

42 Joseph Auner, “New Music Taking Flight” in Music in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013), 87.

43 Ibid.

44 Little, “The Organ Sonatas,” 285. 27 advanced about Mendelssohn, general guidelines for Mendelssohn interpretations favored a strict approach with rhythm. For instance, Russell Saunders (1921-1992) recommends in the first movement of Organ Sonata No. 3 to shift the tempo immediately to 88 for the quarter note value rather than gradually increasing to 100 as Mendelssohn instructs in the score. 44 Saunders, who taught at The Eastman School of Music, gained a wide recognition as one of America’s most influential organ teachers during the latter part of the twentieth century. Consequently,

Saunders’s thoughts on performance practice left a profound influence on the organ community.45

For clarification, the study at hand provides a more historically accurate way, not authentic version, of performing Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas . Twentieth century scholar,

Richard Taruskin discusses the problems with authenticity in the chapter “The Pastness of the

Present and Presence of the Past” from his book Text and Act . Early in the chapter, Taruskin mentions a direct quote from acclaimed musicologist Donald Grout. Grout states,“an ideal performance is one that perfectly realizes the composer’s intentions.” 46 Other musicologists, however, such as Joseph Kerman call authentic a “baleful term which has caused endless acrimony.”47 Kerman calls to attention the major shortcoming of a historical performance, “It places the chief emphasis on factors external to the music performed and can actually subvert real interpretation.” 48

45 Little, 285.

46 Richard Taruskin, “The Pastness of the Present and Presence of the Past,” in Text and Act (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995) 108.

47 Ibid.

48 Ibid. 28

Undoubtedly, twentieth century philosophies overemphasized rhythm and created the problematic notion of authenticity. Trying to find one historically correct way of playing

Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonatas completely strays from what Mendelssohn likely desired based on the information from and about him. More specifically, performing Mendelssohn’s Six Organ

Sonatas under the reconstructed twentieth century rhythmic model eliminates one of the distinct core features of Romanticism, heightened rhythmic irregularity. Ironically, however, an authentic style for performing Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas requires individual interpretation. While authenticity often requires omission of one’s distinct mark, in the case of Mendelssohn Six

Organ Sonatas , authenticity and individual expression coincide.

29

CHAPTER 3: FEATURES OF AND GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR PERORMANCE

PRACTICE IN THE SIX ORGAN SONATAS OPUS 65

3.1 Background and Overview

Mendelssohn’s most substantial contribution to the output of organ literature occurred three years before his death. During 1844, on his eighth trip to England, publisher Charles

Coventry from London approached Mendelssohn and requested of him to compose a set of three voluntaries for the organ. 49 The three voluntaries project turned into the Six Organ Sonatas , Opus

65. While Mendelssohn utilized the term sonata, Opus 65 strongly differed from the conventional Classical sonata form and created a separate genre, the organ sonata. Each of

Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas , contain a clear tonal center, the insertion of chorale-based themes, both chordal as well as contrapuntal textures, and vary in length ranging from only two movements to four.

Essentially, the Six Organ Sonatas represent a collage of unpublished pieces

Mendelssohn previously wrote and in some cases, he expanded on the compositions. In the beginning of development, Opus 65 underwent a few name changes. Coventry originally used the term Voluntary, but Mendelssohn suggested Sonata instead. Mendelssohn also requested that the title of Opus 65 read “Mendelssohn’s School of Organ-Playing, Six Grand Sonatas for the

Organ.” 50 During July of 1845, an advertisement for Opus 65 appeared in a magazine called the

Musical World , and the title reflected Mendelssohn’s word choice. 51

49 Little, “Six Sonatas for the Organ (Op. 65), 1844-1845 Chronology and Genesis,” 246.

50 Ibid., 272-277.

51 Ibid., 277. 30

Figure 1. Advertisement July 24, 1845 in the Musical World .

Notably, the advertisement provides the following interesting statement, “Coventry and

Hollier have prevailed upon him to write the ‘Six Grand Sonatas’ expressly for publication in

England at their Establishment, and which they intend to bring forward immediately, as specimens of what the Composer himself considers his own peculiar style of performance on the

Organ.” Mendelssohn clearly acknowledged that his approach was unusual with the Six Organ

Sonatas . Perhaps he originally wished for Opus 65 to serve as a distinct pedagogical model.

Logically, based upon the information about Mendelssohn’s own expressive playing, the potential pedagogy model not only demonstrated his departure from the Classical sonata form, but also referenced his freer improvisatory approach to rhythm in the Six Organ Sonatas .

31

When Coventry completed the first draft for Opus 65, however, the title read,

Mendelssohn, School for Organists, Six Grand Sonatas .52 Even though Mendelssohn’s initial word choice and Coventry’s draft contain similarities, clear differences also exist. Originally,

Mendelssohn requested the title of “Mendelssohn’s School of Organ-Playing, Six Grand

Sonatas,” but Coventry’s draft said “Mendelssohn, School for Organists, Six Grand Sonatas.”

For most composers, a title of a composition reflects a deeply personal choice. For Coventry to change the wording and not discuss the alteration with Mendelssohn seems odd. Eventually,

Mendelssohn requested for Coventry to remove any mention of a school altogether in the title.

Mendelssohn stated, “I would like it much better if you would omit the inscription

‘Mendelssohn’s School for Organists’ and merely call it, ‘Six Sonatas, etc.’”53

Little suggests that Mendelssohn withdrew his request because an obvious pedagogical association with the Six Organ Sonatas might outshine “their artistic intent.”54 Interestingly,

Little neglects to acknowledge that Mendelssohn’s original title suggestion and Coventry’s first draft contained slightly different wording. Although the precise reason for Mendelssohn withdrawing such an important part of the title remains unknown, the fact that Mendelssohn originally considered a pedagogical association in the title of his Six Organ Sonatas seems substantially significant. Furthermore, the original title provides enormous insight to how

Mendelssohn viewed the compositions.

52 Little, “Six Sonatas for the Organ (Op.65), 1844-1845,” 277.

53 Ibid.

54 Ibid., 1844-1845,” 278. 32

3.2 Registration

In regard to registration, Mendelssohn provides clear guidelines for his Six Organ

Sonatas . He states,

Much depends, in these sonatas, on the right choice of Stops: however, as every Organ with which I am acquainted has its own peculiar mode of treatment in this respect, and as the same nominal combination does not produce exactly the same effect in different Instruments, I have given only a general indication of the kind of effect intended to be produced, without giving a precise List of the particular Stops to be used. By “Fortissimo,” I intend to designate the full Organ; by “Pianissimo,” I generally mean a soft 8 foot stop alone; by “Forte,” the Great Organ, but without some of the most powerful Stops; by “Piano,” some of the soft 8 foot Stops combined; and so forth. In the Pedal Part, I should prefer throughout, even in the Pianissimo passages, the 8 foot & the 16 foot Stops united, except where the contrary is expressly specified (see the 6 th Sonata). It is therefore left to the judgement of the Performer, to mix the different Stops appropriately to the style of the various Pieces, advising him, however, to be careful that in combining the Stops belonging to two different sets of keys, the kind of tone in the one should be distinguished from that in the other, but without forming too violent a contrast between the two distinct qualities of tone. 55

The quote clearly reveals that Mendelssohn provides reasonable guidelines for his Six

Organ Sonatas , but he leaves the choice of individual stop selections to the performer’s individual discretion. Mendelssohn leaving specifications on stop selections up to the judgement of the performer clearly reveals he possessed a non-rigid mindset. In like manner, Mendelssohn provided some details in the scores of his Six Organ Sonatas regarding rhythmic nuance, but he left most of the specifics up to the performer.

55 Ibid., 280-281. 33

3.3 Ambiguity of Slurs

Scholar William Little states,

Perhaps no aspect of Mendelssohn’s organ works has been more debated than that involving articulation, or more precisely, phrasing and slurs. From the early years of the last century down to the present, the issue has generated considerable heat but relatively little light. The cause of all this ambiguity can be traced in part, at least, to the composer himself, whose inconsistencies and silence regarding articulation are present at every stage in the evolution of the Organ Sonatas, from their genesis through the two principal printed editions. 56

The fact that Mendelssohn remained silent about specifications in regard to articulation further illustrates Mendelssohn’s desire for the approach with certain details, as with registration, to remain at the discretion of the performer. Mendelssohn provides specific information regarding articulation three times in Opus 65. The first occurs in measure 98, of the first movement of Sonata No. 1 in F Minor .57

Musical Example 5. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , Op. 65 first movement, mm 96-103.

The instruction in the score of “sempre legato,” by the pedal line in measure 98 seems out of place in context to the musical texture. An ascending chromatic line begins in the pedal line in

56 Little, “Six Sonatas for the Organ (Op.65), 1844-1845,” 283.

57 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op.65,” in Complete Organ Works No.2, ed. Christopher Albrecht (Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1993), 4.

34 the prior measure. With a literal interpretation of the slur marks, a break occurs in the pedal line between measure 97 and 98. Connecting the pedal line in measure 97 & 98, however, seems musically more appropriate. Generally, slur markings indicate to play legato, but Mendelssohn omits the slur markings after he inserts “sempre legato.”

In a similar fashion, Mendelssohn instructs “sempre legato” in the final movement of

Organ Sonata No. 1 in F minor .

Musical Example 6. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , Op. 65 fourth movement, mm 8-14.

Once again, Mendelssohn’s instruction of “sempre legato” in measure 10 occurs in an unusual place in context of the musical texture. The measure before Mendelssohn’s inscription, measure

9, seems to represent the start of a new musical motive and an ideal place to instruct “sempre legato.” As with the other case, Mendelssohn omits slur markings after he instructs “sempre legato.” The third and final instance of Mendelssohn using “sempre legato,” occurs in the first movement of Sonata No. 6 in D Minor.

35

Musical Example 7. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , Op. 65 First movement, mm 27-29.

As with the other three instances, the instruction of “sempre legato” occurs in an odd place in relationship to the musical texture. Measure 28 appears to contain the new pattern that reoccurs in measure 29. Many more unclear situations occur with slurs throughout the Six Organ Sonatas , but the study at hand recommends, when technically possible, to apply the standard Romantic organ articulation of complete legato unless a staccato note appears in the score.

For instance, in the second movement of Sonata No. 5 in D Major , Mendelssohn instructs staccato markings over every single pedal line. 58

Musical Example 8. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , second movement, mm 1-7.

Also, in the first movement of Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , Mendelssohn places staccato

58 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 65” 55-56. 36 notes over most of the pedal notes in the second choral variation. 59

Musical Example 8. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm 55-59.

Mendelssohn clearly desired for the performer with the pedal line in these cases to play non-legato. The only other time in Opus 65 Mendelssohn inserts a staccato mark is in the final movement of Organ Sonata No.1 in F Minor.

Musical Example 9. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , fourth movement, mm 60-66.

3.4 Rhythmic Irregularities

Throughout the Six Organ Sonatas Mendelssohn indicates several rhythmic irregularities in the score, and one major irregularity concerns speed. Notably, as a performer Mendelssohn infamously performed his own compositions at inconsistent tempi, and he rarely provided metronome markings. The English audience, for whom Mendelssohn originally wrote the

59 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Sonata No. 6 in D Minor, Op.65,” 66. 37 sonatas, preferred tempo instructions. As a result, scholars claim Mendelssohn quickly supplied the tempo markings for his Six Organ Sonatas at the last minute, and the instructions do not represent exact figures. 60

Mistakenly, Mendelssohn instructs the same tempo of the eighth note value at 100 for both the second movement of Organ Sonata No. 1 , which he labels as Adagio, and the third movement of Organ Sonata No. 6, which he labels as Andante.

Musical Example 10. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , second movement mm. 1-13.

Musical Example 11. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , third movement, mm 1-5.

Within the first movement of Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , Mendelssohn uses the term

60 Little, “Mendelssohn as Organist: Performance Characteristics,” 82. 38

“animato” in measure 65, which means animated or in a lively manner. 61

Musical Example 12. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, first movement, mm 61-65.

In measure 121 and measure 129 of the first movement of Sonata No.1, Mendelssohn inserts fermatas in the score. 62

Musical Example 13. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, first movement, mm 121- 129.

Importantly, the harmonic material that proceeds the mentioned fermata in measure 121, represents an ideal place to apply tempo rubato.

61 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op.65,” 3.

62 Ibid., 5. 39

Musical Example 14. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , first movement, mm 116-120.

The study at hand recommends robbing the time by inserting a gradual accelerando beginning on the down beat of measure 118 and giving the time back in measure 120, with a pronounced ritardando right before the fermata. 63

Although fermatas found in the Baroque era signify the end of phrase without an interruption of rhythm, fermatas in the Romantic period placed over a note indicate a prolongation and a departure from regular metrical pulse. 64 Distinguishably, Mendelssohn utilizes fermatas frequently, inconsistently, and excessively throughout the Six Organ Sonatas .

In most instances, Mendelssohn places a fermata in the last measure of a movement. Exceptions, however, surface in the third movement of Organ Sonata No.1 , the second, third and fourth movements of Organ Sonata No. 2, the second movement of Sonata No. 4 , and the second movement of Sonata No. 5. Several fermatas appear throughout the choral harmonization in

Sonata No. 5 and in Sonata No. 6 . Furthermore, even though the exact meaning of

63 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 65,” 5.

64 Randel, 303.

40

Mendelssohn’s usage of fermatas remains ambiguous, the study at hand recommends to observe the symbols through a Romantic lens and add time to the note value.

Andante Recitativo, the title of the third movement of Sonata No. 1 , implies rhythmic irregularity. Recitatives from the nineteenth century represent a style of text setting that imitates and emphasizes the natural inflections, rhythms, and syntax of speech. 65 Mendelssohn ends the third movement of Sonata No.1 on a dominant seventh chord with no indication of moving directly to the fourth and final movement. 66

Musical Example 15. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F Minor , third movement, mm 44-52.

Some performers move directly to the fourth and final movement of Sonata No. 1 without the customary pause between movements in order to resolve the chord.

Mendelssohn knew a method, however, to indicate in the score his desire for directly moving to the next movement without a pause. For example, he inserts the word “attacca” at the end of the second movement of Sonata No. 2 in C Major .67

65 Randel, 682-683.

66 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op.65,” 9.

67 Ibid., “Sonata No. 2 in C Major, Op.65,” 19. 41

Musical Example 16. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 2 in C Major , third movement, mm 60-68.

“Attacca,” when placed at the end of one movement, signifies to begin the next movement immediately without the customary pause. 68 The term appears a total of four times throughout the Six Organ Sonatas. First, “attacca” appears, as mentioned, in the third movement of Sonata No. 2 and then appears twice in Sonata No. 5 at the end of the first and second movements. Sonata No. 6 contains the final “attacca” at the end of the first movement. Also, in the original drafts of Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , Mendelssohn inserted attacca between the first and second movements, but later deleted the inscription for the final publication. 69

68 Randel, 57.

69 Little, “Six Sonatas for Organ,” 305.

42

Musical Example 17. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , first movement, mm 20-26.

Musical Example 18. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , second movement, mm 49-55.

Musical Example 19. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm 182-190.

Despite not instructing attacca between the first and second movements of Organ Sonata

No.2 , Mendelssohn merges the two movements together. The first movement of Organ Sonata

No. 2, entitled Grave, centers around a tonality of C minor and concludes on the dominant 43 harmony of G major with a fermata. Then, Mendelssohn inserts a g in the right hand that ties over to the second movement which returns to the tonic of c minor. 70

Musical Example 20. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 2 in C Major , first movement, mm 19-23.

Musical Example 21. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 2 in C Major , second movement, mm 1-4.

Distinguishably, the first movement of Sonata No. 3 in A Major contains an unusual instruction by Mendelssohn of a heightened degree of tempo irregularity, which creates multiple tempi within a singular movement. Scholar William Little acknowledges the unusualness of

Mendelssohn’s instructions in his book Mendelssohn and the Organ . Little states,

“Mendelssohn’s tempo indication at the entrance of the second fugue subject constitutes the first

70 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Organ Sonata No. 2,” 15. 44 instance of an explicit accelerando fugue for the organ.”71

Musical Example 22. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm 58-61.

Written in the manuscript of the first movement of Organ Sonata No. 3 , Mendelssohn indicates an extreme but gradual accelerando over the course of 52 measures. Distinctively,

Mendelssohn instructed for the quarter note value to alter from 72 to 100 during the gradual tempo fluctuation. Many performers, however, immediately increase the tempo when they arrive at measure 58 and remain at the same speed throughout the duration of the sixteenth notes, as

Russell Saunders recommended. Adhering to the original effect Mendelssohn desired, the study at hand methodically and systematically increases the tempo gradually at the following designated points.

In measure 58, the quarter note value remains at the original tempo of 72.72 Then, in measure 68, the quarter note value increases to 77, and in measure 81, the quarter note value increases to 82. 73 For measure 95, the quarter note value reaches 92, and finally, in measure 103,

71 Little, “The Organ Sonatas,” 284.

72 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Organ Sonata No.3 in A Major ,” 27.

73 Ibid., 28-29.

45 the quarter value reaches 100. 74

Musical Example 23. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm 66-69.

Musical Example 24. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm 81-83.

Musical Example 25. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm 95-97.

74 Ibid., 30. 46

Musical Example 26. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major , first movement, mm 101-104.

Other than a fermata on the last measures of the first, third, and fourth movements,

Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata No. 4 contains no specific indication of rhythmic irregularity. The first movement, however, strongly resembles a Baroque toccata. As previously mentioned with

Bach’s Prelude in A Minor , BWV 543, which also resembles a toccata, German Baroque toccatas involve an irregular rhythmic approach. The study at hand recommends to play the opening two measures in the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata No. 4 freely by slightly increasing the speed for each beat and locking into a steady tempo in the third measure.

As a result, the listener will perceive a gradual accelerando. 75

Musical Example 27. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-Flat Major , first movement, mm 1-4.

For the fermatas in the first movements of Organ Sonata No. 5 and Organ Sonata No. 6 ,

75 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-flat Major,” 34. 47 the study at hand recommends to insert a slight ritardando on the downbeat of the measure before the fermata and double the note value under the fermata. Then, return to the original tempo after the fermata.

Musical Example 28. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 5 in D Major , first movement, mm 1-26.

Musical Example 29. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm 1-25.

Containing three separate instructed tempi, the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Organ

Sonata No. 6 clearly represents a written-out improvisation with variations on a German chorale by Martin Luther based on The Lord’s Prayer. Toward the end of the chorale harmonization in 48 measure 20 the study at hand recommends inserting a ritard in measure 23 and augmenting the tempo in measure 24 and 25. 76 Adding in a ritard and augmenting the tempo, allows the performer to adjust in Mendelssohn’s new instructed tempo in measure 26 which reduces the speed from 100 for the quarter note value down to 63. More specifically, the study at hand recommends waiting to start a steady tempo until measure 28, and to play measures 26-27 completely free due to the material that seems like a flourish.

Musical Example 30. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm 20-29.

Before the second variation starts, another flourish appears in measure 53 of the first movement from Organ Sonata No. 6 . Once again, the study recommends playing measures 53-

54 in a rhythmically free manner. Incorrectly, the Bärenreiter urtext edition of Mendelssohn’s Six

Organ Sonatas appears not to include the measure after measure 53 in the calculation. 77

76 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Organ Sonata No. 6,” 64.

77 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor,” 66. 49

Musical Example 31. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm 53-58.

Lastly, prior to the last variation the study at hand recommends inserting a ritard in measure 90 and augmenting the rhythm in measure 91. Although the score calls for a new tempo, which increases the speed from 63 for the quarter note value to 138, to begin in measure 92, the study recommends easing into the new tempo and waiting until measure 94 before reaching 138.

50

Musical Example 32. Felix Mendelssohn, Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor , first movement, mm 90-96.

51

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION

From the time of their original publication up to the present, Mendelssohn’s Six Organ

Sonatas carry a strong popularity among audiences, scholars, and performers. Most critics agree that the Six Organ Sonatas demonstrate high artistic achievement, yet many researchers disagree on the proper classification for the compositions. Based on the specific date the pieces surfaced, their highly irregular rhythmic features, and the information from and about Mendelssohn as an organist and composer, the Six Organ Sonatas clearly represent compositions written in the

Romantic idiom. Moreover, a rhythmic trend developed in the mid-nineteenth century that allowed performers to utilize heightened levels of rhythmic irregularity.

Although Mendelssohn clearly instructed several rhythmic irregularities in his Six Organ

Sonatas , the scores fail to covey the full extent of rhythmic freedom that Mendelssohn likely envisioned or all of the rhythmic nuances organists in the nineteenth century likely utilized.

Therefore, a more historically-accurate way of performing Mendelssohn’s Six Organ Sonatas incorporates the addition of rhythmic freedom at the discretion of the performer. These additions include: ritardandos at cadential points, accelerandos at harmonically climatic places, fermatas at the ends of phrases to draw emphasis, and the application of tempo rubato.

Importantly, Mendelssohn clearly acknowledged the limitations of language, categorization, generalities, and he particularly disliked applying words to music. One author quotes Mendelssohn saying,

Words seem to me so ambiguous, so vague, so easily misunderstood in comparison to a piece of genuine music, which fills one’s soul with a thousand better things than words. What a piece of music I love expresses to me are not thoughts too vague to be contained in words, but rather too precise. Thus, I find in all attempts to express these thoughts something right but also in all of them something satisfactory, . . . because the 52

word does not mean to one person what it means to another, because only the song says the same thing to me, arouses the same feeling in him, as in another a feeling does not, however, express itself by means of the same words.78

The twentieth century created a narrative that portrayed Mendelssohn as strict in his approach to rhythm. As a conductor, indeed, his approach to rhythm remained strict, but as a performer

Mendelssohn embraced and encouraged rhythmic irregularity. Though he included many instructions in the score of Opus 65, he left much interpretation to the discretion of the performer.

78 Patrick Kavanaugh, “Felix Mendelssohn,” in Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1992), 76. 53

REFERENCES

Auner, Joseph. “New Music Taking Flight.” In Music in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries , 82-102. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013.

Davidson, Han. “Mendelssohn’s Sonatas, Op. 65, and the Graighead-Saunders Organ at the Eastman School of Music: Aspects of Performance Practice and Context,” In Mendelssohn, the Organ and the Music of the Past: Constructing Historical Legacies , edited by Jürgen Thym, 103-145, Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2014.

Edwards, Mark Douglas. “A Performer's study of Three Organ Sonatas from the Eighteenth to the twentieth centuries: Bach, Mendelssohn, and Hindemith.” DMA Document, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993.

Gerig, Reginald R. “The Schumann Circle,” In Famous Pianists and Their Technique, New Edition , 197-228. Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2007.

Gleason, Harold. “Contents” In Method of Organ Playing Eighth Edition, i-xi. Upper Saddle River. Prentice Hall, 1996.

Hudson, Richard. “Introduction” In Stolen Time, the History of Tempo Rubato . Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994.

Kavanaugh, Patrick. “Felix Mendelssohn,” In Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1992), 76.

Leupold, Wayne. “Preface: IV. Rhythmic Alternation.” In César Franck The Complete Organ Works Series I: Original Compositions Volume 2: Trios Pièces, Trios Chorals . xix-xxii. Colfax: Wayne Leupold Editions, 2002.

Little, Wm A. Mendelssohn and the Organ, New York :Oxford University Press, 2010.

Matthay, Tobias. “Section III The Element of Rubato,” In Musical Interpretation , 60-106. Boston: The Boston Music Company, 1913.

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix.“Six Organ Sonatas” In Complete Organ Works No. 2, edited by Christopher Albrecht, 84-92. Kassel: Barenreiter, 1993.

Small, Christopher. “Postlude: Was It a Good Performance and How Do You Know?” In Musicking The Meaning of Performing and Listening , 201-226. Middletown:Wesleyan University Press, 1998.

Taruskin, Richard. “The Pastness of the Present and Presence of the Past.” In Text and Act , 89-136. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.