Classical Music Milestone / Symphony. March 3.
The Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, known as the Scottish, is composed by Felix Mendelssohn between 1829 and 1842. The first performance took place on 3 March 1842 in Leipzig Gewandhaus. It is not known when he resumed work on it although sketches suggest he may have returned to the first movement in the late 1830s, but he worked earnestly on the piece by 1841, and completed the symphony in Berlin on January 20, 1842. Although this work was the fifth and final of his symphonies to be completed, it was the third to be published, and subsequently, been known as Symphony No. 3.
Brief History of Symphony No. 3
Mendelssohn was initially inspired to compose this symphony during his first visit to Britain in 1829. After a series of successful performances in London, Mendelssohn embarked on a walking tour of Scotland with his friend Karl Klingemann. On July 30, he visited the ruins of Holyrood Chapel at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, where, as he related to his family in a letter, he received his initial inspiration for the piece:
"In the deep twilight we went today to the palace were Queen Mary lived and loved...The chapel below is now roofless. Grass and ivy thrive there and at the broken altar where Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland. Everything is ruined, decayed, and the clear heavens pour in. I think I have found there the beginning of my 'Scottish' Symphony."
Alongside the description, Mendelssohn enclosed in his letter a scrap of paper with the opening bars of what would become the symphony's opening theme. A few days later Mendelssohn and his companion visited the western coast of Scotland and the island of Staffa, which in turn inspired Mendelssohn to start The Hebrides. After completing the first version of Hebrides, Mendelssohn continued to work on his initial sketches of what would become Symphony No. 3 while touring Italy.
Instrumentation & Form
Symphony No. 3 is scored for an orchestra consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B flat and A, two bassoons, two horns in C and A, two horns in E, F and D, two trumpets in D, timpani, and strings. It is in four interconnected movements:
Symphony No. 3 'Scottish' evokes such wild Romantic landscapes, alongside its musical qualities, truly Mendelssohn's.
Video Credit:
F. Mendelssohn: Symphony nº 3 "Scottish" - Rumon Gamba - Sinfónica de Galicia. Youtube, uploaded by SinfonicadeGalicia. Accessed November 5, 2017.
Resource:
Symphony No. 3 (Mendelssohn). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed March 3, 2015.
(c) March 2015. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
The Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, known as the Scottish, is composed by Felix Mendelssohn between 1829 and 1842. The first performance took place on 3 March 1842 in Leipzig Gewandhaus. It is not known when he resumed work on it although sketches suggest he may have returned to the first movement in the late 1830s, but he worked earnestly on the piece by 1841, and completed the symphony in Berlin on January 20, 1842. Although this work was the fifth and final of his symphonies to be completed, it was the third to be published, and subsequently, been known as Symphony No. 3.
Brief History of Symphony No. 3
Mendelssohn was initially inspired to compose this symphony during his first visit to Britain in 1829. After a series of successful performances in London, Mendelssohn embarked on a walking tour of Scotland with his friend Karl Klingemann. On July 30, he visited the ruins of Holyrood Chapel at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, where, as he related to his family in a letter, he received his initial inspiration for the piece:
"In the deep twilight we went today to the palace were Queen Mary lived and loved...The chapel below is now roofless. Grass and ivy thrive there and at the broken altar where Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland. Everything is ruined, decayed, and the clear heavens pour in. I think I have found there the beginning of my 'Scottish' Symphony."
Alongside the description, Mendelssohn enclosed in his letter a scrap of paper with the opening bars of what would become the symphony's opening theme. A few days later Mendelssohn and his companion visited the western coast of Scotland and the island of Staffa, which in turn inspired Mendelssohn to start The Hebrides. After completing the first version of Hebrides, Mendelssohn continued to work on his initial sketches of what would become Symphony No. 3 while touring Italy.
Instrumentation & Form
Symphony No. 3 is scored for an orchestra consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B flat and A, two bassoons, two horns in C and A, two horns in E, F and D, two trumpets in D, timpani, and strings. It is in four interconnected movements:
- Andante con moto — Allegro un poco agitato (in A minor and in sonata form with introduction)
- Vivace non troppo (in F major and in sonata form)
- Adagio (in A major and in abridged sonata form)
- Allegro vivacissimo — Allegro maestoso assai (in A minor → A major and in sonata form)
Symphony No. 3 'Scottish' evokes such wild Romantic landscapes, alongside its musical qualities, truly Mendelssohn's.
Video Credit:
F. Mendelssohn: Symphony nº 3 "Scottish" - Rumon Gamba - Sinfónica de Galicia. Youtube, uploaded by SinfonicadeGalicia. Accessed November 5, 2017.
Resource:
Symphony No. 3 (Mendelssohn). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed March 3, 2015.
(c) March 2015. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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