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Musicianship Monthly #23: Composer Focus with Felix Mendelssohn

1/30/2023

2 Comments

 
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February is just around the corner, and that means it is time for a new "Musicianship Monthly" activity!

​
What is "Musicianship Monthly?" Each month, I share links to free resources you can use to focus on a specific musicianship skill with your students all month long! Want to see past skills we have covered? Click HERE!

In this month's edition of "Musicianship Monthly," we will be expanding our music history knowledge by focusing on the composer Felix Mendelssohn, who was born on February 3, 1809!

Keep reading to find free resources you can share with your students to help them learn all about this famous composer!

Biographies and Activity Sheets
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Let's start by learning more about Mendelssohn!

Click HERE or on the image to download this free, student-friendly biography. 

Next, visit the Classics for Kids website HERE to listen to a podcast about Mendelssohn and hear snippets of his most famous pieces. While you are there, check out their free activity sheet, which introduces younger students to Mendelssohn's imaginative "Scherzo" from A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

Sheet Music
Next, let's introduce your students to some of Mendelssohn's music at the piano! Check out the free sheet music below, organized by level:

Elementary
Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream - Arr. Chrissy Ricker

Late Elementary/Early Intermediate
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Arr. Gilbert DeBenedetti

Intermediate
Allegro non troppo from 6 Pieces for Children (Op. 72/1) - original form, edited by Michael Kravchuk

Late Intermediate
Venetian Boat Song, Op. 19/6 - original form, edited by Michael Kravchuk


Recordings
Finally, there are many wonderful recordings of Mendelssohn's music available on YouTube! Here are a few pieces your students might enjoy listening to this month:
The famous "Wedding March" from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Song Without Words, Op. 19/1, performed by Daniel Barenboim.
Movement 1 from the Violin Concerto in E Minor.
The Hebrides Overture, also known as "Fingal's Cave."
Want to see more music history resources from the Romantic Period? Check out my blog post HERE.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite work by Mendelssohn? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
2 Comments
Marci L. Pittman
2/6/2023 02:05:05 pm

Thanks so much for these resources! I teach regularly about well-known composers in Group Musicianship Classes (held 3 times each semester) and have greatly missed the Piano Explorer magazine that I used to use to assist with this. It takes so much time to do the research but I appreciate the resources that you provided, including appropriate sheet music examples.

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
2/6/2023 03:19:21 pm

I am glad these resources have been helpful! Yes, the Piano Explorer magazines were wonderful--I remember having my own subscription back when I was a student. (I won't say how many years ago that was--ha ha!)

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    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


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