Symphony No. 3 in A minor (Scottish) Op. 56
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47)
Andante con moto – allegro un poco agitato; Vivace non troppo; Adagio; Allegro vivacissimo – allegro maestoso assai
As wealthy young men did in those days, Felix Mendelssohn embarked on a ‘grand tour’ of Europe, England being his first stop. An excursion to Scotland made a deep impression on him, and the sight of Holyrood Castle, near Edinburgh, set in train his ideas for writing a ‘Scottish’ symphony. Indeed he jotted down a musical theme there and then. Beguiled by the Italian sun soon afterwards, he wrote home from Rome: ‘Who can blame me for not returning to the mists of Scotland? I have therefore laid aside the symphony for the present.’ He allowed ten years to elapse before taking it up again.
In the interests of musical continuity, Mendelssohn directed that the four movements be played without breaks. The symphony opens with a plaintive melody, the very one he had recorded 10 years earlier at Holyrood Castle. Soon, the music becomes turbulent and swiftly-moving with only a few moments of respite. The linked second movement is a diaphanous Scherzo, reminiscent of his incidental music for William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Some critics have suggested that the influence of Scottish folk music is discernible in this movement, helping to justify the symphony’s title. The third movement is a slow, almost mournful processional which grows increasingly forceful, leading naturally into the muscular finale, which is based on the salterello. After easing to near silence, the music builds again and ends on a note of triumph.
Many have asked how Scottish the Scottish Symphony is. Not very, seems to be the answer. A few clichés from Scottish folk music (e.g. the ‘Scotch snap’) can be heard from time to time but scholars are certain that there are no direct thematic quotes of Scottish provenance and nor did Mendelssohn write any ‘mock-Scottish music’ in the interests of exoticism. However, the dense scoring and sometimes dark atmosphere might be said to conjure the misty romanticism of Scotland that so impressed the composer in his younger days.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47)
Andante con moto – allegro un poco agitato; Vivace non troppo; Adagio; Allegro vivacissimo – allegro maestoso assai
As wealthy young men did in those days, Felix Mendelssohn embarked on a ‘grand tour’ of Europe, England being his first stop. An excursion to Scotland made a deep impression on him, and the sight of Holyrood Castle, near Edinburgh, set in train his ideas for writing a ‘Scottish’ symphony. Indeed he jotted down a musical theme there and then. Beguiled by the Italian sun soon afterwards, he wrote home from Rome: ‘Who can blame me for not returning to the mists of Scotland? I have therefore laid aside the symphony for the present.’ He allowed ten years to elapse before taking it up again.
In the interests of musical continuity, Mendelssohn directed that the four movements be played without breaks. The symphony opens with a plaintive melody, the very one he had recorded 10 years earlier at Holyrood Castle. Soon, the music becomes turbulent and swiftly-moving with only a few moments of respite. The linked second movement is a diaphanous Scherzo, reminiscent of his incidental music for William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Some critics have suggested that the influence of Scottish folk music is discernible in this movement, helping to justify the symphony’s title. The third movement is a slow, almost mournful processional which grows increasingly forceful, leading naturally into the muscular finale, which is based on the salterello. After easing to near silence, the music builds again and ends on a note of triumph.
Many have asked how Scottish the Scottish Symphony is. Not very, seems to be the answer. A few clichés from Scottish folk music (e.g. the ‘Scotch snap’) can be heard from time to time but scholars are certain that there are no direct thematic quotes of Scottish provenance and nor did Mendelssohn write any ‘mock-Scottish music’ in the interests of exoticism. However, the dense scoring and sometimes dark atmosphere might be said to conjure the misty romanticism of Scotland that so impressed the composer in his younger days.