Lieder for the Piano Op. 8, No. 2 arrang...

July 22, 2021  |   Posted In

Schumacker - Hensel String Quartet_p1Schumacker - Hensel String Quartet_p1

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Lieder for the Piano Op. 8, No. 2 by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel arranged for String Quartet By Alec Schumacker

Ensemble Type: String Quartet
Duration: 3 minutes
Grade Level: 4

Fanny Hensel (1805-1847) is an exemplary composer whose music features intriguing harmonic twists and intricately clever polyphonic interplays (measures 9-12 of this piece are particularly brilliant in this regard – she presents the head of the main melody canonically in inversion to build tension to the temporary shift of the melody into C major at bar 13). Hensel faced systemic sexist discrimination, sometimes publishing music under her male family member’s names and largely genre-restricted to chamber music.

Her remarkable instrumental music often is exceptionally expressive and lyrical – one of my favorite works of hers is Opus 8, which she titled Vier Lieder für das Pianoforte (Four Songs for the Piano). I’ve always been drawn to No. 2, which has a melancholy character and definitely feels like the piano is “singing” – I imagine a staged, dramatic, lamenting aria sung by a character grappling with internal struggles. In an effort to help make Hensel’s music more widespread and highlight its song-like qualities, I arranged this movement for string quartet.

Additional information

Weight 0.1 lbs
Dimensions 0.004 × 11 × 17 in

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