Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 11
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

THE STORY

Few composers in the history of Western classical music displayed as much talent from an early age as Felix Mendelssohn. He was born into a wealthy and influential family and displayed an affinity for piano performance and composition, with his earliest surviving compositions appearing when he was 11 years old.

The young prodigy composed his Symphony No. 1 at the age of 15. To call this work his first symphony is a touch deceptive—over the previous two years, Mendelssohn had composed 13 “symphonies” for string orchestras. These works were most likely assignments from the teachers who trained him in the highly formalized techniques of composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Joseph Haydn.

This work is considered Mendelssohn’s first formal symphony because of its use of a full orchestra, with woodwind and brass instruments joining the strings. The piece was completed on March 31, 1824. It had a premiere months later to celebrate the 19th birthday of his older sister, Fanny, who was a brilliant composer and pianist in her own right. The orchestra would have been formidable; Mendelssohn’s parents had friends that included the very best of musicians in Berlin.

LISTEN FOR

• The stormy, minor tone of the first movement—the key is C minor, a key Mendelssohn would have known is associated with tragedy and struggle
• The syncopated rhythmic pulse that underlies the melody of the second movement giving the music an uneven feeling
• The scurrying, virtuosic parts in the violins—quick, energetic music which would become integral to Mendelssohn’s style
• The fugue in the middle of the fourth movement, in which a short theme is passed around different instruments

INSTRUMENTATION

Two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings