Mendelssohn, the Organ, and the Music of the Past - (Eastman Studies in Music) by Jürgen Thym (Hardcover)

About the Book

Examines Mendelssohn's relationship to the past, shedding light on the construction of historical legacies that, in some cases, served to assert German cultural supremacy only two decades after the composer's death.

Book Synopsis

By upbringing, family connections, and education, Felix Mendelssohn was ideally positioned to contribute to the historical legacies of the German people, who in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars discovered that they were a nation with a distinct culture. The number of cultural icons of German nationalism that Mendelssohn "discovered," promoted, or was asked to promote (by way of commissions) in his compositions is striking: Gutenberg and the invention of the printing press, Dürer and Nuremberg, Luther and the Augsburg Confession as the manifesto of Protestantism, Bach and the St. Matthew Passion, Beethoven and his claims to universal brotherhood.
The essays in this volume investigate Mendelssohn's relationship to the music of the past from a variety of perspectives, including the pervasive presence of Bach's music within the larger Mendelssohn family, the influence of Beethoven in the Reformation Symphony, and Mendelssohn's compositions for organ and his relationship to English organs in particular. Together, they shed light on the construction of legacies that, in some cases, served to assert German cultural supremacy only two decades after the composer's death in 1847.

Contributors: Celia Applegate, John Michael Cooper, Hans Davidsson, Wm. A. Little, Peter Mercer-Taylor, Siegwart Reichwald, Glenn Stanley, Russell Stinson, Benedict Taylor, Nicholas Thistlethwaite, Jürgen Thym, R. Larry Todd, Christoph Wolff

Jürgen Thym is professor emeritus of musicology at the Eastman School of Music and editor of Of Poetry and Song: Approaches to the Nineteenth-Century Lied (University of Rochester Press, 2010).

Review Quotes

[The chapters] illuminate and expand ideas of Mendelssohn's place as a composer, performer, and ultimately caretaker of musical history. [Davidsson's chapter, ] a substantial look at Opus 65 in historical context, performance, and registrations [is] alone worth the price of the volume. This book displays the important of [Mendelssohn's] legacy in a new light. It should be on every musician's shelf. Highly recommended.-- "JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ANGLICAN MUSICIANS"

An engaging and important collection of studies for anyone interested in Mendelssohn and his music. Jürgen Thym's Introduction 'Of Statues and Monuments' eloquently sets the scene. The reader will find many interconnections between the separate essays. . . . sections on registration, style and phrasing offer fresh insights on the interpretation of the sonatas.-- "ORGAN AUSTRALIA"

An excellent compilation of [previously unpublished] essays on Mendelssohn, where his life and work are explored as well as his role in the recovery and preservation of musical traditions of the past from a musicological point of view. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the work is its possible practical application, which is very evident in the extensive chapter [by Hans Davidsson] on the organ. Interesting connections are created between chapters, with some anticipating topics that are later developed further.-- "DOCE NOTAS"

Breathtaking in its erudition and thoroughness. Though particularly of use to organists . . . this volume reflects the sort of full-orbed consideration of music that musicologists prize, music studied in terms of analysis, cultural history, and contemporary context. An excellent addition to academic music libraries as well as the private collections of musicologists.-- "MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES"

This book has on the one hand broad appeal because of the breadth of its coverage and on the other hand scholarly depth made possible by its commitment to specialized work. . . . [A]n important contribution to Mendelssohn studies that will remain valuable for many years to come.-- "AMERICAN ORGANIST"

Brings together papers by a group of centrally important scholars. The book offers a diverse spread of topics covering background history, biography, and repertoire, employing a nice variety of approaches. These essays open up new areas for further work. ----Douglass Seaton, Warren D. Allen Professor of Music, Florida State University