Sigma Alpha Iota

P A N P I P E S Spring 2021 21 21 A World of Music the Gänsemarkt Opera; regrettably, only seven of his baroque operas have survived. In addition, he organized concerts in his own residence as well as designed and published the first European musical periodical, Der getreue Musik-Meister—and even etched compositions on musical plates himself! George Frideric Handel was one of his subscribers. He shared Telemann's floricultural interest and in 1750 sent Telemann a crate of English flowers, the names of which are listed in a pictorial display. Close by and used for concerts today is a 1730 omas Hitchcock spinet with skunktails — black keys with strips of ivory. In 2015, this museum along with two new ones — the first for C. P. E. Bach (Telemann's godson and successor as Music Director) and the second for Johann Adolf Hasse—became part of the Composers Quarter. C. P. E. Bach had a tremendous influence on Joseph Haydn and on Mozart, who once said, "Bach is the father. We are the children." Mozart meant not the legendary Johann Sebastian Bach but his son (and pupil) Carl Philipp Emanuel. He was a remarkable genius both as a composer and keyboard player. He particularly liked the clavichord, a popular instrument during the Age of Sensibility (c. 1750-1775). Only a few of his free fantasias, which hint at his amazing skill in improvisation, have been published. Two unique items on display are a guestbook entry fugue on the name B-A-C-H and Fantasie in D-Major, without any bar lines to restrict performance tempo. On the museum walls are portraits of individuals, such as author Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and violin virtuoso Franz Benda, who had a C. P. E. connection. Like his predecessor in Hamburg, this Bach was also an impresario. Haydn and Mozart revered Johann Adolf Hasse, who was also born in Hamburg, but until my visit to his section of the museum, I was totally unaware of him and his music — even though he wrote quite a few sacred and secular compositions, including seven oratorios and more than 60 operas. Imagine that in one of them, approximately 120 live animals were onstage! Fascinating in his section of the museum is a model of an original baroque opera house with a cross-section view showing its elaborate stage mechanisms. For many years at the court in Dresden, Germany, his wife (mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni) was prima donna and he was kapellmeister. On display are a copperplate engraving of her and a map with pinpoints showing some of the places related to his career. He was popular with royalty, including Maria eresia and Frederick II of Prussia. My favorite image is his 1740 smiling portrait. e last phase of Composers Quarter, which has one museum that highlights the Mendelssohn siblings and another for Gustav Mahler, opened in 2018. Both of these Mendelssohns were born in Hamburg. Because of gender inequality at the time, Fanny's talent did not develop nor her career progress like the talent and career of her brother. Visible through a window is a garden house similar to those where Fanny performed locally for 150- 200 people. By contrast, her brother at 20 traveled to London for the first of ten times and played for large audiences. A favorite of Queen Victoria, he dedicated his "Scottish" Symphony to her. On one wall in this section is a huge detailed dual- Mendelssohn timeline showing images of Fanny and Felix at certain ages. Another wall has images of individuals related to the sister and brother. ("In the Footsteps of Mendelssohn" about Mendelssohn-Haus in Leipzig appeared in the Winter 2019 issue of PAN PIPES.) e most poignant area in the museum is the long brick hallway, the Corridor of Jewish Religion to Christianity, a somber tribute to the conversions of both Mendelssohns and of Mahler. At one end is an opaque glass frame with an artistic menorah; at the other end is a quotation from a letter by Abraham Mendelssohn, the father of Felix and Fanny, stating that God is the same for both religions. Sadly, these conversions didn't eliminate anti- Semitic remarks and behavior in the lives of these composers. e musical talent of Gustav Mahler was recognized when he was a young child. Later, for a half dozen years, the composer lived in Hamburg. Parked near one display of Mahler's opera and concert posters is the kind of bicycle Gustav rode to work. Its wheels are the same size — a relatively new configuration at the time. An advertising poster from that period with a chimpanzee riding a bicycle made me smile. Magic Bike Tour, a cartoon-like film with historic images that tell of the composer's Hamburg episodes, appeals to children — and adults. ough not his own copies, books Mahler read are displayed; however, his baptism book is original. During Mahler's two-year tenure conducting at the New York Metropolitan Opera, he could only devote his attention to composing during the summer months then as well as his entire career. Kleinhuis' Cafe, which serves tasty food, adjoins the museum lobby and small gi shop that leads to the entrance, which gives an overview of musical life in baroque Hamburg, followed by rooms for different composer museums marked by square pillars. My late brother, concert pianist Malcolm Frager, studied with Carl Friedberg (1872-1955) who made his orchestral debut in December 1900 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Mahler's baton and was a close friend of Brahms. For ORYX, a British music label, Malcolm recorded C. P. E. Bach's Wurttemberg Sonata No. 2 in A-Flat Major on a Schiedmeyer grand fortepiano (c. 1780), one of the historical keyboard instruments in e Colt Clavier Collection in Kent, England. In November 1980, he performed Mendelssohn's Capriccio Brilliant, Op. 22 with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra under Aldo Ceccato at Laeiszhalle not far from the birthplace of Brahms. No wonder I feel a unique connection to four of Hamburg's magnificent seven! Jayne I. Hanlin is an initiate of Alpha Omicron and current member of the St. Louis Alumnae chapter. Mrs. Hanlin, the sister of famed pianist Malcolm Frager, is the co-author of Learning Latin Through Mythology (Cambridge University Press, 1991). A menorah window in Composers Quarter honoring the A menorah window in Composers Quarter honoring the religious backgrounds of Mendelssohn and Mahler. religious backgrounds of Mendelssohn and Mahler.

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