Assignment 5 - Analysing Mendelssohn's The Hebrieies: Overture - McLaughlin Niamh Mary

 

Western Art Music and Nature: Analysing a Musical Work

MUSI3041: Music and the Environment

Class Assignment 5

November 2022

3035995993

 

Mendelssohn’s Opus 26, The Hebrides: Overture or Overture to the Isles of Fingal is inspired by a visit to the Scottish Hebridean Isles in 1829 (Carpenter, 2021).  The work is not intended to tell a ‘story’ of his experience in Scotland but instead to paint an overall picture in the listener’s mind which reflects the image Mendelssohn himself witnessed (Nepilova, 2022).

The piece opens gently with a simple repeated phrase which is understood to be the melodic idea which Mendelssohn wrote whilst in Fingal’s Cave (Nepilova, 2022).  It starts with only the viola, cello and bassoon playing accompanied by a pedal in the violin part.  The music gradually grows as the phrase is repeated with more and more instruments being added and the harmonic balance changing and rising to a first climax at 0:17 (LSO, 2017). Studying the score further reveals that there is only minimal adjustment or addition to the melody line but rather that the growth comes from use of dynamics and introduction of more accompaniment and pedal lines in the upper instruments (Mendelssohn, circa 1832).  The simplicity of this motif could reflect the idea of nature as being ‘humble’ itself whilst the addition of multiple lines and the development of the motif demonstrates the immense beauty which comes from such a modest thing; nature.

 

It is an interesting decision of Mendelssohn’s to write the piece in B minor as normally music reflecting the beauty of nature is associated with uplifting, major style music; unless specifically writing about e.g., a stormy event which this piece is not thought to be (Nepilova, 2022).  The minor sound does, however, convey a sense of unknown and uncertainty; almost as though reverent to the strength and power of nature itself.  It also helps to convey, in this particular case, the sense of loneliness and isolation which can be felt when in such a remote location as the Scottish Hebrides.

 

Later in the piece the mood changes to reflect a stormy experience which involves both rain and wind, therefore waves (Carpenter, 2021).  This is representative of Scottish costal climate which can, at times, be equally extraordinarily scary and immensely impressive. 

At 3:50 (LSO, 2017) a trumpet fanfare introduces a sparser but dramatic section in which a short melodic pattern is passed between the brass and woodwind sections over the ground bass as was heard at the beginning and continuous upper strings tremolos.  This repetition of a musical motif in different timbres may reflect the experience of hearing the same sounds echoed around in a coastal cave; interacting with each other and fading away to nothing.

 

The recapitulation of the opening theme at 5:50 (LSO, 2017) portrays the idea differently; it is played on the upper-register instruments including the so far sparsely-utilised clarinet and is played in a more ‘jumpy’ way rather than reflective.  The growing momentum to 6:20 (LSO, 2017) when many other repeating lines are introduced helps to reflect the image of a storm brewing and coming to fruition;

 

The aspect of this piece which best reflects and represents nature is the stark contrasts throughout the music.  This piece is not intended to tell a story of an experience of a natural landscape so the atmosphere of the music does not follow a relevant pattern as such like, for example, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony but instead demonstrates a rounded interpretation of all different types of experiences in this setting.

It is a feature of Scottish weather to be very changeable and nowhere is this best demonstrated than western coastal areas including Staffa in the Inner Hebrides- whose position so remote there is currently no public access route from the nearest island Mull, never mind the Scottish mainland- leaves it very vulnerable to the full force elements of the North Atlantic.  Mendelssohn reflects this changeability and, crucially, the suddenness with which the elements change very well across the duration of the piece.

 

The work suggests to a listener a sense of wonder and awe of nature.  That the beauty of nature cannot fully be comprehended and, perhaps, does not need to be or should not be attempted to be fully understood; that one should simply observe nature as it as and enjoy its presence.


McLaughlin Niamh Mary
3035995993
Word count: 700

 

References

 

Carpenter, S. (2021). Mendelssohn Overture - The Hebrides. Mendelssohn in Scotland.
retrieved, November 2022, from: https://mendelssohninscotland.com/hebrides-overture  

 

Mendelssohn, J. L. F., (circa 1832). Overture: The Hebrides [Score].
retrieved, November 2022, from: Die Hebriden, Op.26 (Mendelssohn, Felix) - IMSLP: Free Sheet Music PDF Download

 

LSO: London Symphony Orchestra. (2017). Mendelssohn: Overture 'the hebrides' | sir John Eliot Gardiner. YouTube.
retrieved, November 2022, from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdQyN7MYSN8

 

Nepilova, H. (2022). A guide to mendelssohn's Hebrides overture, also known as Fingal's cave. Classical Music.
retrieved, November 2022, from: https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/mendelssohns-hebrides-overture-fingals-cave/

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