Why is it called the Hebrides Overture?
Table of Contents
It was inspired by one of Mendelssohn’s trips to the British Isles, specifically an 1829 excursion to the Scottish island of Staffa, with its basalt sea cave known as Fingal’s Cave. It was reported that the composer immediately jotted down the opening theme for his composition after seeing the island.
Did Mendelssohn visit fingals cave?
Mendelssohn visited the cave in 1829 while on a tour of Scotland and completed his Hebrides Overture on 16 December the following year. The work, which is now popularly known as Fingal’s Cave, helped the landmark become a tourist destination for other famous names.
Why did Mendelssohn write Fingal’s Cave?
The piece was inspired by Mendelssohn’s 1829 trip to Fingal’s Cave on the island of Staffa, off Scotland’s west coast, known for its puffins and the echoes of the cave. Mendelssohn wrote it to capture the Atlantic swell, the sound of the waves crashing into rocks and lapping against each other.
Did Mendelssohn visit Staffa?
In 1829, Mendelssohn took a memorable trip to the Scottish Island of Staffa and its famous Fingal’s Cave. The journey made an immediate impression – he wrote the first few bars of what became the Hebrides Overture on a postcard to his sister saying ‘how extraordinarily the Hebrides affected me. ‘
Why did Mendelssohn go to Scotland?
Toothache music Not a fan of the bagpipes, then. In order to escape the local musical scene, Mendelssohn and Klingemann went hiking, with the composer indulging his great love of painting landscapes along the way.
Who wrote Fingal cave?
Felix Mendelssohn
Johannes Brahms
The Hebrides/Composers
What is fingals cave known as?
So moved was famed composer Felix Mendelssohn by the splendor of the cave that he sent the opening phrase of an overture on a postcard to his sister with the note: “In order to make you understand how extraordinarily the Hebrides affected me, I send you the following, which came into my head there.” The Hebrides …
Why is Fingal’s cave famous?
Fingal’s Cave is a sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, known for its natural acoustics. The National Trust for Scotland owns the cave as part of a national nature reserve….
Fingal’s Cave | |
---|---|
Entrances | One |
Hazards | Partially filled by the sea, slippery rocks |
Access | Public |
How deep is the water in Fingal’s cave?
Its floor is covered by about 25 feet (7.6metres) of water. The cave is embedded in symmetrical, hexagonally jointed basalt columns that were formed from lava flows by cooling and pressure. Fingal’s Cave, Staffa island, Inner Hebrides, Scotland.
What is the story of fingals cave?
Fingal’s Cave shares its geological origins with the Giant’s Causeway of Northern Ireland, to which it may have once been connected by the same massive lava flow. Like the Causeway, its Celtic legendary origins are found by many in the exploits of Finn MacCumhaill (MacCool) of the Fenian cycle of Gaelic literature.
Where did Mendelssohn compose Hebrides Overture?
Composed in 1830 during a trip to the British Isles, Felix Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture is one of his most-loved works. A year earlier in 1829, Mendelssohn took a trip to the Scottish island of Staffa, which has a basalt sea cave known as ‘Fingal’s Cave’.
Is It “Die Hebriden” or “the Hebrides?
A further layer of confusion regarding the title was added in 1834 when Breifkopf & Härtel published the score as “ Fingals Höhle ” ( Fingal’s Cave) but the orchestral parts as “ Die Hebriden ”. But, in the UK at least, the title used today is “ The Hebrides ”.
Where did Felix Mendelssohn write his first poem?
So wrote Felix Mendelssohn in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull on Friday 7 August 1829. He had reached Mull with his friend Karl Klingemann after a week traveling from Edinburgh through the Scottish Highlands.
Why did Mendelssohn come to England?
Mendelssohn’s first visit to England in 1829 resulted from invitations by Sir George Smart and the Philharmonic Society.