5th Symphony (Mendelssohn)
The Symphony No. 5 in D major / D minor op. 107, “Reformation Symphony” ( MWV N 15 ) by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy is a symphony in four movements . The performance lasts approx. 30 minutes.
Historical background
The symphony was composed in the winter of 1829/1830 as the second of Mendelssohn's five symphonies. Since the composer later moved away from his work, the symphony was only published posthumously in 1868 . It received the number 5 because the later, "Italian" (1833), "Lobgesang" (1840) and "Scottish" (1842) had already been published.
Mendelssohn's Jewish parents had their children baptized Christian in 1816 and converted to the Reformed faith themselves a few years later . For the 300th anniversary of the Confessio Augustana in 1830, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy composed a festive work of his own accord. However, due to the unrest following the French July Revolution , no official celebrations took place. The planned premiere of the symphony did not come about either in Berlin or in Augsburg. A performance in Leipzig also failed because sheet music was not copied in time. In Paris the musicians refused to play the work.
Finally, the premiere took place on November 15, 1832 in Berlin under the direction of the composer; however, it had no lasting success.
construction
- Andante. Allegro con fuoco
- Allegro vivace
- Andante
- Chorale " A strong castle is our God ". Andante con moto - Allegro vivace - Allegro maestoso
occupation
2 flutes , 2 oboes , 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons , contrabassoon , serpente ( bass horn ), 2 horns , 2 trumpets , 3 trombones , timpani , 1st violin , 2nd violin, viola , violoncello , double bass
Work description
The first movement in sonata form is preceded by a slow introduction with spiritual references. a. Quotes from the Gregorian Magnificat and the Dresden Amen .
In the serene melody of the third movement, one might think that it is the intonation of another great religion with the Jewish folk song Hevenu Schalom alechem . Musicologists, however, deny this.
The final movement combines a chorale variation from Martin Luther's chorale A solid castle is our God with the sonata form.
key
Mendelssohn noted the key of D major on the title sheet of the autograph score . In fact, the symphony begins with an introduction in D major, but the main theme of the 1st movement and the cadenza are then in D minor. Since the key signature of a symphony is usually based on the main theme, the key of the work is musically correct in many reference works as D minor.
literature
- Wulf Konold : Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 107 “Reformation Symphony”. In: ders. (Ed.): Lexicon Orchestermusik Romantik I – R. Schott / Piper, Mainz / Munich 1989, ISBN 3-7957-8227-9 , pp. 480-483.
- Rudolf Kloiber : Handbook of the classical and romantic symphony. 2nd expanded edition. Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-7651-0017-X .
Web links
- Symphony No. 5 : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
Individual evidence
- ↑ In a letter to Julius Rietz dated February 11, 1838, he wrote: “I can't stand the Reformation Symphony any more, I'd rather burn it than any of my pieces; should never come out ”. The contemporary criticism disliked the fact that the corner sentences showed “more artistic work than inspiration”, “too many fugatos, too little melody” (Ernst Wolff: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy . Berlin 1906, p. 77 ).