The Hebrides - A Listener's Guide

The Hebrides Overture, Op. 26 “Fingal’s Cave” (1830) 

Felix Mendelssohn (1778-1862)

    Felix Mendelssohn visited England in 1829 at the request of a German lord, after which he toured Scotland.  He was so inspired by his time in Scotland that he wrote his third symphony, the “Scottish” Symphony, while he was there.  During his Scottish travels, Mendelssohn also visited a widespread grouping of archipelagos off the west coast of Scotland called The Hebrides.

    He was, again, very moved by his visit to The Hebrides, and especially to a cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa.  The cave is known as Fingal’s Cave and has been oft-represented in both music and literature because of its splendor and beauty (figures 1 & 2).  Mendelssohn seemed taken, not only by the cave’s beauty, but by the melodic sound of the waves echoing against the enormous, naturally arched cavern ceiling.  In fact, the Gaelic name for the cave, “Uamh-Binn,” actually means “cave of melody.”

 

Figure 1                                                                        Figure 2

    After visiting the cave, Mendelssohn wrote a letter to his sister, Fanny Mendelssohn, in which he described the wonders of the cave and included a sketch of the motive he composed after visiting the cave (figure 3).  This is the theme upon which The Hebrides Overture would eventually be based.  The overture was completed in 1830, with revisions in 1832, and is a stand-alone piece.  It was somewhat common in the Romantic Period to write concert overtures, which were not written to accompany an opera, making the term “overture” something of a misnomer.

 

Figure 3

      The overture begins with the main motive of the piece played in the bassoons and low strings beneath a delicate chord in the violins which grows in dynamic as first the clarinets, then the oboes, second bassoon, and finally the flutes and timpani join in a crescendo passing the motive off to the violins:

Figure 4

    In some ways, this motive is as pervasive in this piece as the famous four-note motive of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.  The piece is also characterized by dynamics swells, likely representing the musical echoes of the waves in the cave.

    Just as the first motive first sounded in the lower voices, so does the second, this time in the cellos and bassoons:

Figure 5

    This musical example demonstrates the wave-like musical rolling Mendelssohn included throughout much of the overture.  The second measure above indicates a crescendo to a sforzando returning to mezzo-forte in the span of three beats.  After the low voices hand the second motive off to the violins, the overture returns to the main motive in the flutes.  This passing of the melody from low voices to higher voices, then back again, also represents the rolling of the waves, but on a much more subtle and broader scale.  This is confirmed by the fact that the flutes then return the melody to the violins in a rhythmic modification of the main theme.

Figure 6

    It is interesting to listen to the interplay of the voices and how Mendelssohn continues this practice of passing the melody from low voices to high voices, then back down to low throughout the piece.  This practice adds to the evocative nature, and overall effect, of the overture.

    The middle of the piece is comprised of a fanfare-like interlude section where a modified version of the main motive is handed off between instrument groups (again, low to high and back again).

Figure 7

    The second half of the overture begins with a brief restatement of the second theme before a very martial restatement of the main theme, passed between various instrument groupings.

    Mendelssohn has crafted a piece which, on its own musical merit, is very moving.  When a listener truly understands the inspiration for the overture, however, it takes on an even more moving and inspirational quality.  Much as the ocean itself is prone to periods of tranquility punctuated by periods of intense and powerful motion, as is The Hebrides Overture.  One can almost imagine entering Fingal’s Cave throughout the opening measures of the piece and staring in wonder as the size and majesty of the cave opens before you.  Or to imagine standing in the cave and taking in the natural wonders within; the melodic echoes of the waves, the basalt pillars, the reflection of light against the walls, the rush of water in and out of the cave’s grotto.

    The ability to capture such imagery and wonder so vividly in music is the true beauty of this piece.  In fact, the ability to capture the true nature and character of something in music is one of the great characteristics of Mendelssohn.  While many composers were able to compose spectacular works of art, few were able to paint such vivid pictures or capture the true nature of something as clearly as Mendelssohn.  The Hebrides Overture stands as a shining example of that ability, and the Romantic ideal in general.