Variations on Mendelssohn's 'Hirtenlied' for Flute and Piano (1880)

Mendelssohn wrote just one piece for flute, called Hirtenlied (Shepherd’s Song) which was a short melody which he composed in 1829 during a visit to London, possibly for Drouet. Here, Mendelssohn’s melody becomes the subject of a theme  and variations, written by Agnes Zimmermann in 1880. According to the foreword of the edition, Zimmermann was born in Germany in 1847, and moved to London as a child. She studied piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music and developed a reputation as a pianist, performing in duos with Clara Schumann, violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Alfredo Piatti. She later composed music which she performed in her own concerts, some of which were published by Novello.

This is a beautifully presented first edition, based on the manuscript (held at the Royal Academy of Music) by Peter Fribbins and William Drabkin. Each of the three variations brings out a different aspect of the theme, with the first focusing on dotted rhythms, the second one allowing the piano to take centre stage, and the final variation providing space for the flute to shine through flowing semiquavers. Both instrumental parts are written with a sense of idiomatic understanding and dialogue. The flute part is of intermediate difficulty.

This is a wonderful addition to the published flute repertoire and would make an ideal addition to a recital programme. It is very exciting to have access to a new  work by a woman composer, particularly one who clearly had a successful musical career, and I hope it will become an established part of our repertoire.