Music and Mothers

As our next concert falls on the weekend of Mother’s day, it got us thinking… about mothers and music! For many of us in the orchestra our mothers played a huge role in our musical education, in fact as I grew up my own mother spent many an evening and weekend driving me to rehearsals and concerts.

Of course mothers were also important in the lives of the composers that we will feature in our concert on the 30th of March. 

Felix Mendelssohn’s mother, Lea Mendelssohn Batholdy, was a brilliant pianist herself and taught by one of J S Bach’s students.  She played a huge role in the development of her children’s musical talent, teaching Felix and his sister Fanny to play the piano. Fanny Mendelssohn was also a great composer, writing over 460 pieces of music, some of which were published under her brother’s name.​

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Beethoven’s mother, Maria Magdalena Keverich Beethoven, had a hard life, with only three of her eight children surviving into adulthood.  She described her marriage to Ludwig’s father, who suffered from alcoholism, as a ‘chain of sorrows’. Despite the difficulties she had to bear she was a good mother - as Ludwig wrote; 

"She was such a kind, loving mother to me, and my best friend".

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​We extend a warm welcome to all the mothers joining us in Milford on Sea on the 30th of March! Some of us in the orchestra are lucky enough to be expecting our own mothers to be in the audience, still sharing our enjoyment of music today. Thank you, Mum!