Mendelssohn Scholarship

The Mendelssohn Scholarship (German: Mendelssohn-Stipendium) refers to two scholarships awarded in Germany and in the United Kingdom. Both commemorate the composer Felix Mendelssohn, and are awarded to promising young musicians to enable them to continue their development.

History

Shortly after Mendelssohn's death in 1847, a group of his friends and admirers formed a committee in London to establish a scholarship to enable musicians to study at the Leipzig Conservatoire, which Mendelssohn had founded in 1843. Their fundraising included a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah in 1848, featuring Jenny Lind. The link between London and Leipzig fell through, resulting in two Mendelssohn Scholarships.[1][2]

Mendelssohn Scholarship in Germany

In Germany, the Mendelssohn Scholarship was established in the 1870s as two awards of 1500 Marks, one for composition and one for performance, for any student of a music school in Germany, and was funded by the Prussian state as part of an arrangement under which the Mendelssohn family donated the composer's manuscripts to the state.[3] The first recipient was the composer, Engelbert Humperdinck, who used it to travel to Italy in 1879.

Funded by the Jewish Mendelssohn family, the award was discontinued by the Nazis in 1934. It was revived by the Ministry of Culture of the former East Germany in 1963, in the form of two annual prizes for composition and for performance. It is now awarded by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Recipients

Winners of the German Mendelssohn Scholarship
Humperdinck
Sittard

As well as Humperdinck, famous recipients include the pianist Wilhelm Kempff and the composer Kurt Weill.

The following is an incomplete chronological list of recipients of the German Mendelssohn Scholarship.

1879 to 1934

Since 1963

Mendelssohn Scholarship in the United Kingdom

Winners of the UK Mendelssohn Scholarship
Sullivan
Faning
d'Albert
Arnold

The funds raised at the 1848 concert were invested and allowed to accumulate until 1856, when Arthur Sullivan was elected as the first scholar. Since then it has been awarded from time to time, administered by the Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation, which is linked to the Royal Academy of Music. The foundation was created by a trust deed in 1871. Its trustees include the composers Anthony Payne and Justin Connolly, and the principal of the Royal Academy of Music, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood; and its charitable objects are "For the education of musical students of both sexes in pursuance of the intentions of the founders".[18]

Recipients

Recipients include the composers Frederick Corder, George Dyson,[19] Malcolm Arnold and Kenneth Leighton.[20]

The following is an incomplete chronological list of recipients of the British Mendelssohn Scholarship.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b A Dictionary of Music and Musicians Sir George Grove, Vol. 2, London, 1900
  2. ^ a b "German Mendelssohn Scholarship" (PDF)., New York Times, 7 November 1895
  3. ^ "Press release on the 2006 prize from the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz" (PDF) (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Stipendien (1879–1934)". Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschulwettbewerb (in German). Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at Ute Hansen, Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Preis : Geschichte, Satzung, Wettbewerbsrichtlinien, Preisträger, Stipendiaten (Berlin: Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, 2001)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Schenk, Dietmar (2004). Die Hochschule für Musik zu Berlin: Preußens Konservatorium zwischen romantischem Klassizismus und neuer Musik, 1869-1932/33. Pallas Athene. Beitrage zur Universitats- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte (in German). Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 318. ISBN 978-3-515-08328-7. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  7. ^ "Stipendien (1879–1934)". Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschulwettbewerb (in German). Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  8. ^ Ute Hansen, Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Preis : Geschichte, Satzung, Wettbewerbsrichtlinien, Preisträger, Stipendiaten (Berlin: Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, 2001).
  9. ^ Essay in Toccata Classics CD release available online as pdf
  10. ^ Karl Klingler, entry at Deutsche Biographie (in German)
  11. ^ Wenzel, Silke (25 April 2019). "Artikel "Eugenie Stoltz-Premyslav"". MUGI. Musikvermittlung und Genderforschung: Lexikon und multimediale Präsentationen.
  12. ^ Wenzel, Silke (25 April 2019). "Eugenie Stoltz-Premyslav". MUGI. Musikvermittlung und Genderforschung: Lexikon und multimediale Präsentationen.
  13. ^ The Mendelssohn Prize, letter published in New York Times, 6 November 1910
  14. ^ "Poe Club to Hear Downtown Music School Instructor". The De Paulia. 17. De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois: 1. 9 December 1938.
  15. ^ Ledbetter, Steven. "Ervín Schulhoff: Concerto for String Quartet with Wind Orchestra" (PDF). Boston Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  16. ^ Ignace Strasfogel, 84, Pianist and Conductor, obituary in New York Times, 10 February 1994
  17. ^ Grete von Zieritz at www.fembio.org
  18. ^ Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, at the Charity Commission's website
  19. ^ 'On the Other Hand', Musical Opinion, April 1932, p.590 excerpt from article by Havergal Brian, retrieved from www.havergalbrian.org on 5 September 2010
  20. ^ Biography of Frederick Leighton on Edinburgh University website
  21. ^ UK Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation website, accessed 26 April 2015
  22. ^ A Dictionary of Music and Musicians Sir George Grove, Vol. 4, London, 1900
  23. ^ Banfield, Stephen (2007). "Towards a History of Music in the British Empire: Three Export Studies". In Darian-Smith, Kate; Grimshaw, Patricia; Macintyre, Stuart (eds.). Britishness abroad: transnational movements and imperial culture. Academic Monographs. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-522-85392-6.
  24. ^ Musical Times, May 1895, p. 311
  25. ^ a b Europa Publications, ed. (2003). International Who's Who in Classical Music 2003. International Who's Who in Classical Music. Vol. 19. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85743-174-2.
  26. ^ ggbooks, Evan Senior, Music and Musicians, Volume 28
  27. ^ James Harley biography Archived 17 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine, on website of Minnesota State University Moorhead
  28. ^ Javier Alvarez's website: http://www.temazcal.co.uk
  29. ^ Nicholas Morrish website: https://nicholasmorrish.com
  30. ^ "Hugo Bell – COMPOSER / PERFORMER / ARTIST". Retrieved 27 August 2022.

Official website of the UK Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation