{"id":1989,"date":"2009-02-28T00:14:48","date_gmt":"2009-02-28T08:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2009-03-03T12:09:27","modified_gmt":"2009-03-03T20:09:27","slug":"mendelssohn-profundity-without-angst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/02\/28\/mendelssohn-profundity-without-angst\/","title":{"rendered":"mendelssohn – profundity without angst?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I got back a couple hours ago from working on the great op. 13 quartet of the young Felix Mendelssohn, and it never fails to amaze me how great a composer he is without often falling into the Germanic need for angst and suffering in his art.\u00c2\u00a0 One of my favorite parts of the quartet is the slow introduction which opens the work, and which then reappears at the very close, book-ending the piece.\u00c2\u00a0 It turns out that the tune of the introduction is borrowed from one of his early op. 9 songs (No. 1 Frage <\/em>or Question<\/em>).\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a lovely little setting of a text by Mendelssohn’s friend Johnann Heinrich Voss: <\/em><\/p>\n

Ist es wahr? Ist es wahr?
\nDa\u00c3\u0178 du stets dort in dem Laubgang,
\nAn der Weinwand meiner harrst?
\nUnd den Mondschein und die Sternlein
\nAuch nach mir befragst?
\nIst es wahr? Sprich!
\nWas ich f\u00c3\u00bchle, das begreift nur,
\nDie es mit f\u00c3\u00bchlt,
\nUnd die treu mir ewig,
\nTreu mir ewig, ewig bleibt.<\/em><\/p>\n

Is it true? Is it true
\nthat over there in the leafy walkway, you always
\nwait for me by the vine-draped wall?
\nAnd that with the moonlight and the little stars
\nyou consult about me also?
\nIs it true? Speak!
\nWhat I feel, only she grasps —
\nshe who feels with me
\nand stays ever faithful to me,
\neternally faithful.<\/em><\/p>\n

Translation \u00c2\u00a9 Emily Ezust<\/em><\/p>\n

\"255439x\"<\/a>
\n[click to enlarge]
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

This also reminds me (the use of this song and its melodic contour) of the Beethoven Op. 135 Quartet, with its Mu\u00ce\u00b2 es Sein?<\/em> and Es Mu\u00ce\u00b2 Sein!<\/em> (Must it Be? It Must Be!) motives.\u00c2\u00a0 The shadow of Beethoven is all over this work, but Mendelssohn imbues it with his usual golden sunlight (and elfin moonlight, in the case of the trio to the third movement Intermezzo<\/em>) and there is little fuss, only endless and effortless beauty.<\/p>\n

Here’s how it sounds in the quartet version (in the incomparable version recorded by the Guarneri Quartet in 1966 (now reissued by Sony Classical): [audio:http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/audio\/op13-01.mp3]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I got back a couple hours ago from working on the great op. 13 quartet of the young Felix Mendelssohn, and it never fails to amaze me how great a composer he is without often falling into the Germanic need for angst and suffering in his art.\u00c2\u00a0 One of my favorite parts of the quartet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[148,564,136,299,186,115],"tags":[361,1186],"class_list":["post-1989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appreciations","category-audio","category-chamber-music","category-conducting","category-labor-issues","category-music","tag-mendelssohn","tag-quartet"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-w5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2038,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/03\/03\/mendelssohn-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":1989,"position":0},"title":"mendelssohn update","author":"Charles Noble","date":"March 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I added an audio example to the Mendelssohn A minor Quartet op. 13 post of a few days ago, as well as a sheet music page of the op. 9 song upon which the op. 13 introduction is based.\u00c2\u00a0 Good stuff! Mendelssohn and Schumann: String Quartets","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"51kwag4h4ql_sl160_","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/51kwag4h4ql_sl160_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7474,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/04\/03\/full-emerson-quartet-concert-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":1989,"position":1},"title":"full emerson quartet concert video","author":"Charles Noble","date":"April 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I stumbled upon this concert video of the Emerson Quartet while randomly looking at videos on Vimeo.com. It's a great program (taped at Concordia Conservatory in New York City): Haydn's Op. 33 No. 3 \"The Bird\", Mendelssohn's great A minor, Op. 13 \"Ist es wahr?\", and Beethoven's Op. 59 No.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "soloists & recitals"","block_context":{"text":"soloists & recitals","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/soloists-recitals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12499,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2013\/02\/24\/mousai-remix-plays-ivories-tonight\/","url_meta":{"origin":1989,"position":2},"title":"mousai remix plays ivories tonight","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Playing their continuing series of the complete string quartets of Felix Mendelssohn (along with those of Debussy, Ravel, and Prokfiev), Mousai Remix continue their sophomore season at Ivories Jazz Lounge tonight, February 24th, at 7:00 p.m. with Prokofiev's Quartet in B minor, Op. 50 and Mendelssohn's Op. 44 no. 3.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "chamber music"","block_context":{"text":"chamber music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/chamber-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mousai Remix - Photo: Steve Neighorn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/mousaiLaughinBW.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2435,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/04\/26\/arnica-quartet-in-salem-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":1989,"position":3},"title":"arnica quartet in salem today","author":"Charles Noble","date":"April 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're looking for something to do today that involves great chamber works, then seeing the Arnica Quartet at the Salem Public Library might be just the ticket.\u00c2\u00a0 What's more, the concert is FREE!\u00c2\u00a0 We're being presented by Camerata Musica of Salem, and the program features three great works for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "chamber music"","block_context":{"text":"chamber music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/chamber-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1951,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/02\/17\/when-time-off-isnt-really\/","url_meta":{"origin":1989,"position":4},"title":"when time off isn’t, really","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Wow, time is flying by!\u00c2\u00a0 I was just getting my music together for upcoming non-OSO performances, and realized that a quartet concert with the Rovetti Quartet in Astoria's Liberty Theater is taking place very soon - March 1st.\u00c2\u00a0 As they say in the old country - holy crap! Liberty Theater\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "chamber music"","block_context":{"text":"chamber music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/chamber-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"17721680_3f59b17eff_o","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/17721680_3f59b17eff_o-200x266.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8026,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/11\/13\/octetlandia-tonight-1113\/","url_meta":{"origin":1989,"position":5},"title":"octetlandia tonight (11\/13)!","author":"Charles Noble","date":"November 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Tonight, the excellent, young (two years old) 45th Parallel ensemble joins forces with the Arnica Quartet to perform three octets by three very different composers. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Church [map + directions]. You can purchase tickets online here, or at the door before the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "chamber music"","block_context":{"text":"chamber music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/chamber-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/45thParallel-logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}