MENDELSSOHN: A Second Elijah

by Schima Kaufman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 1934

Good reading, this very human story of one of the world's most popular composers, and a dramatic picture of the musical world of his day, -- the first half of the 19th century. Born of Jewish parents, surrounded by luxury and with the thorns of a career removed for him, young Mendelssohn forgod quickly to the front, and won popular acclaim all over Europe, though his own home city, Berlin, grudged it to him. Dominated by a severe father whom he adored, held by bonds of affection for the rest of his family, particularly his crippled and gifted sister, he found freedom difficult to attain, and this, possibly, showed in his work. The biography is essentially the story of the man, his human contacts, his place in the world of music; it is not in any sense a critical appraisal of his place in musical history, nor a psychological biography. But it makes him real, alive and warmly appealing, and should be easy to sell and easy to rent to those who are interested in the world of art and music.

Pub Date: Sept. 10, 1934

ISBN: 1406736023

Page Count: -

Publisher: Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1934

Categories: NONFICTION