Legacy

Just a few days after Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s death, publishers approached his widow to request manuscripts and permission to publish his works. Sadly, Mendelssohn had not left a will. In such cases, the law stated that a guardian would have to be appointed for the minor children, and also that the widow would only be allowed to manage business affairs with the help of a legal advisor. Paul Mendelssohn-Bartholdy felt duty bound to represent the heirs; after all, he had always advised his siblings on financial matters. And Cécile also decided, “… I have no reason to doubt Paul’s genuine affection. Since my husband put his blind faith in him when it came to business, so is it all the more incumbent upon me to do likewise.”

When the court requested and was sent an inventory of his estate, Cécile declared with regard to the as yet unpublished compositions:

“But if my husband’s wishes are to be respected, then further publishing may only proceed once a rigorous and conscientious selection has been made. For more than a few of his compositions were never intended to be made public or published … Thus it is neither my intention nor the wish of my children’s guardian that my husband’s musical legacy be exploited for mere commercial or financial speculation. I only wish the best examples – those which may be published in the interests of art and in respectful appreciation of the artistic life of my husband – to appear in print over time. I doubt that there is anyone who knows the views of my husband as clearly as I do myself; and where my own knowledge is lacking or is not sufficiently detailed, then I have my husband’s friends to call on.”

But the aplomb displayed here was undermined by self-doubt – such as when she admitted to friends that she was “unaccustomed to thinking and acting alone”. Plus, there was not always unanimity in the family about which compositions were worthy of publication. Nonetheless, Cécile tried to be as good as her word by continuing to correspond with publishers, having copies made, and supporting current editions. In 1850, she conducted successful negotiations with the publisher Edward Buxton about the assignment of rights to Mendelssohn’s compositions for the British market. As it transpired, she only survived her husband by six years, so her influence over what happened to his works remained limited.