what is the form of mendelssohn’s overture to a midsummer night’s dream?
Titania awakes clinging rapturously to Bottom, still wearing the donkey'southward head, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mendelssohn wrote music for a production of the play in 1843. Henry Fuseli/Getty Images hibernate explanation
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Henry Fuseli/Getty Images
Titania awakes clinging rapturously to Lesser, even so wearing the ass's caput, in Shakespeare'southward A Midsummer Dark'south Dream. Mendelssohn wrote music for a product of the play in 1843.
Henry Fuseli/Getty Images
Growing up as a violinist, Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto ranked amongst my top ten Holy Grail pieces. Every bit I got older, I moved on to his Octet and Pianoforte Trio in D minor, which became 2 of my favorite sleeping room works. There's almost naught comparable to playing Mendelssohn's Octet with seven great string players. Information technology'south absolutely thrilling, energetic, virtuosic, youthful, fun and challenging. And to think that Mendelssohn wrote it when he was but 16.
Only a yr later, at the ripe age of 17, he wrote his Overture to A Midsummer Nighttime'south Dream, completely capturing the magic and frivolity in the ethereal globe Shakespeare created. Mendelssohn first performed the overture in a version for two pianos, with his sister Fanny, and then orchestrated it for a public operation the following yr.
Mendelssohn was probably the greatest child prodigy since Mozart. He began taking piano lessons from his mother when he was 6 and made his start public concert appearance at the age of 9. As a child he was also a prolific composer, with five short operas and 11 symphonies to his credit by his early teens.
It would be some other 16 years before he returned to the overture to employ it as the Dna for the consummate incidental music he composed to back-trail an actual functioning of the play. And how perfectly Mendelssohn captures the spirit and essence of Shakespeare.
Mendelssohn'southward overture is in the key of Due east major and he begins it with four magical, suspenseful and transforming chords. For me, these opening chords capture the essence, even the moral of A Midsummer Dark's Dream, a play nigh unexpected turns in beloved and life. ("The course of truthful dear never did run smooth.")
Following those chords is the first theme, a scurrying, busy motif in the parallel relative minor (East small) representing the dancing fairies. A fanfare-like transition (the royal music of the court of Athens) leads to a second, lyrical theme for the lovers. A final group of themes, suggesting the craftsmen and hunting calls, closes the exposition. The fairies dominate as the next section develops, and ultimately accept the terminal word in the coda, just as in Shakespeare's play. But of form in that location couldn't exist Midsummer music without a reference to Lesser, who gets turned into a donkey and is depicted with a braying "hee-haw" in the strings.
Mendelssohn brilliantly incorporated the overture into his incidental music as the first of its xiv numbers and the inspiration for the entire score.
01Overture to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
- from Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night'southward Dream/Symphony No.4/Incidental Music,Op.21
- past Claudio Abbado
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The famous "Wedding March," which we nevertheless hear accompanying brides downwardly aisles, was adopted past Princess Victoria in 1858 for her nuptials to Prince William of Prussia. The bride's female parent, Queen Victoria, loved Mendelssohn'south music. I'grand sure she never imagined the tradition she started past having it played at her girl'southward wedding.
Along with music, Mendelssohn loved language and was extremely well-read. Within his deft grasp of the Shakespeare, he likewise includes several song numbers in the incidental music, representing the actual voices of the fairies.
Songs such equally "Over hill, over dale," "The Spells," and "What hempen homespuns" enhance Shakespeare'southward text and mimic Shakespeare'due south ingeniously devised play within a play.
Act one is played without music. The Scherzo, with its whimsical interplay between strings and woodwinds, acts as an intermezzo between Acts 1 and 2. Information technology leads directly into the first melodrama with text spoken over music. Oberon'southward arrival is accompanied past a fairy march, scored with triangle and cymbals, a gesture to his unique role every bit a god.
The vocal piece "Ye spotted snakes" opens the second scene of Human activity 2. The second intermezzo comes at the end of that act, while Act iii includes a quaint march for the archway of the mechanicals, the bandage for the play within the play. Mendelssohn quotes music from the overture to back-trail the action. The Nocturne, featuring one of the loveliest horn solos always written, accompanies the sleeping lovers between Acts 3 and four. There is only i melodrama in Act 4 and it closes with a reprise of the Nocturne to back-trail the mortal lovers' sleep.
We beginning hear the Wedding March between Acts 4 and 5, the latter containing more music than any other act, especially to accompany the hymeneals feast. There is a brief fanfare for trumpets and timpani, a parody of a funeral march, and a peasant dance that uses Lesser's braying from the overture equally its main thematic fabric.
The play has three brusk epilogues. The first is introduced with a reprise of the theme of the Wedding March and the fairy music of the overture. Afterwards Puck'southward speech, the final musical number is heard — "Through the house give glimmering light," scored for soprano, mezzo-soprano and women's chorus. Puck's famous valedictory speech "If nosotros shadows have offended" is accompanied, every bit day breaks, by the four chords beginning heard at the very commencement of the overture, bringing the piece of work full circle.
A Midsummer Night's Dream contains one of my favorite lines of all time: "Lord what fools these mortals exist!" Only when I hear Mendelssohn's music all I can recollect is: Lord how brilliant tin one man be?
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Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2014/05/23/315246245/marin-alsops-guide-to-mendelssohns-a-midsummer-nights-dream
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