Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor: “Ist es Wahr?”
We don’t know any of the details—not even her name, but in 1827, the 18-year-old Felix Mendelssohn seems to have fallen head over heels in love. In June of that year, Mendelssohn was inspired to write the words and music for a love song called Frage, Op. 9, No. 1 (“Question”). The brief song is filled with questions. It begins with tentative, teasing phrases (“Ist es Wahr?”) and concludes with a serene plagal …