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Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)

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Violin Concerto
byFelix Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn in 1846 byEduard Magnus
KeyE minor
Opus64
Year1844(1844)
PeriodRomantic
GenreConcerto
Composed1838(1838)–1844
Movements3
ScoringViolin and orchestra
Premiere
Date13 March 1845(1845-03-13)
LocationLeipzig

Felix Mendelssohn'sViolin ConcertoinE minor,Op.64,MWVO 14, is his lastconcerto.Well received at its premiere, it has remained among the most prominent and highly-regardedviolin concertos.It holds a central place in theviolinrepertoire and has developed a reputation as an essential concerto for all aspiring concert violinists to master, and usually one of the firstRomantic eraconcertos they learn.[1][2][3]A typical performance lasts just under half an hour.

Mendelssohn originally proposed the idea of the violin concerto toFerdinand David,a close friend and thenconcertmasterof theLeipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.Although conceived in 1838, the work took another six years to complete and was notpremiereduntil 1845. During this time, Mendelssohn maintained a regular correspondence with David, who gave him many suggestions. The work itself was one of the foremost violin concertos of the Romantic era and was influential on many other composers.

Although the concerto consists of threemovementsin a standard fast–slow–fast structure and each movement follows a traditionalform,it was innovative and included many novel features for its time. Distinctive aspects include the almost immediate entrance of the violin at the beginning of the work (rather than following an orchestral preview of the first movement's major themes, as was typical inClassical-era concertos) and thethrough-composedform of the concerto as a whole, in which the three movements are melodically and harmonically connected and playedattacca(each movement immediately following the previous one without any pauses).

Many violinists have recorded the concerto and it is performed in concerts andclassical music competitions.It was recorded byNathan Milsteinand theNew York Philharmonicasan albumand released as the firstLP recordupon the format's introduction in 1948.[4]

History[edit]

Ferdinand David, the violinist who premiered the piece and whose collaboration was essential for the concerto's birth

Following his appointment in 1835 as principalconductorof theLeipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,[5]Mendelssohn named his childhood friendFerdinand Davidas the orchestra'sconcertmaster.[6]The work's origins derive from this professional collaboration. In a letter dated 30 July 1838, Mendelssohn wrote to David: "I should like to write a violin concerto for you next winter. One in E minor runs through my head, the beginning of which gives me no peace."[7][8]

The concerto took another six years to complete. There are many possible reasons for the delay, including self-doubt,[9]histhird symphony[10]and an unhappy period in Berlin after a request from KingFrederick William IV of Prussia.[11]Nevertheless, Mendelssohn and David kept up a regular correspondence during this time,[7]with Mendelssohn seeking technical and compositional advice. Indeed, this violin concerto was the first of many to have been composed with the input of a professional violinist, and would influence many future collaborations.[10]Theautograph scoreis dated 16 September 1844, but Mendelssohn was still seeking advice from David until its premiere.[6]The concerto was first performed inLeipzigon 13 March 1845 with Ferdinand David as soloist. Mendelssohn was unable to conduct due to illness and the premiere was conducted by the Danish composerNiels Gade.[10]Mendelssohn first conducted the concerto on 23 October 1845 again with Ferdinand David as soloist.[10]

An autograph manuscript of the concerto re-emerged in 1989 in theBiblioteka JagiellonskainKraków,leading to some scholarly scepticism of the veracity ofBreitkopf & Härtel's 1862 edition of the published score. Some notable differences include the tempo character of the first movement being handwritten as "Allegro con fuoco"(meaning: with fire) rather than the published"Allegro molto appassionato"(very impassioned) as well as significant differences in the solo violin's passage-work.[12]

Instrumentation[edit]

I. Allegro molto appassionato
II. Andante
III. Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace
Performed by the Hankyung Arte Philharmonic
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The work is scored for solo violin and a standard orchestra of its period, consisting of twoflutes,twooboes,twoclarinetsin A, twobassoons,twonatural horns,twonatural trumpets,timpani,andstrings.[3][10]

Movements[edit]

The concerto consists of three movements with the followingtempomarkings:

  1. Allegromolto appassionato (E minor)
  2. Andante (C major)
  3. Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace (E major)

Allegro molto appassionato[edit]

12–14 minutes

\relative c''' {\set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"violin" \tempo "Allegro molto appassionato" 2 = 100 \key e \minor \time 2/2 \partial 2 b4.\p b8 b2( g4) e' e2( b4_) g'( fis e c e) b2. b4 c(b8 a8) a4 a e'2.( b4) c( b8 a) a4 a dis2 }

Instead of an orchestraltutti,the concerto opens with the almost immediate entry of the solo violin, playing the very tune inE minorthat gave Mendelssohn no peace.[13]Following abravuraof rapidly ascending notes, the opening theme is then restated by the orchestra.[10]There is then a freneticchromatictransition passage[10]as the music subsides andmodulatesinto a tranquil second subject theme inG major.[14]The melody is initially played by the woodwinds with the soloist providing apedalnote on anopen G string.[13]The tune is played by the solo violin itself before a shortcodettaends theexpositionsection of the opening movement. The opening two themes are then combined in thedevelopmentsection, where the music builds up to the innovativecadenza,which Mendelssohn wrote out in full rather than allowing the soloist to improvise.[6]The cadenza builds up speed through rhythmic shifts fromquaverstoquaver-tripletsand finally tosemiquavers,[9]which require ricochet bowing from the soloist.[15]This serves as a link to therecapitulation,where the opening melody is played by the orchestra, accompanied by the continuing ricochet arpeggios by the soloist. During the recapitulation, the opening themes are repeated with the second theme being played in the E major before returning to E minor for the closing of the movement. The music gathers speed into the coda, which is marked "Presto",[15]before a variant of the original chromatic transition passage ends the first movement.

Andante[edit]

7–9 minutes

\relative c'' {\set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"violin" \tempo "Andante" 8 = 100 \key c \major \time 6/8 e4. f8( d b) a'4. g4. ~~ g8) f( e d a f') e4.( d4) r8 g,8( c e) d4( b16 a) g8( c e) d4( b16 a) g8\<( c e\!) g4( e16 d) c8( a f') d4}

The bassoon sustains its B from the final chord of the first movement before moving up asemitonetomiddle C.[10]This serves as a key change from the E minor opening movement into the lyricalC majorslow movement. The movement is internary formand is reminiscent of Mendelssohn's ownSongs Without Words.[9]The theme to the darker, middle section inA minor[14]is first introduced by the orchestra before the violin then takes up both the melody and the accompaniment simultaneously. Thetremulousaccompaniment[10]requires nimble dexterity from the soloist before the music returns to the main lyrical C major theme, this time leading towards a serene conclusion.

Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace[edit]

6–7 minutes

\relative c'' {\set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"violin" \tempo "Allegro molto vivace" 2 = 80 \key e \major \time 4/4 \partial 4 gis16\p( b_"leggiero" e gis b8-.) ais16( cis b8-.) e-.( b-. gis-. e-. fis-. gis-.) fisis16 (a! gis8) b-.( gis-. e-. b-.) dis16( cis b8) fis'16(e b8) dis16( cis b8) fis'16(dis b8) dis16( cis b8)}

Following the second movement, there is a brief fourteen-bar transitional passage in E minor for solo violin and strings only.[15]This leads into the lively and effervescent finale, the whole of which is in E major and whose opening is marked by atrumpetfanfare.[10]This movement is insonata rondo form[14]with an opening theme requiring fast passage work from the soloist. The opening exposition leads into a brief secondB major[9]theme which is played by the soloist and builds to a series of rapidly ascending and descending arpeggios, reminiscent of the cadenza from the first movement. The orchestra then plays a variation of the opening melody, after which the music moves into a short development section inG major.[9]The recapitulation is essentially similar to the exposition, apart from the addition of acounter-melodyin the strings. The second theme is repeated, this time in the home key of E major. There is almost a small cadenza near the end of the movement when the woodwinds play the main tune against prolonged trills from the solo violin.[9]The concerto then concludes with a frenetic coda.

Analysis[edit]

The concerto is innovative in many respects. In the first movement alone, Mendelssohn departs from the typical form of a Classical concerto in many ways, the most immediate being the entry of the soloist almost from the outset, which also occurs in hisFirst Piano Concerto.[13]Although the first movement is mostly in the conventionalsonata form,Mendelssohn has the first theme played by the solo violin and then by the orchestra. Classical concertos typically opened with an orchestral introduction followed by a version of essentially the same material that incorporates the soloist.[10]

The cadenza is also novel in that it is written out as part of the concerto[9]and located before the recapitulation.[10]In a typical Classical concerto, the cadenza is improvised by the performing soloist and occurs at the end of a movement, after the recapitulation and just before the final coda. Mendelssohn's written cadenza was not included in the first published version of the concerto, but instead a "streamlined" version by Ferdinand David without thecontrapuntalcomplexity of the original. This is the most played version today, although some artists, e.g.Arabella Steinbacher,play Mendelssohn's original.[16]Joshua Bellperforms the concerto with his own cadenza.[17]

The violin concerto stands out from previous concertos with its connected movements.[9]There is no break between the first and second movements, with a bassoon note held between the two.[10]The bridging passage between the last two movements begins almost immediately after the slow movement. The melody is similar to that of the opening, which hints at thecyclic formof the piece.[18]The linking was designed to eliminate applause between movements. This would have come as a surprise to Mendelssohn's audience, who, unlike today's, were used to applauding between movements.[10]

The concerto also calls on the soloist to function as an accompanist to the orchestra for extended periods, such as the ricochet arpeggios at the start of the recapitulation. This too was novel for a violin concerto of its time.[9]

Legacy[edit]

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto influenced the concertos of many other composers, who adopted aspects of it in their own concertos.[13]

For example, the unusual placement of thecadenzabefore therecapitulationis reflected in the violin concerto ofTchaikovsky(where the cadenza is similarly placed) and the violin concerto ofSibelius(where the cadenza serves to extend the development section).[9]Moreover, following this concerto it was very rare for a composer to leave a cadenza unwritten for the soloist to improvise as in the days ofMozartandBeethoven.[13]The linking of the three movements also influenced other concertos, such asLiszt'sSecond Piano Concerto.[9]

The concerto itself was an instant success, warmly received at its premiere and well received by contemporary critics.[19]By the end of the nineteenth century, the piece was already considered one of the greatest violin concertos in the repertoire.[9]It would become one of Mendelssohn's most popular pieces, and was still regularly performed even when interest in his music declined in the early twentieth century.[5]In 1906, the year before his death, the celebrated violinistJoseph Joachimtold the guests at his 75th birthday party:[10]

The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising isBeethoven's.Theone by Brahmsvies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was writtenby Max Bruch.But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's.

The work has developed a reputation as an essential one for aspiring violin virtuosi to conquer.[20]This has led to its becoming virtually ubiquitous in the discography of concert violinists, even including those who were only active at the very dawn of recorded sound and of whom very little recorded music exists, such asEugène Ysaÿe.[21]Even so, it remains technically challenging and is generally considered to be as difficult as many other famous counterparts.[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^"BBC Mendelssohn Profile".Retrieved26 April2007.
  2. ^Dane, J."Facility & Mastery: Felix Mendelssohn".University of Chicago.Retrieved28 April2007.
  3. ^abMendelssohn, F.Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64,Dover Miniature Scores (1999)
  4. ^Murphy, Colleen "Cosmo" (n.d.)."The Art of the Album Part One".Classic Album Sundays.Retrieved3 June2020.
  5. ^abMercer-Taylor, P. J.The Cambridge Companion to Mendelssohn,CUP (2004)
  6. ^abc"Ferdinand David",The Musical Times,Vol. 47, No. 761
  7. ^abDr. Rietz, J.Letters of Felix Mendelssohn, 1833–1847,Ayer (1970)
  8. ^Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix; Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Paul; Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Karl; Rietz, Julius (1863).Briefe aus den Jahren 1830 bis 1847(in German). Vol. 2. Getty Research Institute. Leipzig: H. Mendelssohn. p. 174.
  9. ^abcdefghijklKeefe, Simon P.The Cambridge Companion to the Concerto,CUP (2005)
  10. ^abcdefghijklmnoSteinberg, Michael.The Concerto: A Listener's Guide,OUP (1998)
  11. ^Jacobson, J. H.The Classical Music Experience,Sourcebooks, Inc. (2002)
  12. ^Stowell, Robin (26 July 2001).The Early Violin and Viola: A Practical Guide.Cambridge University Press. p. 152.ISBN978-0-521-62555-5.Retrieved29 August2017.
  13. ^abcdeKerman, J.Concerto Conversations,HUP (1999)
  14. ^abcStowell R.The Cambridge Companion to the Violin,CUP (1992)
  15. ^abcMendelssohn, F.Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64,Bärenreiter (2005)
  16. ^Program notes,New York Philharmonic,October 2013
  17. ^Program notes,New York Philharmonic, December 2015
  18. ^Wilson, C.Notes on Mendelssohn: 20 Crucial Works,Eerdmans Books (2005)
  19. ^Mendelssohn, F.Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64,Eulenberg Miniature Scores
  20. ^Reel, J."All Things Strings: Give it a Break".Strings Magazine(147). Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2007.Retrieved5 October2007.
  21. ^Monsaingeon, B. (Director) and NVC ArtsGreat Performances – The Art of the Violin,Warner Music Vision [DVD] (2000)
  22. ^"Violin Masterclass' Graded Repertoire".Archived fromthe originalon 17 May 2007.Retrieved24 April2007.

External links[edit]

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