I waited the entire video for a mention of the Scottish symphony and was not disappointed. Simply thank you. All the more for using Abbado's interpretation. Mendelssohn has always been a major event in the history of my life, and whatever history my feeble compositions can have. But without him nothing would be the same.
Thanks for watching it in full. You can really get the point of his genius in form and continuity if you pay attention to every example. And Abbado really gets it in the recap. Listen to those celli soar.
Another technique that contributes to deemphasize the recapitulation in Mendelssohn's music is the suppression of the modulating bridge between the first and the second thematic group. Usually the bridge is retained in the recapitulation, of course it no more modulates but is modified so that the second group is now in the tonic. Mendelssohn's works often feature an extended bridge in the exposition, which is then completely eliminated in the recapitulation where the second group follows the first one immediately. Mendelssohn was quite pragmatic: after the highly modulating development, there was no need for him to introduce new instability in the recapitulation and the two groups are now joined by their tonal unity.
I have here at home Charles Rosen's Sonata Form and in it he states that Mendelssohn's music is always at its lowest tension right before the main theme reappears. It's indeed the case and quite unique. I am happy someone else picked up on this. If you want more Mendelssohn peculiarities, look at what he does with the clarinet, for example in the trio of the first symphony's scherzo, or the second theme of the finale, or the clarinet duet of the Hebrides Overture second theme in the recapitulation. There may be more places. No one else, not even Weber, gave the clarinet that much significance. His music is the ultimate gift to every orchestral clarinetist.
Thank you for providing further examples! We left quite a few interesting recapitulations out like in the Italian symphony. As you said, quite unique! A genius composer.
This pointed out a few things to these old ears. I've always had a "yeah, whatever" attitude towards most of Mendelssohn's music. It all seems so easy, so deft. When you listen to Beethoven, you can hear old Ludwig working hard to get back to the recap, where Mendelssohn just seem so effortless. Almost like he's cheating. Listening to a familiar piece -- while seeing a score I've never studied -- is such an eye-opener, esp. with the light commentary running along the top. Thanks!
This is an excellent video. As an honorable mention, I'd like to point out that Debussy's "Reflets dans l'Eau" from the first book of Images uses precisely this technique of eroding the recapitulation's boundary by prolonging the dominant (mm. 35 & 71). Only in Debussy's case, the dominant function is realized with a V11 (Ab Eb Gb Bb Db) instead of a traditional V7. It's interesting to observe how these same formal techniques can be expressed in a myriad of styles.
George Bernard Shaw once wrote that Mendelssohn’s music is always pretty, but seldom more. He was half right: Mendelssohn’s music is always pretty, but *often* more.
I admit I don't see the relevance of the quotes comparing Mozart and Mendelssohn as prodigies. The video is not about Mendelssohn's childhood works. There are precursors to Mendelssohn's use of this technique. An especially beautiful example is the first movement of Haydn's 81st symphony. On a smaller scale, Mozart's Minuet K. 355 offers a chromatic reharmonization of the first two bars in the recapitulation.
I beg you wholeheartedly, dont cease to upload this kind of videos
The transition to the recap from his violin concerto will always be one of my favourite moments musicaux, it's so goood! Thank you
Thanks to you fellow creator! :)
I waited the entire video for a mention of the Scottish symphony and was not disappointed. Simply thank you. All the more for using Abbado's interpretation.
Mendelssohn has always been a major event in the history of my life, and whatever history my feeble compositions can have. But without him nothing would be the same.
Thanks for watching it in full. You can really get the point of his genius in form and continuity if you pay attention to every example. And Abbado really gets it in the recap. Listen to those celli soar.
Another technique that contributes to deemphasize the recapitulation in Mendelssohn's music is the suppression of the modulating bridge between the first and the second thematic group. Usually the bridge is retained in the recapitulation, of course it no more modulates but is modified so that the second group is now in the tonic. Mendelssohn's works often feature an extended bridge in the exposition, which is then completely eliminated in the recapitulation where the second group follows the first one immediately.
Mendelssohn was quite pragmatic: after the highly modulating development, there was no need for him to introduce new instability in the recapitulation and the two groups are now joined by their tonal unity.
That’s quite interesting, thank you!
That's how you do this. Way too underrated this man. Thank you for these videos, really.
My pleasure!
Thank you so much! Mendelssohn is one of my favorites, and this made me appreciate him even more!
You are welcome! We love him too. :)
Thank you for this. This was a new discovery for me today.
I love you Mendelssohn!
I have here at home Charles Rosen's Sonata Form and in it he states that Mendelssohn's music is always at its lowest tension right before the main theme reappears. It's indeed the case and quite unique. I am happy someone else picked up on this.
If you want more Mendelssohn peculiarities, look at what he does with the clarinet, for example in the trio of the first symphony's scherzo, or the second theme of the finale, or the clarinet duet of the Hebrides Overture second theme in the recapitulation. There may be more places. No one else, not even Weber, gave the clarinet that much significance. His music is the ultimate gift to every orchestral clarinetist.
Thank you for providing further examples! We left quite a few interesting recapitulations out like in the Italian symphony. As you said, quite unique! A genius composer.
This pointed out a few things to these old ears. I've always had a "yeah, whatever" attitude towards most of Mendelssohn's music. It all seems so easy, so deft. When you listen to Beethoven, you can hear old Ludwig working hard to get back to the recap, where Mendelssohn just seem so effortless. Almost like he's cheating. Listening to a familiar piece -- while seeing a score I've never studied -- is such an eye-opener, esp. with the light commentary running along the top. Thanks!
Best feedback ever. I warmly thank you!
Great video, as always. Please don't make the quotes blurry. It makes them less readable.
Noted! I will diminish the effect. MM
Great job!!
Great episode!
This is an excellent video.
As an honorable mention, I'd like to point out that Debussy's "Reflets dans l'Eau" from the first book of Images uses precisely this technique of eroding the recapitulation's boundary by prolonging the dominant (mm. 35 & 71). Only in Debussy's case, the dominant function is realized with a V11 (Ab Eb Gb Bb Db) instead of a traditional V7.
It's interesting to observe how these same formal techniques can be expressed in a myriad of styles.
We heard about it from the famous horsemen! 🐴🐴🐴🐴
The MSND overture is far more lovely and advanced than anything Mozart wrote at the same age (17).
George Bernard Shaw once wrote that Mendelssohn’s music is always pretty, but seldom more. He was half right: Mendelssohn’s music is always pretty, but *often* more.
I’d argue the original statement is true for Mozart, but definitely not Mendelssohn.
@@carbonmonoxide5052 You definitely underestimate Mozart, then.
He was the Mozart of the early romantic period.
large portion!
Thank you for this!!
Mendelssohn's music was not "Western", it was European.
I admit I don't see the relevance of the quotes comparing Mozart and Mendelssohn as prodigies. The video is not about Mendelssohn's childhood works.
There are precursors to Mendelssohn's use of this technique. An especially beautiful example is the first movement of Haydn's 81st symphony. On a smaller scale, Mozart's Minuet K. 355 offers a chromatic reharmonization of the first two bars in the recapitulation.
Among the geniuses he is the one that most composed average music . Imagine Alkan with the hits of Mendelssohn then you get the idea…
Alkan was crap.
That’s wrong on so many levels but hey… to each their own