Mendelssohn: Choral Works

Featuring

Matthias Jung
Sächsisches Vocalensemble
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Did you know?

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Performer Biography

The Saxon Vocal Ensemble, founded by Matthias Jung in 1996, won the Cannes Classical Award in 2002 for their CD 'Johann Sebastian Bach - The Motets'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mendelssohn intended his secular part-songs to be sung outdoors, surrounded by nature, as indicated by his instruction "To be sung in the open air."

Composer Biography

Mendelssohn, who was also a talented painter and draftsman, did not finish drawing the singers in his artwork because he did not consider himself skilled enough at drawing people.

Compositional Technique

Mendelssohn's part-songs achieve a folk-like character through tuneful melodies and a harmonic range that generally stays within basic functions, while also incorporating subtle contrapuntal devices.

Album & Artwork

The cover art for this album features a drawing by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy himself, depicting a forest scene that inspired him during an outdoor performance of his songs.

Composition History

Mendelssohn's first volume of secular part-songs, published in 1839 as Op. 41, was initially considered a work for a particular occasion, and he jokingly called them his "little pets."

Composer Biography

Mendelssohn often took liberties with the literary sources for his songs, even omitting verses that conflicted with the musical flow, despite setting texts by great German poets like Goethe and Schiller.