Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, op. 56 Part II
The cheerful second movement is derived from a Scottish folk tune.
II. Vivace non troppo
Sonata/ternary hybrid
The second movement is a bit difficult to get a handle on structurally. Two themes are presented in what is clearly a first section, but the middle section is very developmental. There’s no recapitulation, and the coda introduces its own theme before ending on theme one motives.
A short introduction of open intervals introduces the primary characters in the scherzo movement which features the winds. A joyful and bubbly scherzo theme is heard in the clarinet over tremolo strings with occasional pizzicatos. After a series of cadential ascents the oboe joins as the string accompaniment gathers steam. After another series of cadential ascents the full orchestra plays theme one (0:43) complete with the timpani. A quiet string descent (0:59) leads to theme two, consisting of staccato string descents. Wind ascents and descents decorate theme two in its second phrase. Dotted wind descents sequence upwards (1:21) as two-note string figures are answered by puttering horns.
The middle section of the movement begins with a bold statement of theme one in the low strings. Motives from the opening theme sequence upwards before landing in the oboe (1:49), where they are answered by octaves in the strings and winds. These octaves continue in the winds over theme one-based rises and falls in the strings. Theme two descents in the strings (2:13) are passed to the clarinet, oboe, flute, and horn before a flute statement of theme one (2:35). The strings answer forcefully and soon begin to repeat theme one motives over pulsing horns and a growing timpani roll. They ascend to a chaotic dialogue of octave intervals before a tutti, major version of theme two. Cadential descents repeat in the full orchestra, ending the development (3:09) in a brass fanfare.
The coda begins with a new, dotted theme that appears in the winds over hushed strings at 3:24. Theme one motives in the clarinet and bassoon are heard under rising flute lines (3:34) before they start to repeat and ascend in the strings over a pastoral-sounding horn call and a gentle string descent. The movement ends on three quiet pizzicatos.
=*=
If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Leonard Bernstein’s 1979 recording with the Israel Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophone. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. You can also buy this recording from the iTunes Music Store by clicking on the button below.
This article is part of the Music 365 series. To find out more about this project, please visit the project homepage. If you enjoyed this summary or otherwise found it helpful, consider Stumbling it using the button below.
Technorati Tags: Music 365, orchestra, horn, theme, clarinet, flute, violin, bassoon, timpani, trumpet, trombone, motive, melody, harmony, tremolo, chord, rhythm, sonata, exposition, introduction, recapitulation, coda, cadence, listening guide, arpeggio, scale, cello, viola, bass, Mendelssohn, Scotland, Brahms, Schumann, Symphony No. 3, A Minor, Bernstein, Israel Philharmonic
