Helen Martens grew up in a German speaking home in Canada where she learned the old Gothic German script. This prepared her to read the thousands of letters to, from and about Mendelssohn and Delphine von Schauroth, in the German language in dozens of libraries and archives around the world. Having studied French in school she was equipped to translate French letters as well. Helen received her BA and MA in music from the University of Minnesota, and her Ph D in musicology from Columbia University in NYC, in addition to earning the ARCT in piano from the Toronto, Canada Conservatory of Music and LRSM from the Royal School of Music (their highest degree). Since then she has worked as a Professor of Music, led choral groups, and studied in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.
In 1980, while on a one-year sabbatical in Oxford, England she discovered that 5000 letters that had been in private possession in England had been placed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Years later, in the New York Public Library, she stumbled upon 750 letters from composer Felix Mendelssohn to his family. She read for the first time what Delphine von Schauroth meant to Mendelssohn. Helen was hooked. That led to research in Munich to learn more. Henceforth Martens flew to Europe dozens of times to do more research before beginning the arduous task of creating a 300 page chronology so she could write the story of Mendelssohn and Delphine. The result was Felix Mendelssohn: Out of the Depths of His Heart. She is enthusiastic about presenting the well-respected musician and composer to readers as an admirable human being and musician.
Book Recap:
Felix Mendelssohn: Out of the Depths of His Heart is a story highlighting the life of the composer who brought us some of our most beloved classical pieces, including The Wedding March, originally composed in 1826 at the age of 17. Despite his humble ancestry he became one of the most beloved composers of the 19th century. It follows his great and manifold talents as a child prodigy, his compositions and unique success, life within his close-knit family, and the twists and turns in his relationship with a beautiful aristocratic young pianist, Delphine von Schauroth. It reveals him as a human being: noble, though somewhat flawed, who swam against the stream in so many ways during his short life. Foremost UK Mendelssohn Authority and Head Music Librarian Peter Ward Jones called the book, "A most refreshing approach to the infinitely fascinating man."
Possible Interview Topics:
Mendelssohn – not your typical starving musician
Mendelssohn and Mozart – Two child prodigies with very different lives
Unique discoveries in the letters between Mendelssohn and his family
The musician’s life during the 19th Century
Endorsements:
"This illuminating look at a celbrated artist and the contemporaneous society is recommended."
-Library Journal
"A most refreshing approach to the infinitely fascinating man."
-Peter Ward Jones, Foremost UK Mendelssohn Authority and Head Music Librarian
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