MENDELSSOHN THE COMPLETE ORGAN SONATAS. Michael Dudman

Transcription

1 MENDELSSOHN THE COMPLETE ORGAN SONATAS Michael Dudman

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3 FELIX MENDELSSOHN Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 65 No. 1 [15 35] 1 Allegro moderato e serioso Adagio Andante (Recitative) Allegro assai vivace 3 34 Sonata No. 2 in C minor, Op. 65 No. 2 [10 15] 5 Grave Adagio Allegro maestoso e vivace Fugue: Allegro moderato 3 52 Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 65 No. 3 [9 49] 9 Con moto maestoso Andante tranquillo 2 13 Sonata No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 65 No. 4 [13 37]! Allegro con brio 3 Andante religioso 2 19 Allegretto 3 31 $ Allegro maestoso e vivace 4 03 Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 65 No. 5 [8 59] % Andante Andante con moto 4 19 ^ Allegro maestoso 4 40 Sonata No. 6 in D minor, Op. 65 No. 6 [14 24] & Chorale and Variations 8 43 * Fugue: Sostenuto e legato 3 00 ( Finale: Andante 2 41 Total Playing Time Michael Dudman organ 3

4 Mendelssohn s reputation as a composer for the organ rests almost entirely on the six Sonatas, Op. 65 and three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 37. One might not immediately think of the organ when you mention Felix Mendelssohn, but in fact he was a prolific writer for the instrument. No other important composer of his time contributed more to the repertory of the organ, although he was more highly respected as an organist in England than in Germany and it was for the English market that he wrote his organ works. The six organ Sonatas form one of the cornerstones of the organ repertoire and were written at the very end of Mendelssohn s life, dating from , although according to his friend Schlemmer, to whom they are dedicated, the six sonatas had been in the composer s head for many years, and were written down in idyllic surroundings, when he was at the height of his powers and in the happiest frame of mind. In fact, there is an account by a pupil of Mendelssohn s, Charles Edward Horsley, that describes a performance in 1832 during which Mendelssohn played sonatas and organ pieces, then only in his head. Despite his popularity in England, Mendelssohn had returned to Germany by the time he wrote the six sonatas, which perhaps helps to account for the rather traditional German Baroque chordal and contrapuntal writing. Bach and the church greatly influenced the pious Mendelssohn and thus it is here that we find strong links with the past and the creation of a new style also dictated to by the compositional techniques of the times. The fact that Mendelssohn manages to amalgamate these styles shows off his versatility the treatment of the chorale melodies is exemplary and quite obviously the work of a very gifted composer. Despite the obvious reasons for the style in which the six Organ Sonatas are written, it is interesting to note just how far away they are from the transparent music that we would find in the Italian Symphony or A Midsummer Night s Dream. The sonatas appeared in England under the title Mendelssohn s School of Organ-playing and do in fact form a series of organ studies which deal with both technical problems of performance and problems of form. The first movement of Sonata No. 1 in F minor begins with the chorale Was mein Gott will, das g scheh allezeit (What God wills will come to pass) Bach used this chorale in no less than six 4

5 cantatas as well as St. Matthew Passion. This is followed by a slow movement almost a song without words and the recitative (third movement) serves as an introduction into the toccata-like final movement. Sonata No. 2 in C minor begins with a short fugal prelude followed by an Adagio which is reminiscent of an accompanied aria. The third movement is a march, and the final movement is again fugal, this time with two counter-subjects. This sonata seems to have a dual personality, the restrained opening being eclipsed by a sense of overwhelming joy in the second half. Sonata No. 3 in A major is in two movements. The large-scale first begins with an introduction based upon a piece that Mendelssohn wrote for the wedding of his sister, Fanny. This leads straight into a double fugue with the bass line formed upon the chorale Aus tiefer Not Schrei ich zu dir (Out of the deep I have called unto thee). It reaches its dramatic climax via a rather Romantic chordal sequence ending with a triumphant recapitulation into the chorale. The second movement (Andante tranquillo) is a muted song without words contrasting nicely with the first movement. The exultant first movement of Sonata No. 4 in B-flat major is a polyphonic Allegro con brio. This moves into the restrained, chorale-like Andante religioso leading to the gently rocking Allegretto, its siciliano character expressed by its triple meter. The final movement s introduction is a march dissolving into a fugue. Sonata No. 5 in D major begins with a chorale which is probably one of Mendelssohn s own. This moves into an Andante con moto with its spiky staccato sequences creeping along in the bass line accenting the movement s 3/4 time signature. The final movement s introduction bursts into life with a joyous downward passage which becomes almost a motif of the section and is directly linked to the opening passage of the fugal section. Written in January 1845, Sonata No. 6 in D minor begins with the largest-scale movement of all six sonatas, a Chorale and Variations based upon the chorale Vaterunser im Himmelreich (Our Father in Heaven). The following Fugue is also based upon the same material and leads to a final quiet and retrospective hymn. Anna-Lisa Whiting 5

6 Recording Producer David Hinder Recording Engineer Barry Smith Cover and booklet design Imagecorp Pty Ltd ABC Classics Robert Patterson, Martin Buzacott, Hilary Shrubb, Natalie Shea, Laura Bell Organs: 1-4 Forster and Andrews, Hull, 1882 (All Saints Anglican Church, Woollahra); 5-8 Henry Bevington & Sons, London, 1887 (All Saints Anglican Church, Hunters Hill); 9-10 Hill & Son, London, 1890 (Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church, Annandale); T.C. Lewis, London, 1886 (Pymble Ladies College Chapel, Pymble); Hill & Son, London, 1884 (St Andrew s Scots Presbyterian Church, Rose Bay); J.W. Walker & Sons, London, 1873 (St Philip s Anglican Church, Church Hill) Australian Broadcasting Corporation Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Universal Music Group, under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion, public performance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited. 6

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