The Hebrides (overture)
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The Hebrides is a concert overture that was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1830, revised in 1832, and published the next year as Mendelssohn's Op. 26. Some consider it an early tone poem.
Sketch of a view from the Firth of Forth, looking towards Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh in Scotland by Felix Mendelssohn, in his letter of 1 August 1829 to his sister Fanny
Initial sketch for the theme, found in a letter dated 7 August 1829 to his sister Fanny (original in the Music Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts)
Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen
Fingal's Cave
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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
The Hebrides (overture)
…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. He at first called the work…
Entrance to Fingal's Cave, 1900
View from the depths of the cave with the island of Iona visible in the background, 2008
Basalt columns inside Fingal's Cave, 2022
Engraving of Fingal's Cave by James Fittler in Scotia Depicta, 1804.