Fanny Mendelssohn, Das Jahr, July
In Fanny Mendelssohn’s “July”, a poem by Friedrich Schiller, “Der Abend,” is quoted:
Die Fluren dürsten
Nach erquickendem Tau, der Mensch verschmachtet.
(English translation):
The meadows thirst
For livening dew, people are languishing.
The poem is inspired by a painting that depicts the sun god Phoebus (Apollo) driving his chariot across the sky at the end of the day, yearning for rest as the earth cools down in the evening.
The oppressive heat of summer is evoked, with the tremolo in the left hand sounding almost like rolling thunder. (Personally, I also felt that the opening is almost like a serious and desperate prayer.)
In doing research for this piece I read an intriguing article discussing a possible connection between the suffering caused by intense heat and Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah, which premiered several years later. It made me wonder whether we might also hear in Fanny Mendelssohn’s music the suffering of extreme heat and remorse, placed alongside a sense of solemnity, awe, and reverence.
