Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) was born into an upper middle-class family in Berlin. In the early 19th century, an important element of social refinement was a knowledge of the arts and literature, and Mendelssohn’s parents used a good share of their wealth for their children’s education. Mendelssohn’s educational environment, carefully cultured by his parents, brought him into contact with some of the best artists, writers and musicians of the day.
A precocious musical talent, Mendelssohn produced compositions by age eleven and mature works by age seventeen, when he completed the overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream – which is still considered standard orchestral repertoire. He went on to compose works in every major category of music except opera, a genre in which he never found his footing. His compositions in the choral idiom were so well-loved that Mendelssohn Choral Societies were formed all over Europe, some still surviving today. It is from this body of work that the Suite of Lieder is taken. These four lieder comprise his opus 75, composed in 1844 for a cappella four-voice men’s chorus.
R. Jan Zubeckhas earned degrees from Kansas State University, Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin. He has both public school (grades 6 – 12) and college teaching experience. His interest in trombone performance has led him to organize trombone choirs in all three colleges where he has taught. In addition, K.I.T.E.(Kansas Invitational Trombone Ensemble) was organized by Dr. Zubeck in 1988 and is still active today. He also continues to perform as a soloist and as a member of the El Paso Brass Quintet.
