Gartenlieder (Garden Songs)
6 Songs for mixed choir op. 3, 1846
The Mendelssohn family cultivated a very special form of house music in their garden cottage on the family estate: the so-called Sonntagsmusiken (Sunday musicales). Perhaps this inspired Fanny Hensel to publish the six songs for mixed choir, collectively entitled Gartenlieder (Garden Songs), op. 3.
Hensel set texts by well-known German Romantic poets such as Eichendorff and Uhland as well as a poem by her husband Wilhelm Hensel. Each creating a wholly different mood, the songs feature recurring motives: Alongside trees, forests and music in the countryside, the idea of listening or eavesdropping is of central importance. The musical texture of the Gartenlieder is generally homophonic and based around wonderful melodies, which are predominantly carried by the soprano voice.
In these pieces, Fanny Hensel displays her many years of experience as a successful composer of song, even if she only ever published a handful of works. With their memorable, varied melodies and colorful harmonies, the Gartenlieder are a veritable treasure trove for choirs.
The Gartenlieder are published in a critical edition, which also includes the early autograph versions of Nos. 2 and 3. In addition a choral score of the main version is available. All the songs and versions are also available separately and as digital editions.
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Contents
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Composer
Fanny Hensel
| 1805-1847Fanny Hensel (1805-1847), born Mendelssohn, was one of the most talented female composers of the Romantic period and an important representative of 19th century German musical life. As the sister of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, she grew up in an artistic environment that encouraged her musical development from an early age, but also confronted her with social restrictions due to her gender. In the 1830s and 1840s in particular, Fanny Hensel composed a large number of songs, piano and choral works and - despite the reservations of her father and brother - ultimately decided to gradually publish her music. In her family home in Berlin, a centre for musicians and intellectuals, she performed many of these works, which combine romantic emotionality with tonal sophistication, as part of the so-called Sunday music. On 14 May 1847, she suffered a stroke during rehearsals for one of her popular Sunday concerts and died just a few hours later. Her impressive œuvre, which comprises more than 460 compositions, is today regarded as a significant contribution to Romantic musical culture and is attracting increasing attention in concerts and academic studies.
Personal details
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Editor
Lorenz Adamer
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Songwriter / Librettist
Ludwig Uhland
| 1787-1862
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Songwriter / Librettist
Emanuel Geibel
| 1815-1884
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Songwriter / Librettist
Wilhelm Hensel
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Songwriter / Librettist
Joseph von Eichendorff
| 1788-1857
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