Mendelssohn S Musical Education

This book is a study and critical edition of Mendelssohn's composition exercise book from his early period of study with Carl Friedrich Zelter (1819-1821). The workbook illustrates in considerable detail the young musician's struggle to master the rules of part writing and principles of counterpoint. Much of Zelter's systematic teaching method is grounded in the eighteenth-century theoretical tradition of Berlin; not surprisingly, the exercises bear the stamp of the music of J. S. Bach, which heavily influenced such Berlin musicians as C. P. E. Bach, C. F. C. Fasch, Marpurg, Kirnberger, Zelter and Mendelssohn. There is little doubt that the historicist attitude of the mature Mendelssohn - as seen in his efforts to revive the works of Bach and Handel and in his propensity toward strict contrapuntal techniques in his own music - was conditioned by these studies with Zelter. The publication of the workbook sheds new light on the early development of one ofthe most important nineteenth-century composers who, though affected by the new wave of romanticism that swept over Europe, never lost his respect for the past. No less important, the manuscript includes several previously unpublished pieces which rank among Mendelssohn's earliest compositions.

This collection of pieces for violin and piano is from a manuscript volume of early composition exercises which Mendelssohn began in 1819 and finished early in 1821 under the guidance of C. F. Zelter. Bach's influence is evident in the Andante and the two Fugues in contrast to the Movement in G minor which is scherzo-like and reminiscent of Haydn's humour. A critical edition of the entire workbook from which these pieces are taken is published as Mendelssohn's Musical Education, edited by R. Larry Todd (1983).

What is music education, and what ought it to be? By challenging narrow and inadequate conceptions of the field, Estelle Jorgensen raises the possibility of alternative views that can dignify the teacher's task, enrich and enliven the profession, and validate an exciting range of additional ways in which music education can be undertaken in the contemporary world. One of the most respected leaders in music education, Jorgensen emphasizes world music and ethnomusicology as equal partners alongside the more conventional sounds and styles that have dominated the classroom. Exemplifying sound scholarship, thorough research, and compelling argument, In Search of Music Education will be especially welcome wherever teachers strive to deal with requirements for responsible music education.

This volume charts Mendelssohn's astonishingly rapid stylistic development between 1823 and 1826.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This volume of essays brings together a selection of the most significant and representative writings on Mendelssohn from the last fifty years. Divided into four main subject areas, it makes available twenty-two essays which have transformed scholarly awareness of this crucial and ever-popular nineteenth-century composer and musician; it also includes a specially commissioned introductory chapter which offers a critical overview of the last half century of Mendelssohn scholarship and the direction of future research. The addition of new translations of two influential essays by Carl Dahlhaus, hitherto unavailable in English, adds to the value of this volume which brings back in to circulation important scholarly works and constitutes an indispensable reference work for Mendelssohn scholars.