By Sam Miller | January 1, 2026

Composed in the last years of the composer’s life, “Am Neujahrstage” (The New Year) is part of his “Sechs Sprüche” (Six Anthems), a collection of short choral pieces that highlight the different christian holidays throughout the year. Mendelssohn was born into a prominent Jewish family. His grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, was one of the most prominent German Enlightenment thinkers, as well as being the face of the “Jewish Enlightenment,” which aimed to better integrate Judaism into society through the application of reason and other philosophies of the time. Mendelssohn’s father was a successful Jewish banker, but unlike his staunch Jewish father, converted to Protestantism and added the surname “Bartholdy” to the family name. Thus, when Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was born, he was baptized Lutheran. From an early age, Mendelssohn was heavily influenced by the religious fervor in his household, and would go on to produce many works with a central religious theme. As years passed, the composer never lost his religious fervor, and a certain religiosity is present in many of his works, regardless of their theme. “Every kind of music ought, in its own particular way, to tend to the glory of God” is what Mendelssohn wrote to his friend, Julius Schubring. (“Felix Mendelssohn’s Church Music”). The “Sechs Sprüche” were some of Mendelssohn’s final works, but carry as much religiosity as any other, if not more. Commissioned by German Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm IV, The “Sechs Spruche” were written for the Berlin Cathedral choir, and were not originally a set.

Composed in 1796, this short concerto was written as a showpiece for the trumpet. The trumpet is an instrument that has gone through much change and development through the centuries of music history. From the long, cone-like business of the middle ages to the refined music machine that we hear today, many innovations throughout the centuries have made the trumpet a more versatile tool in the ensemble and as a solo instrument. However, as late as the 1700s, the trumpet was still a rather rudimentary instrument. While talented trumpeters could play complex pieces in very high registers, this was reserved for the very few. For the typical orchestral trumpeter, a piece might only include 10 different notes, and these notes would constitute an incredibly boring part. In the latter half of the 18th century, however, new inventions were beginning to rectify this issue. One of the first big breakthroughs was Anton Weidinger’s “Keyed Trumpet.” This invention took inspiration from woodwind instruments of the time by adding holes to the instrument that, when covered, could change the pitch of the instrument and play notes that were previously impossible to attain. Weidinger was incredibly proud of his invention, and commissioned pieces from several different composers to demonstrate the trumpet’s ability. Haydn was one of these lucky composers, and fell in love with the new instrument. Alas, the Keyed Trumpet was not meant to be. Despite its revolutionary range, it suffered many additional problems including, an often nasally sound, poor projection in the higher registers, and poor intonation in some notes. It would eventually be replaced with the “Valved trumpet,” which fixed many of the major problems, and is the trumpet that we see today. However, while the Keyed Trumpet may be a thing of the past, its legacy lives on in the pieces composed for it, none more famous than Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto. 

Celebratory staple of the 19th century, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was not as loved by the composer as it was and still is loved by audiences around the world. The 1812 was composed via commission from his publisher in 1880 for an “Arts and Industry” Exhibition in Moscow. Nikolai Rubinstein, organizer of the exhibition, gave the composer three options: First, it could be an overture to inaugurate the exhibition itself; second, it could be an overture to celebrate Tzar Alexander II, who came to power in 1855; thirdly, it could be a cantata to celebrate the opening of the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer. Tchaikovsky kind of just did his own thing. The Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer project was originally planned as a commemoration of the defeat of Napoleonic forces from Moscow in 1812. Thus, Tchaikovsky wrote an overture to celebrate the same thing. The 1812 overture was not written to commemorate the American war of 1812, as many believe, but instead the Russian victory over Napoleon. Regardless of the true meaning of the piece, however, Tchaikovsky was less than enthusiastic to write it. “There is nothing more antipathetic to me,” he writes, “than composing for the sake of some festivities or other.” The composer would go on to complete the overture in one week, as if to make a statement of his apathy. In a letter to a friend, Tchaikovsky states, “I wrote it without any warm or loving feelings, and so it will probably be lacking any artistic merit.” Nonetheless, eighteen months after composing the piece, Tchaikovsky betrayed some feelings regarding his composition: “I’m undecided,” he writes, “as to whether my overture is good or bad, but it is probably the latter.” The piece was premiered in 1882 in Moscow as planned, but following the premiere, Tchaikovsky never really mentioned the piece again, despite its success both at home and abroad. Regardless of how the composer may have felt about his piece, it is nonetheless an absolute blast to listen to.

Samuel “Sam” Miller is a 12th grade student at Gonzaga Preparatory school who writes and distributes a weekly classical music blog that shares different classical songs and explores their background with his teachers and peers. He is an avid violinist studying under Mateusz Wolski, and an enthusiastic member of the Spokane Youth Symphony. Samuel started this project to pursue and share his passion for classical music with others. In his free time, Sam enjoys practicing violin, going to symphony concerts, playing tennis, hanging out with friends, video games, and spending time with his family.