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Book Review
Jun. 24th, 2011 09:38 pmThe Life of Mendelssohn
by Peter Mercer-Taylor
This is one of the books in the Cambridge UP series of composer biographies. They are more in-depth than the Phaidon books, and aimed more towards serious musicians. Thus, despite being brief they are pretty dense with information.
I enjoyed this biography a lot. Mendelssohn has never been one of my favorite composers - I like his music well enough but I wouldn't buy a concert ticket or a recording just to hear one of his works. However, he turns out to have been a very interesting musician who not only wrote some good pieces but also played a pivotal role during the 19th century in shaping ensembles and repertoire into their modern forms. He was a key figure in bringing Bach's and Handel's larger works back into the repertoire (or canon, if you prefer), as well as reintroducing a lot of earlier choral music. Mendelssohn also helped shape a couple of Germany's major orchestras. Mendelssohn was very well-educated and had clear, ambitious ideas and goals for musical life in Germany. He did a lot for music and enjoyed well-earned international respect and acclaim during his life.
Mercer-Taylor's writing was very good. He remained engaging while covering a lot of information, producing intelligent prose that was never dry. He had a good sense of narrative and pacing.
by Peter Mercer-Taylor
This is one of the books in the Cambridge UP series of composer biographies. They are more in-depth than the Phaidon books, and aimed more towards serious musicians. Thus, despite being brief they are pretty dense with information.
I enjoyed this biography a lot. Mendelssohn has never been one of my favorite composers - I like his music well enough but I wouldn't buy a concert ticket or a recording just to hear one of his works. However, he turns out to have been a very interesting musician who not only wrote some good pieces but also played a pivotal role during the 19th century in shaping ensembles and repertoire into their modern forms. He was a key figure in bringing Bach's and Handel's larger works back into the repertoire (or canon, if you prefer), as well as reintroducing a lot of earlier choral music. Mendelssohn also helped shape a couple of Germany's major orchestras. Mendelssohn was very well-educated and had clear, ambitious ideas and goals for musical life in Germany. He did a lot for music and enjoyed well-earned international respect and acclaim during his life.
Mercer-Taylor's writing was very good. He remained engaging while covering a lot of information, producing intelligent prose that was never dry. He had a good sense of narrative and pacing.
