Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 4 ' Italian'

Question 1

Musical Form - How many movements are in this symphony?

Answer 1

4 Movements (The standard Classical period format)

Question 2

Tonality - What is unusual about the tonal plan of this symphony in the first and last movements?

Answer 2

It does the reverse of the ‘from darkness to light’. It moves from A Major to A minor. Although there is a folk element of the finale, he still doesn’t resolve to major in the end.

Question 3

Musical Form - What is type of dance in the third movement?

Answer 3

Instead of choosing a fiery scherzo like Beethoven, Mendelssohn chose a more stately, graceful minuet style dance.

Question 4

Musical Form - What interesting thematic decision did Mendelssohn do towards the end of the final movement?

Answer 4

He brought back a minor key version of the First Subject from movement 1

Question 5

Musical Form - What adaptations were made to sonata form in movement 1?

Answer 5

The recapitulation has an additional development section from b.456.

Question 6

Musical Form - What adaptations were made to sonata form in movement 4?

Answer 6

There is no real strong sense of recapitulation, it’s almost a continuous development section until the end.

Question 7

Musical Form - What non-standard aspect was added to the development section of movement 1?

Answer 7

There was a new minor theme (S3) added to the development section

Question 8

Tonality - What unusual device does Mendelssohn use in the development section of movement I that misleads the listener?

Answer 8

False reprise in C Major at bar 285

Question 9

Musical Form - Why is the second development section in movement 1 at b.456 so unusual?

Answer 9

Even composers like Mozart had small developments in the recapitulation. This, however, was so extensive including a modulation to F Major.

Question 10

Musical Form - What are the features of the coda in movement 1 in b.510?

Answer 10

It’s quite long (77 bars) and it ends with an extended section of perfect cadences (à la Beethoven)

Question 11

Inspiration - What were the 2 alleged inspirations for Mendelssohn’s second movement?

Answer 11

1. Religious procession in Naples
2. Czech Pilgrim song (for the melody)

Question 12

Tonality - What is the key for the second movement of Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony?

Answer 12

**Subdominant Minor **(D minor). Mendelssohn favoured this subdominant minor a lot.

Question 13

How does Mendelssohn give a modal flavour in his second movement of the Italian Symphony?

Answer 13

He uses the natural minor (aeolian), by flattening the 7th (C natural) in the key of D minor. D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C.

Question 14

What is the form of movement II in Mendelssohn’s Italian symphony?

Answer 14

Modified Sonata Form - Sometimes called ‘slow movement sonata form’. Effectively, an exposition and recapitulation without a development section.

Question 15

What is the form of movement III in Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony?

Answer 15

Minuet - Trio - Minuet form. There is some adaptation - the Minuet has an A1:|A2 A3 Codetta form. The A3 is a further development of material, rather than a simple reprise of A1. The trio follows a similar path, but the reprise more closely follows the opening Trio material. The movement ends with an additional coda.

Question 16

How does Mendelssohn realise the programme nature of the procession at the end of the movement?

Answer 16

In the final few bars, the orchestra and dynamics fade to pp, as if the procession has disappeared.

Question 17

What is the inspiration of Movement IV of Mendellsohn’s Italian Symphony?

Answer 17

An Italian folk dance, the Saltarello

Question 18

What is the form of Movement IV in Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony?

Answer 18

Sonata Form

Question 19

What other folk aspects are included in movement IV of Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony?

Answer 19

Whilst Mendelssohn cites the Saltarello, the movement more closely follows the rhythms of the Tarantella folk dance, which got its name from the victims of spider bites.

Question 20

What was the instrumentation for Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony?

Answer 20

Almost exactly the same as Haydn’s 104th - 2Fl., 2Ob., 2Cl.(A), 2Bsn.,2Hn.(A/E), 2Tpt.(D/E), Timp., Strings.

Question 22

What is Mendelssohn’s harmonic language in the Italian symphony?

Answer 22

He uses some chromaticism, but his harmonic language isn’t greatly different to his predecessors Haydn and Mozart. He was more of a Mature Classical composer, even though he was based in the Romantic period.

Question 23

What is a good example of Mendelssohn’s chromatic language?

Answer 23

A typical example of Mendelssohn’s gently chromatic harmony are the diminished sevenths in bars 37-8 of the Andante movement, which are created by the chromatic descending melody in the first violin

Question 24

How does Mendelssohn use extended and modified dominant chords in the Italian symphony?

Answer 24

Mendelssohn often uses extended and modified dominants, particularly in inversions. For example in the codetta of the last movement, the second half of 97 (and the next few bars) functions as the dominant of E but with the seventh (A) in the bass, an added ninth (C natural) and no root present.

Question 25

How does Mendelssohn like to use minor keys in the Italian Symphony?

Answer 25

Like Haydn and Mozart, Mendelssohn likes to which to quickly switch to minor keys, as he does in b.97 of the first movement where the dominant turns briefly to the dominant minor. This fondness for the minor goes further however, with A and D minor being
the first keys in development and, most dramatically, the whole final movement being in the tonic minor

Question 26

How does Mendelssohn use programme features within the Italian Symphony?

Answer 26

• Mendelssohn described the Symphony as “blue sky in A major” and this can be heard at the opening of Mvt.1 with a piercing woodwind accompaniment texture.
• The second movement feels like a procession with its walking bass and Czech pilgrim song melody. The repetition at opening enhances this effect.
• The Trio seems to make references to Mendelssohn’s home country with hunting calls perhaps more evocative of German forests.
• The rhythms and pedals of the last movement evoke not on the saltarello of the title but also the tarantella. Both of these folk dances involve fast triplet rhythms.

Question 27

Describe how Mendelssohn uses melody in the Italian Symphony?

Answer 27

He was known for his lyrical melodies, balanced themes and clear articulation of the cadences.

Question 28

How does Mendelssohn use melodic ideas in the Italian Symphony?

Answer 28

• The first subject of the opening movement is typical in that it is both lyrical but also fizzing with energy.
• Mendelssohn has a tendency to bring in new melodic ideas during the development as in bar 225 in the first movement, where a completely new theme (S3) is
  introduced that ends up achieving considerable prominence in the rest of the movement.
• He often tries to explore links and similarities between themes as when S3 in the first
  movement turns into S1 at bar 318
• In the coda of the last movement, Mendelssohn brings back a minor version of the
  first subject of the opening movement – a common feature of Romantic symphonies.

Question 29

How does Mendelssohn use texture within his music?

Answer 29

He mostly uses melody-dominated homophony, but uses more innovative use of texture. Often he will include aspects of polyphony/counterpoint in his accompaniment parts, seen in the Italian Symphony.

Question 30

What are the specific ways Mendelssohn uses texture in the Italian Symphony?

Answer 30

• The light and energetic presentation of the second subject at b.110 in the first movement is a typical melody-dominated homophony with woodwind in thirds and arpeggiations passing between the violins
• Some examples of contrapuntal textures. Example, the first appearance of S3 at bar 225 in the first movement is imitative counterpoint with use of stretto at 249.
• The texture in the Andante second movement is interesting as it begins in sparse two-part counterpoint (bar 4) then repeating the same idea with added contrapuntal lines (bar 12).
• The transition of the first movement (bar 66) has an exciting antiphonal texture between wind and strings in the transition.