Concerto for Violin and Strings (Mendelssohn)
Encyclopedia
The Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D minor
was composed by Felix Mendelssohn
at the age of thirteen. It has three movements.
The work has a duration of around 22 minutes.
comparable only to the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
. Besides being a brilliant piano
virtuoso
, his composition took a firm step forward in musical development. In the period when this concerto was composed (from 1821 to 1823 while aged 12 to 14) Mendelssohn composed twelve string symphonies that have often been ignored. At the age of eleven, he had written these works: a trio for strings, a violin and piano sonata, two piano sonatas and the beginning of a third, three more for four hands, four for organ, three songs (lieder), and a cantata. The string symphonies were very much influenced by his acquaintance with Carl Maria von Weber
, and in light of this his compositional output became of even greater quantity.
Mendelssohn wrote this violin concerto for Eduard Rietz, a beloved friend and teacher who would remain a lifetime partner, later serving as concertmaster for Mendelssohn's legendary performance of Johann Sebastian Bach
's St Matthew Passion, which has been thought to have resurrected Bach in the public image.
When Mendelssohn died, his widow gave the manuscript of the long forgotten concerto to Ferdinand David
, another close friend of Mendelssohn's and a leading violinist of the period, who in fact had premiered his beloved Violin Concerto in E minor
. It was passed down through the Mendelssohn family, barely noticed for almost a century.
, the violin virtuoso and former prodigy himself, was first shown the manuscript of the concerto in the spring of 1951 in London
by Albi Rosenthal, an amateur violinist and rare books dealer who had heard the prodigy Menuhin in his first concert in Munich.
He instantly found an interest in the concerto and bought the rights to it from members of the Mendelssohn family residing in Switzerland
, which he held for the rest of his life. This was not the first time he resurrected a concerto, for as a teenager he had premiered the "lost" Robert Schumann
Violin Concerto
in the USA. Menuhin edited the concerto for performance and had it published by Peters Edition.
On 4 February 1952, Menuhin introduced the concerto to a Carnegie Hall
audience with a "string Band", conducting the concerto from the violin. An orchestration of Giuseppe Tartini
's "Devil's Trill Sonata
" was also on the program. This was the first time Menuhin had directed an orchestra in New York
.
Menuhin played the work often in recital
, and made three recording
s of it. The first was made immediately after the New York premiere, with him conducting the RCA Victor String Orchestra (his conducting debut on record), the second made the following year with Sir Adrian Boult
and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the last in 1971 with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
.
admired its "lively jesting finale in the gypsy style", while the New York Sun called it "utterly delightful" and thanked Menuhin for bringing the manuscript to the world's attention. Menuhin himself loved the concerto and thought Mendelssohn was probably quite proud of it. He also found points of similarity with the later E minor Concerto. He said:
Though some have attempted to bring the concerto into the standard violin repertory as Menuhin did, it still has not taken hold as a major staple in the violin repertory, as the E minor Concerto is definitely overshadowing this one.
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
was composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
at the age of thirteen. It has three movements.
- Allegro
- Andante
- Allegro
The work has a duration of around 22 minutes.
Felix Mendelssohn, the prodigy
Mendelssohn was considered by many of his time to be a prodigyChild prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
comparable only to the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
. Besides being a brilliant piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
, his composition took a firm step forward in musical development. In the period when this concerto was composed (from 1821 to 1823 while aged 12 to 14) Mendelssohn composed twelve string symphonies that have often been ignored. At the age of eleven, he had written these works: a trio for strings, a violin and piano sonata, two piano sonatas and the beginning of a third, three more for four hands, four for organ, three songs (lieder), and a cantata. The string symphonies were very much influenced by his acquaintance with Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
, and in light of this his compositional output became of even greater quantity.
Mendelssohn wrote this violin concerto for Eduard Rietz, a beloved friend and teacher who would remain a lifetime partner, later serving as concertmaster for Mendelssohn's legendary performance of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's St Matthew Passion, which has been thought to have resurrected Bach in the public image.
When Mendelssohn died, his widow gave the manuscript of the long forgotten concerto to Ferdinand David
Ferdinand David (musician)
Ferdinand David was a German virtuoso violinist and composer.Born in the same house in Hamburg where Felix Mendelssohn had been born the previous year, David was raised Jewish but later converted to Christianity...
, another close friend of Mendelssohn's and a leading violinist of the period, who in fact had premiered his beloved Violin Concerto in E minor
Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 is his last large orchestral work. It forms an important part of the violin repertoire and is one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time...
. It was passed down through the Mendelssohn family, barely noticed for almost a century.
Menuhin resurrects the concerto
Yehudi MenuhinYehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
, the violin virtuoso and former prodigy himself, was first shown the manuscript of the concerto in the spring of 1951 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Albi Rosenthal, an amateur violinist and rare books dealer who had heard the prodigy Menuhin in his first concert in Munich.
He instantly found an interest in the concerto and bought the rights to it from members of the Mendelssohn family residing in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, which he held for the rest of his life. This was not the first time he resurrected a concerto, for as a teenager he had premiered the "lost" Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto (Schumann)
Robert Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23 was his only violin concerto and one of his last significant compositions, and one that remained unknown to all but a very small circle for more than 80 years after it was written.- Composition :...
in the USA. Menuhin edited the concerto for performance and had it published by Peters Edition.
On 4 February 1952, Menuhin introduced the concerto to a Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
audience with a "string Band", conducting the concerto from the violin. An orchestration of Giuseppe Tartini
Giuseppe Tartini
Giuseppe Tartini was an Italian baroque composer and violinist.-Biography:Tartini was born in Piran, a town on the peninsula of Istria, in the Republic of Venice to Gianantonio – native of Florence – and Caterina Zangrando, a descendant of one of the oldest aristocratic Piranian families.It...
's "Devil's Trill Sonata
Devil's Trill Sonata
The Violin Sonata in G minor, more famously known as the Devil's Trill Sonata is a famous work for solo violin by Giuseppe Tartini , famous for being extremely technically demanding, even today....
" was also on the program. This was the first time Menuhin had directed an orchestra in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Menuhin played the work often in recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
, and made three recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
s of it. The first was made immediately after the New York premiere, with him conducting the RCA Victor String Orchestra (his conducting debut on record), the second made the following year with Sir Adrian Boult
Adrian Boult
Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was...
and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the last in 1971 with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos is a Spanish conductor and composer.Frühbeck studied violin, piano, and composition at the conservatories of Bilbao and Madrid...
.
Reaction
The critics were pleased with the New York premiere. The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
admired its "lively jesting finale in the gypsy style", while the New York Sun called it "utterly delightful" and thanked Menuhin for bringing the manuscript to the world's attention. Menuhin himself loved the concerto and thought Mendelssohn was probably quite proud of it. He also found points of similarity with the later E minor Concerto. He said:
- "Both are in minor, in a somewhat tumultuous mood: The written out cadenzaCadenzaIn music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
s, of the second and third movements; a long solo passage of short notes in the last movement reminiscent of the passage of the third of the E minor which ushers in the recapitulation...
- "The Concerto in D minor is full of invention and not in any way inhibited by too-strict traditional concepts. It exhibits, in fact, a remarkable freedom and elasticity of form. There is, for instance, a condensation and amplification with Schubertarian modulations of the exposition in the recapitulation for the first movement, and also a completely spontaneous treatment of the third."
Though some have attempted to bring the concerto into the standard violin repertory as Menuhin did, it still has not taken hold as a major staple in the violin repertory, as the E minor Concerto is definitely overshadowing this one.
Sources
- Humphrey Burton. "Yehudi Menuhin - A Life". Northeastern University Press. 2000.
- Edition Peters. "Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in D Minor". Edited by Yehudi Menuhin. 1952.