Table of Contents
- 1 List of articles on Mendelssohn, the German composer of genius - an amazing family tree and his life, as well as recommended books to learn about his works.
- 1.1 Madoka Hino, "Mendelssohn - 'A Beautiful but Harsh Life'"
- 1.2 H. C. Volpus, "The Great Composer Mendelssohn.
- 1.3 The Mendelssohn Family: Three Generations of Jews.
- 1.4 About Moses Mendelssohn, grandfather of the great composer - The great work of the Jewish philosopher who was also respected by Kant
- 1.5 Abraham the Great Banker and the Prosperity of Mendelssohn's Bank
- 1.6 Tsuyoshi Yamashita, The Other Mendelssohn: The Life of Fanny Mendelssohn-Henzel
- 1.7 Shin-ichiro Ikebe, "Mendelssohn's Notes: Shin-ichiro Ikebe's 'New Mendelssohn Thoughts'".
- 1.8 Kyoko Nakano, The Secret Love of Artists: Mendelssohn, Andersen and Their Times
- 1.9 Hiromi Hoshino, Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony
- 1.10 Toshiro Nakajima, The English Way of Travel: From Grand Tours to Garden Culture
- 1.11 Mendelssohn (Yumejinkan 7)"
- 1.12 Shakespeare's "A Summer Night's Dream
- 1.13 The Impact of Mendelssohn's 20-Year-Old London Performance
- 1.14 Mendelssohn's Travels in Scotland and the Literary Connection
- 1.15 Mendelssohn and Goethe's exchange and friendship - Mendelssohn was strongly influenced by "Travels in Italy
- 1.16 Hiromi Hoshino, Mendelssohn's Religious Music.
- 2 Conclusion
List of articles on Mendelssohn, the German composer of genius - an amazing family tree and his life, as well as recommended books to learn about his works.
My first encounter with Mendelssohn was with the great Czech composer Smetana.
Hinomadoka's biography of Smetana was so interesting that I read this "Composer's Story Series" incessantly, and Mendelssohn was the person I can say I fell in love with the most.
Mendelsohn's upbringing and the way he lived his life. All of them were heartbreaking.
Of course I also love Smetana. Smetana and Mendelssohn are my particular favorite composers.
This series of works made me realize that I prefer Smetana and Mendelssohn, who were geniuses, but who were also serious and persistent in their work, to Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, and other maverick geniuses who were even insane (laugh).
Of course, the madness of great genius is also great to take in and appreciate as a work of art. I love it too. However, it is different if you can admire, respect, or like it as a human being.
In this sense, Smetana and Mendelssohn have become great men whom I respect.
Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, the son of a wealthy banker. The family moved to Berlin when Napoleon marched on the city. The Mendelssohn family became one of the most prosperous banking families in Germany, but they also suffered discrimination and persecution because of their Jewish background.
One of Mendelssohn's most famous pieces is "A Summer Night's Dream," based on Shakespeare's "A Summer Night's Dream. The following songs are among the most famous.
This song is associated with weddings, but I had no idea that it was Mendelssohn who wrote this song! This was a surprise.
And the video below is also a wonderful performance to listen to. Please take a look at the video, which also includes a commentary. This is Mendelssohn's masterpiece "Violin Concerto in E minor".
The following explanatory video about Mendelssohn is very clear and interesting, and we recommend this video as well. Please take a look at it. You can learn what kind of person Mendelssohn was and the characteristics of his music.
Now, Mendelssohn is such a favorite of mine, and in this article, I will introduce a list of Mendelssohn-related articles that have been introduced on this blog so far. Please also check out the links below for more detailed information on Mendelssohn.
So let's get started.
Madoka Hino, "Mendelssohn - 'A Beautiful but Harsh Life'"
This work is one of the "Composer's Story Series," and my first encounter with this series was with "Smetana" by Madoka Hino, which I picked up to learn about the life of the great Czech composer Smetana. I was not familiar with classical music, but I found this biography so interesting that I thought, "If I can read such an interesting biography, I would like to read more of this series to learn about the historical background of the time," and thus decided to pick up the "Composer's Story Series.
The narrative series of this composition is described as follows
First children's book to have full on-site coverage by a musician
This book makes you want to touch live music while reading it. It conveys a weight that could only have been written by someone who had interviewed the musicians in the field. I think that for a while, there will be no more biographies of musicians than this one. It is outstanding among recent biography publications for children, etc. ...... It has received the highest acclaim in various fields as an introductory book that can be shared with children and adults.
Librio Publishing, Hino Madoka, Brahms - "All Men Are Like Grass", 10th printing edition, 1999.
Although this book is said to be written as a children's book, this is an excellent and inspiring read for adults as well. As stated in the commentary above, "This book has received the highest acclaim in various fields as an introductory book that can be shared by children and adults.
This is a wonderful series that allows even those with little knowledge to learn about the life of the composer and the historical background of the time. It is truly an excellent introduction to the works of the best composers.
Mendelssohn was a child prodigy from an early age. His family was of good standing, and the high cultural standards of the Mendelssohn family attracted a distinguished lineup to the family salon. Mendelssohn grew up amidst the highest level of intellectuals of the time, including the linguist Humboldt, who founded the University of Berlin, the philosophers Hegel and Gans, the Brothers Grimm, famous for their Grimm fairy tales, and the writer Hoffmann. When I learned this, I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
It's all connected, he said.
Great people who later leave their mark on history are always connected to each other somewhere. But this is indeed too much of a connection! Moreover, later on, he was also connected with that Goethe by a firm friendship. I was indeed stunned by this.
I was overwhelmed by this biography to see how the world's greatest people lived such intertwined lives in the 19th century.
Truly interesting! This biography is the best way to enjoy such an overly dramatic life of Mendelssohn, told in Hinomadoka-san's style. Read this one already! You will not regret it! It is guaranteed to be a great reading experience!
(*But the crying point is that this book is already out of print and the only way to get it is to borrow it from the library or other sources. I would love to see it republished.)
*Addition on December 27, 2023
Finally, a new reissue of this out-of-print work is now available!
Biography of a Musician: An Introduction to Mendelssohn.The launch is titled
The contents have been renewed and upgraded.
It is one of the best books! Why not pick it up?
H. C. Volpus, "The Great Composer Mendelssohn.
This biography is an excellent introduction to Mendelssohn.
Mendelssohn's life is compactly summarized in about 130 pages, and yet it is easy to read and interesting.
The balance between readability and intensity of content is excellent.
The biography is richly illustrated and visually approachable.
Another unique feature of this biography is that after the biographical section, the author uses about 60 pages to introduce Mendelssohn's music.
This is very helpful in actually listening to his music. It introduces not only Mendelssohn's most famous pieces, but also some of his lesser-known masterpieces.
This book is an invaluable guide to Mendelssohn's music.
Also of interest are the reviews of Mendelssohn by prominent figures at the end of the book.
I was surprised that that Nietzsche praised Mendelssohn so highly.
The Mendelssohn Family: Three Generations of Jews.
This biography was also tremendous...! It is a miracle book! You will be amazed by the large amount of amazing things you will read.
The book tells the story of how the Mendelssohn family was an outstanding family. The storytelling is excellent and draws you in quickly. Anyway, it is very interesting.
The achievements of musician Felix Mendelssohn are so well known that they no longer need explanation.
But his grandfather Moses was a great man, even greater than him. And his father, Abraham, had founded a bank so large that it was at one time comparable to Rothschild's.
This was a shocking fact. I was particularly taken aback by the fact that my grandfather Moses was such a great philosopher that Kant respected him.
The musician Felix Mendelssohn was the result of such a combination of forces from his grandfather, father, and family. This was extremely interesting to read.
This biography was written in 1972 by an American Jewish American, Harvard Kupferberg. This book has played a tremendous role in the dearth of books on Mendelssohn in Japan. I felt that Ms. Madoka Hino's biography also gained a lot from this book.
This book is a work that gives a fairly detailed insight into Mendelssohn.
Madoka Hino's biography is a supremely interesting work of storytelling. And "Mendelssohn's People: Three Generations of Jews" is the perfect companion for those who want to learn more about Mendelssohn from there.
The synergy of reading these two biographies together is immeasurable.
I would highly recommend this book. It is not often that you come across a book of this caliber. This is a book that you should definitely pick up.
About Moses Mendelssohn, grandfather of the great composer - The great work of the Jewish philosopher who was also respected by Kant
In this article we will talk about Moses Mendelssohn, grandfather of composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Moses Mendelssohn was born in 1729 in the ghetto of Dessau. His father, though poor, ran a school for teachers and pupils in similar circumstances, as well as a religious writing business.
Despite these poor circumstances, Moses grew up with education from his father and rabbis (Jewish leaders).
Moses has displayed outstanding intelligence from an early age, and has a tremendous curiosity and academic orientation.
He left Dessau alone at the age of 14 for Berlin, the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. He rode alone to Berlin to study in the center of learning.
I can't go into too many details here, but I can tell you that despite his struggles, he gradually emerged as a person of intelligence and academic ambition, and met good friends and supporters.
And,
Moses Mendelssohn, the founder of the family, was a thin, intelligent-eyed, hunchbacked boy. After leaving the ghetto in Dessau, he became the most prominent Jew of the previous 500 years. He became a dominant philosopher and literary figure, writing books that were widely read at the time. Most importantly, although he did not plan it that way, he modernized Jewish religious practice, and created the clues that led to the establishment of Reform Judaism as we know it today.
Tokyo Sogensha, Harvard Kupferberg, translated by Ryoichi Yokomizo, The Mendelssohn Family: Three Generations of Jews.P7
The company will grow to the point where it is said to be the best in the world.
Even that Kant and Goethe praised Moses. Such a mature man was the grandfather of composer Mendelssohn.
Abraham the Great Banker and the Prosperity of Mendelssohn's Bank
In the article above, we talked about Moses Mendelssohn, grandfather of composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Moses was such a great philosopher that Kant respected him. He was so well known throughout Europe.
Moses had three such sons. The second son, Abraham, became the father of the composer Felix. This Abraham became a very successful banker, and the Mendelssohn Bank grew to become one of the leading banks in Germany. It was this vast wealth that made possible the highest level of education for Felix.
This article looks at the prosperity of the Mendelssohn family.
Tsuyoshi Yamashita, The Other Mendelssohn: The Life of Fanny Mendelssohn-Henzel
In previous articles, we have talked about the great composer Mendelssohn's grandfather Moses and father Abraham.
But the Mendelssohn family, a marvelous family, still has some fearsome talents.
That is the Fanny Mendelssohn we are introducing here.
Fanny is the four-year-old older sister of composer Felix Mendelssohn.
She was a person whose musical talent surpassed Felix's, and who supported him in his life as a musician behind the scenes.
However, due to the historical background and social conventions of the time, women musicians were rarely introduced to the world.
Then, in 1847, she died suddenly at a young age. Shocked by her death, Felix fainted, and six months later, he followed in her footsteps by dying of his own illness. The bond between the sisters was that strong.
In this article we will talk about Fanny Mendelssohn.
Shin-ichiro Ikebe, "Mendelssohn's Notes: Shin-ichiro Ikebe's 'New Mendelssohn Thoughts'".
The book is a work in the vein of Mendelssohn's masterpieces, with composer Shinichiro Ikebe providing commentary.
The narrative is quite light-hearted, as you can see in the introduction of the product in the article. It is very easy to read, not in a difficult philosophical way, but as if it were speaking to the reader.
To be honest, I have no musical experience, so I don't know anything about music theory, but I can tell from reading this book that my favorite Mendelssohn piece is like this and apparently this is a great place to start.
As I have rarely read books on music, it was a very interesting experience for me to read a book on music theory. It was very enjoyable to imagine that this is how music experts taste music while looking at sheet music.
I highly recommend this book for Mendelssohn lovers.
Kyoko Nakano, The Secret Love of Artists: Mendelssohn, Andersen and Their Times
It tells the story of three artists: Mendelssohn, a leading 19th century German musician; Andersen, famous for his fairy tales; and Jenny Lind, a Swedish diva.
Andersen is famous for his fairy tales, but I was quite surprised to learn that he was a contemporary of Mendelssohn. I am ashamed to admit that I had no idea when he wrote his masterpieces such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Girl Selling Matches," even though I knew of their existence. I thought they were written a long time ago, but I was surprised to learn that they were written in the 19th century. This surprised me.
And the key woman connecting these two, Jenny Lind.
Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale," was a popular diva all over the world. She was such a national star that she was later depicted on Swedish banknotes.
Felix Mendelssohn, the leading composer of the 19th century, Danish fairy tale writer Andersen, and Swedish diva Jenny Lind. These three great artists interweave in this story. And Kyoko Nakano's brushwork is brilliant and brilliant! Anyway, it is an interesting work! I read it so fast because it was so interesting.
This piece will certainly make you a fan of Mendelssohn. He is just so cool. He is very popular. I can see why Jenny Lind, the diva, would fall in love with him.
But she didn't fall in love with him simply because he was good looking, smart, or kind. Jenny Lind is also an artist. She is an overwhelmingly gifted artist, and she is suffering from the anguish of being a genius. Mendelssohn also had the same affliction. Perhaps it was because they understood each other that they were attracted to each other.
Such a delicate love story is told in this book.
Of course, Mendelssohn had a wife and children, so he never crossed the line. Mendelssohn was an overly serious person.
However, their union would have a profound impact on their musical activities.
You will also experience the intensity of the other main character, Andersen, in this book. I was surprised when I read it too. Andersen's boorishness in love with Lind is quite shocking. And the connection between such Andersen and Mendelssohn was also very interesting.
I recommend this book anyway. It is extremely interesting! You don't have to be a music fan to enjoy it!
We hope that you will pick up a copy of this work!
Hiromi Hoshino, Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony
Of all Mendelssohn's compositions, the Scottish Symphony is my favorite.
This book, which explains the song in detail, was very much appreciated by me.
The book is said to be based on the author Hiromi Hoshino's doctoral dissertation.
However, this book has been rewritten so that it can be easily understood by the general reader. So even someone like me, who has no knowledge of music, can easily read this book.
The section about Mendelssohn's trip to England and Scotland, which led to the creation of the "Scottish" symphony, was particularly interesting.
Mendelssohn made a grand trip to Scotland, England, in 1829, when he was 20 years old.
It was customary for the heirs of prominent families of the period to travel throughout Europe on what was known as the "Grand Tour". The purpose was to travel at a young age to gain experience and also to expand their personal network.
Mendelsohn also visited Scotland as part of such an educational trip.
And from the architecture he saw there, his "Scottish Symphony" would begin.
It was the ruined chapel of Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.
The inspiration he gained here started him on a 13-year journey of composing the "Scottish Symphony".
What surprised me when I read the book was how much Mendelssohn cherished this music and how he worked over and over again to write it.
In this book, you will learn that he did not write songs all at once from the inspiration he got in Scotland, but rather slowly built them up over a long period of time.
What did Mendelssohn's 20-year-old trip to England and Scotland mean to him?
And what was the journey like?
This book will actually make you want to see the English/Scottish landscape that Mendelssohn followed.
It was a very enjoyable read to learn how my favorite "Scottish Symphony" came to be.
Toshiro Nakajima, The English Way of Travel: From Grand Tours to Garden Culture
In the article above, we discussed German composer Mendelssohn's trip to England, which led to the creation of his masterpiece "Scotland."
Mendelssohn was born the son of a large Jewish banker and left for England at the age of 20. He continued on an extended trip to Paris and Italy.
These long trips around Europe were called grand tours (culture tours) and became a kind of rite of passage for the wealthy youth of the time.
The English Way of Travel: From Grand Tours to Garden Culture" by Toshiro Nakajima is truly an excellent book to learn about the history and meaning of this travel. It is an excellent book to learn about the historical background of the time and how the English, French, and Germans thought of Italy as a city of art.
Mendelssohn (Yumejinkan 7)"
Mendelssohn was called a child prodigy on par with Mozart and showed outstanding talent from an early age, but he also had a talent for painting.
In this art book, you can enjoy such wonderful paintings by Mendelssohn.
Here are some of them.
Here is the picture that appeared on the cover of the book. It is amazing that this is a work by the composer Mendelssohn. The precision of the subject matter, the tenderness of the colors, and the exquisite composition all make it look like a professional painting. I was shocked when I saw it for the first time.
Mendelssohn loved to paint landscapes. And his sense of visual art was applied to music as well.
As I mentioned above, my favorite Mendelssohn piece is "Scotland".
The first and second movements of this piece in particular are music that seems to bring the scenery to mind. Please listen to this music. Mendelssohn is sometimes referred to as a "sound landscape painter," and I felt that this was a very apt name.
In this book, you can read various explanations about these Mendelssohn paintings. It is the best book to learn the connection between Mendelssohn's music and his paintings.
Shakespeare's "A Summer Night's Dream
If we talk about Mendelssohn, we cannot miss this Shakespeare work.
This work will be a slapstick comedy about a love quadrangle between four young men and women and the fairies who stir it up even more.
As the title suggests, the story unfolds in a magical way that is exactly like dreaming.
The translator Tsunsen Fukuda said in his commentary, "The impression after reading the book is as fertile as a 'dream.
In fact, this work is such a satisfying experience.King Lear"andMacbeth."It is a work that can be enjoyed with a casual laugh rather than following a heavy storyline as in the case of
And in this work, I want to tell you especially about the relationship with the German composer Mendelssohn.
Mendelssohn loved this work since childhood. At the age of 16, he played it with his brothers and friends, and by the time he was 17, he had completed the overture to "A Summer Night's Dream.
One can only marvel at Mendelssohn's overwhelming talent to complete this piece at the age of 17. It is no wonder that Mendelssohn is praised as a talent comparable to Mozart.
And I was surprised to see in the comments section of this video that this song was also used in the Doraemon movie. Indeed, I felt that way when I thought back on it. This was a surprise.
Mendelssohn remained attached to "A Summer Night's Dream," and between 1841 and 1843 he began working in earnest on the incidental music for this work.
And here is one of the most famous of the completed songs.
Everyone knows this melody from "A Summer Night's Dream," which was written by Mendelssohn for a wedding. This melody that everyone knows was written by Mendelssohn for "A Summer Night's Dream". I was really surprised when I learned this fact.
The fact that my favorite Mendelssohn loved this work makes me love "A Summer Night's Dream" even more.
A Summer Night's Dream" isHamlet."andOthello.", ,The Merchant of Venice.It may not be as well-known as some of his more famous works, such as the "Mendelssohn", but I love this work. But I love it. I might even say that it is my favorite piece now that I am hooked on Mendelssohn. It is just a funny and lovable work. The "spaniel" and the "stone wall" in this work are already so lovable. It is a dreamy and enjoyable play that makes your heart lighten up.
I never thought I would find a Shakespeare play that made me laugh so much. I will tell you more about why this play is so funny in this article, so please check out the link!
I would highly recommend this work!
The Impact of Mendelssohn's 20-Year-Old London Performance
Mendelssohn's trip to England and Scotland took place in 1829, when he was 20 years old.
In London, at the beginning of his stay in England, he conducted a concert. It is said that the reception and success of the concert was one of the few in the history of British music.
This article will introduce such Mendelssohn London performances with reference to his biography "The Mendelssohns: Three Generations of Jews".
If you read this, you will surely be surprised at what an outstanding conductor and performer Mendelssohn was. Mendelssohn was also the reason why the conductor's stick, which is used as a matter of course nowadays, came into wide use. The modern conducting style was developed by Mendelssohn. I will talk about this episode in this article.
Mendelssohn's Travels in Scotland and the Literary Connection
This article is written by Hiromi HoshinoMendelssohn's Scottish Symphony.We will look at his trip to Scotland with reference to the
His trip to Scotland was not just for the sake of sightseeing, but also with the firm purpose of furthering his literary education.
Walter Scott, one of Scotland's most famous writers, and Goethe, the great German poet.
Mendelssohn was a musician with a very deep knowledge of literature.
This article will discuss such connections between Mendelssohn's travels and literature.
I highly recommend this article as it will discuss how the "Scottish Symphony" was created.
Mendelssohn and Goethe's exchange and friendship - Mendelssohn was strongly influenced by "Travels in Italy
Goethe and Mendelssohn.
I feel that the friendship between the two geniuses was deep beyond their age.
Indeed, both are all-around geniuses who transcend the breadth of literature and music.
It is romantic to imagine that there was something that only the two of them knew.
I love both Goethe and Mendelssohn.
Feeling that connection was a very happy time for me.
I hope this article has given you some idea of the appeal of Goethe and Mendelssohn.
Hiromi Hoshino, Mendelssohn's Religious Music.
The author, Hiromi Hoshino, is also mentioned above.Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony.He is also the author of
This work, "Mendelssohn's Religious Music: From Bach's Resurrection to the Oratorios "Paul" and "Elijah,"" will focus on Mendelssohn's religious music.
The video above is "Paul" and below is "Elijah".
As you can see from the video time, it is a huge work.
It is very difficult to listen to all of them. I borrowed a CD and tried to listen to it, but I could only listen to parts of it.
Another difficulty was the fact that, as religious music, it was more difficult to approach than "Scottish" or "Italian" music. I think "Paul" and "Elijah" are not easy to listen to.
However, if you read Hiromi Hoshino's "Mendelssohn's Religious Music: From Bach's Resurrection to the Oratorios "Paul" and "Elijah,"" you will learn what the intention was in writing these pieces and what makes them unique and wonderful.
This is a great guide to listening to these songs. It has made me very interested in these songs.
After all, if you tell us the background behind the song's creation and the points of enjoyment, the image will definitely change, won't it?
This book is a great guide to enjoy Mendelssohn's religious music. To be honest, I am not a musician, so I don't know detailed music theory. But I still enjoyed reading this book.
A quick glance at the title might make you think it is a difficult book, but it is a surprisingly easy read.
Conclusion
My encounter with classical music began with Madoka Hino's biography of Smetana.
I had never been interested in classical music, but I never expected to be so hooked.
And among them, the most significant was still the chance to meet Mendelssohn...!
Why was I so attracted to him?
There are so many things to consider, not only his music, but also his life, his character, and his connection to literature, but I am sure that the information presented in this article will give you an idea of his appeal.
I feel that my view of European history and culture has changed again after encountering classical music.
It was truly a wonderful meeting.
I would be happy if everyone could experience the charm of Mendelssohn.
The above is a list of articles on Mendelssohn, the German genius composer - including his amazing family tree, his life, and recommended books to learn about his works.
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