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The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave), Op. 26

183010 min

This guide follows Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave), Op. 26 (1830) in one part (sonata form).

Recording: London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner

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AnalysisComments
Sonata form0:00–9:51

Violas, cellos and bassoons begin with a rising and falling figure in B minor, over rocking strings that suggest the swell of the sea. The , a broad D major melody for cellos and bassoons, arrives next, and a ends the . The brings calls between brass and woodwinds and a storm of rising and falling scales. Then the starts, with the on a quiet clarinet. In the a clarinet echoes the opening figure and a flute rises over low plucked strings.

  1. :
  2. :

Section boundaries in music are not always sharp; a transition may be felt over a pause or a held chord.

At a glance

  1. Allegro moderatoSonata form · 10 min · 268 bars · quarter note ≈ 112 bpm

Instruments: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Timpani, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Double bass

Felix Mendelssohn, The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave), Op. 26: first page of the score
Full score

Questions

How long is The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave), Op. 26?
About 10 min in this recording.
What form is it in?
Sonata form.
Which instruments play in The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave), Op. 26?
Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Timpani, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello and Double bass.
How fast is it played?
In this recording, measured from the score: quarter note ≈ 112 bpm.
Is there a score of Felix Mendelssohn's The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave), Op. 26?
Yes, of every movement.

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BachTrio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat major, BWV 5251730HaydnSymphony No. 1 in D major, Hob. I:11759HaydnHorn Concerto in D major, Hob. VIId:31762HaydnPiano Sonata in A-flat major, Hob. XVI:461770HaydnPiano Sonata in C minor, Hob. XVI:201771HaydnString Quartet in A major, Op. 20 No. 61772HaydnString Quartet in C major, Op. 20 No. 21772HaydnString Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 41772HaydnString Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 20 No. 11772HaydnString Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 No. 51772

In listening paths

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Path 05

Understanding sonata form

The form behind most first movements, heard twelve times, from a small sonata to a symphony.

Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Mendelssohn → Brahms → Prokofiev

12 works · 4 h 43 min

Path 07

Ten minutes or less

Short, complete works for a single sitting.

Bach → Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Mendelssohn → Saint-Saëns → Sibelius → Ravel → Debussy → Gershwin → Copland

12 works · 1 h 26 min

In the catalog

Felix MendelssohnOrchestral worksRomantic periodSonata form

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