A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Incidental Music, Op. 61; No. 1: Scherzo

• Mendelssohn, Felix

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote music for William Shakespeare’s play A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM on two separate occasions. He first wrote the concert overture in E Major, Op. 21 in 1826 at the age of seventeen for no other reason than the love that he and his siblings had for Shakespeare’s stage works. He wrote the incidental music, Op. 61 (likely the best-known incidental music in the repertoire) in 1842 as a commission from King Frederick William IV of Prussia. In creating the complete later version, the composer incorporated the original overture, Op. 21 as the overture for the incidental music and the first of the 14 numbers. Starting with what must be four of the most evocative and memorable chords in music, the work also is the origin of the Wedding March (No. 9) used in so many ceremonies today, commonly referred to as “Here Comes the Bride.” The work was premiered in Potsdam, Germany on October 14, 1843 by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by the composer. The “Scherzo” movement, No. 1 after the overture is here excerpted for those looking for a lighter and shorter piece to work into a program. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).

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