On Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most remarkable examples of music inspired by literature, and a brilliant mix of romantic imagination and classical form.

Mendelssohn was born into a rich and successful banking family in Hamburg, Germany, in 1809. The Mendelssohns were both deeply intellectual and artistic; Felix’s paternal grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, was perhaps the foremost Jewish philosopher of the Enlightenment and a colleague of Immanuel Kant and G.E. Lessing, among others. Moses fought hard for religious tolerance and the assimilation of German Jews into German society. Sadly, history has shown that his efforts weren’t successful, and Mendelssohn’s family converted to Catholicism or Protestantism for the sake of self-preservation. The Nazis had a way of unearthing Jewish roots, and 100 years later, Mendelssohn’s glorious, sparkling inspired music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream was banned. The Nazis ordered Carl Orff (composer of Carmina Burana) to compose a replacement.

In Leipzig, where Mendelssohn spent a glorious 12 years in the 1830s and ‘40s as music director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the statue of him erected after his death was repeatedly vandalized in the 1930s until the mayor had it removed in 1936, explaining that Mendelssohn was considered a Jew and “as such, cannot be displayed as an exponent of a German city of music.” That statue was never recovered, but I am happy to report that a new statue was erected in 2008, and if you ever find yourselves in Leipzig, a visit to Mendelssohn’s apartment is an absolute must. I am giving you all this background because as you listen to this amazing music, it is so hard to imagine that any aspect of it was ever controversial—that these bucolic, care-free melodies could ever be banned, that hearing these notes could ever give anything but joy. On a personal note, my love of Mendelssohn goes far beyond his music, because Mendelssohn was the first real conductor in history. Before him, conductors were usually the first violinist standing up and waving a bow, or a composer waving a rolled up piece of music paper. But Mendelssohn came to prominence as a musician as orchestras grew larger and orchestral music became complex enough to need a real leader. His ascendance to the podium was part of a natural progression.

But let’s back up. Felix Mendelssohn was a child prodigy and started writing wonderful music while he was very young. His obsession with Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream began when he was a teenager, and he made his family act out the play in the backyard. It is easy to imagine the young Mendelssohn being captivated by the play, since it might be the Shakespeare work with the most musical references. For one such example, Oberon declares: “Sound music! Come, my Queen, take hands with me, And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be.”

Mendelssohn wrote the overture when he was 17 years old, in a matter of days. It starts with four wind chords that immediately conjure up the magical, mythical world of the story. Mendelssohn returns to these chords in various guises throughout his music, and so does George Balanchine in his choreography. Balanchine, it should be mentioned, was an elf in a production of Midsummer in St. Petersburg when he was 8 years old, so his obsession with the story started at a very early age as well. After the four wind chords, the violins launch into fast and delicate music that immediately evokes a vision of fairies’ gossamer wings.

This overture was conceived as a stand-alone work. When Mendelssohn was the ripe old age of 33 and music director of the Prussian Court, King Frederick William IV asked him to expand this music to accompany a new production of the play, so in 1843, the incidental music was created. Mendelssohn expanded on his earlier overture by composing 12 additional pieces, including the magical scherzo, the lyrical nocturne, and what would become the most famous wedding march ever. What is truly extraordinary is that Mendelssohn came back to his youthful work without, as George Marek once said, ‘dropping a stitch.’ The new music has the same youthful spirit as the overture. Perhaps my favorite part of the score, because it is so beautiful, is the setting of the song “Ye Spotted Snakes.” In the play, Titania calls out: “Come, now a roundel and a fairy song."

Mendelssohn lived just five more years after writing this unforgettable music, joining the list of genius composers that were taken from us in their 30s, alongside Mozart, Schubert, and Gershwin. Mendelssohn’s complete music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream only lasts about 50 minutes, as it was intended to accompany the play. When George Balanchine decided (because he loved the music so much) that he wanted to create a full–length ballet, he added other works by Mendelssohn to supplement the score. The second piece you hear after the overture is another overture for a play called Athalia, and is the most mature Mendelssohn music in the ballet, dating from 1845. Balanchine uses three other overtures: The Beautiful Melusine, The First Walpurgis Night, and an overture called Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde, usually translated as “Son and Stranger.”

Finally, one last bit of information. The most pure dance moment without narrative propulsion in the performance occurs in Act II and it is now known as the Divertissement. For this, Balanchine goes back to a string symphony that Mendelssohn wrote when he was all of 13 years old! It's a testament to Mendelssohn’s genius that he could capture the magic of Shakespeare with such charm, elegance, and enduring appeal. Thanks to George Balanchine, we are treated to an full evening of this enchanting music.

_{Photos © Erin Baiano.}