Graduate Studies

 

First Advisor

Peter A. Eklund

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)

Committee Members

Rhonda Fuelberth, Wendy Smith, William Shomos

Department

Music (Choral Conducting)

Date of this Version

3-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A doctoral document presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts

Major: Music (Choral Conducting)

Under the supervision of Professor Peter A. Eklund

Lincoln, Nebraska, March 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Casey John Behm. Used by permission

Abstract

Fanny Hensel composed Choleramusik in 1831, following the height of the cholera epidemic in Berlin. Hensel’s most ambitious work in size and scoring, this cantata was performed as part of her Sonntagsmusiken series in December of 1831 and remained undiscovered in the Mendelssohn family archives until 1984. Scored for four soloists, mixed chorus with eight-part divisi, and orchestra, this lesser-known cantata is of comparable compositional quality to larger psalm cantatas from the same era by Anton Bruckner and Felix Mendelssohn. This cantata can be performed with smaller orchestral forces—just two wind players per part and minimal percussion in addition to strings— and at 30–35 minutes in length has the potential to occupy a portion of concert programs for many community and collegiate programs in addition to professional ensembles.

This document gathers the resources a choral conductor needs when preparing to perform Choleramusik. These resources include a history of Fanny Hensel’s life and education including the cantata’s genesis, a comparison of this cantata to two others composed by Hensel in the same year, and analyses of the work’s structure and musical elements. The document also examines the required performing forces, the Neo-Baroque influences found throughout, and programming considerations. Appendices are devoted to the analysis of the two additional movements added by Mascha Blankenburg for the premiere performance in 1984 and the 2012 published score by Furore Verlag; an English translation of the text along with text sources; and a history of recordings and performances of this work to date.

The purposes of this document are to increase understanding of Fanny Hensel’s life and education and to raise awareness of Choleramusik. By highlighting the characteristics of this cantata and providing conductor considerations for its performance and programming, I hope to encourage more conductors, choruses, and orchestras to undertake its performance.

Advisor: Peter A. Eklund

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