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Mendelssohn · Felix Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A minor "Scottish"

A melody from a ruined chapel, 13 years in the making

Key
A minor
Composed
1842
Premiere
1842 Leipzig
Duration
About 40 min
Movements
4 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 · Brass 4·2·0·0 · Timpani · Strings

The story behind this piece

In 1829, a twenty-year-old Mendelssohn traveled to Scotland with his friend Klingemann. The day they visited Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, he saw a ruined chapel next to the palace where Mary, Queen of Scots, once lived, and wrote home: "Today I think I found the beginning of my Scottish Symphony in that old chapel." The letter included the opening melody of this piece.

But he didn't finish it for a long time. His Italian trip produced the "Italian" Symphony first, and this one wasn't completed until 1842, nearly 13 years later. That's why it was published as No. 3 but is actually the last symphony Mendelssohn completed.

Mendelssohn conducted the premiere himself in Leipzig in 1842, and when he visited England that year, Queen Victoria was to receive its dedication.

In the preface to the score, Mendelssohn asked that the movements be played without the usual pauses between them. The four movements flow like one long story.

What to listen for

  • Introduction to the first movement: the melody he jotted down at Holyrood begins dark and quiet.
  • Second movement: a lively tune like a Scottish folk dance leaps out of the winds. It's a movement that keeps wind players' fingers busy.
  • End of the fourth movement: after the battle-like finale subsides, a completely new, majestic major-key melody rings out like a hymn to close the piece.

Listen · Score

Credits