Cornell University LIBrary MT 145.M53H36 An analysis of Mendelssohn's organ works 3 1924 022 374 577 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY MUSIC Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022374577 Analysis: OF Mendelssohn's Organ= Works.; *';■' MKNDELSSOHN From a Pencil Prattling by E. P. Novcllo, Analysis of Mendelssohn's Organ IVorks Lonpow: W. Reeves, AN ANALYSIS OF MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS A STUDY OF THEIR STRUCTURAL FEATURES FOR THE USE OF STUDENTS BY JOSEPH W. G. HATHAWAY I Fellow of the Royal College of Organists) With Portrait, Facsimiles and 128 music examples LONDON : Wm, Reeves, 83, Charing Cross Road, w.c.2 Office of " Tlie Musical Standard " TO GEORGE RISELEY, Esq., Under whose guidance the Author first made the acquaintance of MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Printed by TJw New Temple Press, ^Norbury Cresetrnt, London, S.W.16. PREFACE. The Author, in presenting this little work to the public, does so with a considerable amount of diffi- dence, and with a full sense of its many short- comings. It is an enlargement of some articles that appeared originally in serial form, and it is hoped that in their present shape they may be of use to the student, for whom they were expressly written. Some acquaintance with fugues and other forms is neces- sarily presupposed, and, although technical terms have been avoided as far as possible, a certain amount are obviously enforced by the nature of the subject. The student should make himself familiar with these in all their bearings before reading this work, and should also have a copy of the Organ Works of Mendelssohn near at hand for constant reference. Tonbridge. Contents. Portrait Frontispiece. Facsimile f acing page ± Sonata I. • .... 6 Sonata II 21 Sonata III 3g , Sonata IV 4g Sonata V. . qi Sonata VI gg Chorals . . 79 Facsimile facing 84 Preludes and Fugues 84 Errata 123 (JcS This interesting Facsimile of the conclusion o Final Movement of the First Sonata is given by >1 the original manuscript. Utndeluohn's Organ Works— London : W Reeves. r ff — i . „ 1 * J- S= *£ [ ty if} I 7C*- Vndante Recit. and the beginning of the •mission of Mr. Arthur O'Leary who possesses MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. HESE " Sechs Sonaten fur die Orgel," and the " Drei Prseludien und Fugen," need little introduction from me, and I may safely say that all organists worthy of the name play them ; and how many a young beginner, when initiated into the beauties of one of them looks forward to the time when he can get decently through the whole six ! It is not the object of this work to criticise, or to give suggestions for performance, but to take them one 2 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. by one and comment on their structure, to analyse their various features, principally for the use of students, who, while aspiring to play may be helped to give a more intelligent interpretation to them by a knowledge of the means the composer has used to build them together. That familiar- ity breeds contempt, we all know ; and yet although familiarity could hardly ever breed contempt for works of this calibre, it often makes us ignore or pass over beauties and in- teresting features which perhaps in less known works we should "spot out" more readily. The necessity of pupils, when studying the execution of a work, not only to work at its ex- ecution, but also to find out its distinctive and structural features as a composition cannot be too much insisted on. Study a piece to its very roots, is Arabella Godard's advice to all pianoforte students. One can never come MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. from real honest study of a noble work with- out feeling some benefit. Therefore, it is the .purpose of this work — however far it may fall short of what it ought to be — to bring before the reader the chief characteristics of the ..works in question as they present themselves. The sonatas are structurally all different — each one unfolds fresh ideas of form as well as effect. The/ are naturally contrapuntal — all works for the organ of the highest order must be so more or less, for the power the organ has of sustaining parts demands a certain amount of imitative writing, and besides, counterpoint lends a dignity and massiveness to this most solemn of instruments, associated as it is the world over with sacred buildings and religious ceremonies. Hence Mendels- sohn, a great master of the art of polyphony, following the example of his still greater prede- cessor Bach, makes a large use of counterpoint 4 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. in these sonatas and every one except the fifth contains a fully developed fugue. To still further render these sonatas essen- tially Church compositions, Mendelssohn makes considerable use of chorals — which chorals, it must be remembered, are in Ger- many pre-eminently associated with religious matters, as each choral conveys to the German mind some particular verse or hymn with which the tune is generally connected, much the same as " Abide with me " would do to us. With the exception of the fifth, where it is used simply as an introduction, and is not heard in the subsequent movements, he has worked them into his movements as an integral, in- separable part of the whole. In the second and fourth sonatas, the choral is not used at all. Thus they are distinctly church sonatas, and are peculiarly adapted for performance in MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 5 places of worship. Their whole expression is made to correspond, and breathes of that sub- limity and nobleness necessary to works of this class, — for the noblest of purposes, and performed on the noblest of instruments. So Mendelssohn here is scarcely the bright, me- lodious, genial Mendelssohn one finds, for example, in the " Lieder ohne Worte ; " and hardly the popular Mendelssohn, the Mendels- sohn so deeply rooted in the hearts of the mass of English amateurs ; — but, more, the giant Mendelssohn, the wielder of the hammer of Thor, one finds in " O great is the depth " (in " St. Paul "), and other kindred choruses, — the Mendelssohn honoured by musicians, a profound scholar and a genius. 6 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. SONATA I. The first sonata is in the key of F minor, and consists of four movements ; (i) Allegro moderato e serioso, (2) Adagio, (3) Andante recit, (4) Allegro vivace assai. The first movement, Allegro moderato e serioso, begins with three chords (Ex. 1, a)* : — Ex. 1. (a) „ N (5) 1 feErf ^ad^fcdt -1 — r :*=K which are repeated three notes lower (Ex. 1, b), this time however with an introductory quaver. These four notes form the chief material used in the opening of this move- * The phrase marks in this and the other examples will be found to differ slightly from those which Mendelssohn himself placed, and are merely so altered for convenience in showing the beginning and termination of a phrase. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. ment. The bars to the thirteenth must be looked upon simply as an introduction to the fugue which follows, and which it overlaps by two bars. No reference is made to this intro- duction later on. The fugue begins in the eleventh bar, the subject of which is : — t Ex. 2. ^±E ±a£ atit P=* The answer is tonal, and there is no regular counter subject. At the conclusion of the ex- position — that is, after the subject has been heard in all the four parts — there is a long episode, founded, chiefly on the first four notes of the subject, terminating with a definite close in the dominant minor key (C minor). Closes such as this are not usual in ordinary fugues, remarks Mr. James Higgs, " except at the ter- mination of the entire composition ; for, 8 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. although the harmonic progression (dominant to tonic) that belongs to the perfect cadence is often employed, yet it will be found when this occurs in the course of a fugue, instead of marking a point of repose, it generally becomes a new point of departure for one or other of the voices." The whole movement is exceptional as regards fugue form, and the close here simply serves to introduce the choral : — Ex. 3. ^=z± :c3 Z2 Z2 which begins in the key of A b, the rela- tive major of the key. Between the first and second, and second and third phrases of the choral, the fugue subject is heard, the first time in toto, and the second altered towards the end. During the third phrase, and not after it, as before, the subject makes an ingenious entry : — MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Ex. 4. 3&= m ■tti zz± -jet. m fe^j- im^=^ r j=p J: ■s :*=£: ^2: :t: m m z± *U^ &# and also during the fourth phrase, which is prolonged by one bar, and ends in F minor (the tonic) , after two successive attempts, starts off, while the choral is finishing its last two bars, in contrary motion— that is, with the subject exactly the reverse of what it was before : — Ex. 5. i ±ftr£: £=* \r*-m S io MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Here the choral in its turn gives way, and the fugue proceeds on an uninterrupted course for seventeen and a half bars, during which the subject is heard in all the four parts ; afterwards an episode follows, founded chiefly on the first four notes of Ex. 5. Then the choral is heard again : Ex. 6. i & -l.JTj: WEB-- M g m& •acxL *£=£ :=£= Notice here how the subject is used in its in- MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS, n verted form, as shown in Ex. 5, and also compare it with Ex. 3 and Ex. 4. The first example gives the choral in its simplest form, as it first appears, with plain simple har- monies ; and then see how, in the other two, it is used with more complex harmonies, first with the fugue subject in its original form, and secondly with the inversion. This will serve, I think, to show the resourcefulness of the composer, and proves how the same idea may be presented so as to appear very differ- ent. It is then repeated three notes lower, with the harmonies necessarily somewhat different, in the key of B b minor, separated from Ex. 6 by four chords founded on the first four notes of the subject in its original form (see Ex. 2), and then again in C minor. Following this comes a short stretto on the first four notes of the subject (Ex. 2), when the choral again leads off, this time with the 12 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. fugue subject in the pedals, the latter part of which is prolonged and serves as a counter- point through three phrases of the choral, ending in the key of F minor (the tonic). Here follows a stretto on a tonic pedal, too long for quotation here. Notice how it leads off with the subject as it originally appears, and then by its inversion. Next they appear simultaneously : — Ex. -,.JT w= m & J. m *k f^ & Pedals. a process which is reversed further on, the pedals taking the first form and the manuals the inversion. The climax is reached in a chord of the augmented sixth on D \>, and the MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 13 movement terminates with a reference to the choral. Then comes the Adagio, a beautiful little movement in splendid contrast to the preced- ing, and, although structurally of comparative unimportance, is yet interesting. It is in the key of A|,, the relative major of the primary key. It begins with two four bar phrases, the second of which ends with a half close on the domin- ant. These bars are then repeated an octave higher, so as to end with a full close in the tonic - key. Four more bars, which are repeated an octave higher ; two bars, corres- ponding two bars ; and three four-bar phrases, ending in E b, B I? minor, and E h respectively bring us back to a repetition of the opening bars, the melody of which is played on a solo stop ; eight bars further on the same melody is heard in an inner part. Fifteen bars from the end a tonic pedal is used, which continues to 14 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. the end of the movement. Reminiscences of the opening bars form the chief in- terest here. The Andante recit., which follows, is as its name implies of no definite form. It ex- emplifies a favourite device of Mendelssohn in these sonatas — namely, that of a duet between one manual and another. Similar examples will be found in the second and fourth sonatas. The phrases of the duet part are interpolated by terrific chords on the great organ. About the middle of the movement an exceedingly charming effect is gained by allowing an arpeggio to grow, as it were, out of the loud chords : — MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 15 Ex. 8. ±k&. % m " 'w'H'w' As a matter of fact, the first three notes on the swell are not heard at all, but immediately the last chord on the great ceases they pene- trate with exquisite effect through the stillness. It sounds almost like two instruments, the one near an actuality, the other afar, " like the faint exquisite music of a dream." Had the chord been struck wholly on the fourth beat, the effect, ^though not ruined, would certainly 16 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. have been marred. The student will notice how, by changing enharmonically the A \> into G#» the last note in the example just given (making a chord of the augmented sixth), a modulation is effected into the remote key of D minor, a device which is repeated four bars later on, this time landing us in the key of E minor ; and then, curiously enough, by changing the G % back into A fe, and the other notes into their enharmonics, we are led back tp the original key, and a return of the original theme. Here is a short instance of- canon : — Ex. 9. I sr W J^A W-F- Ci-, k> 3fcSt &c. ^JggEEg-^ W S Notice the resolution of the chord of the MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 17 augmented sixth on Ab. It would scarcely be advisable to introduce this progression into an examination paper, for fault might be found with the position of the third chord. Ex. 10. ff 3l m* & J&Z -&- Fed. Now we come to the fourth and last move* ment, the Allegro assai vivace. The opening phrase is : — Ex. 11. Ped. 18 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS, At the eighth bar, where there is a modulation to 4he dominant, the left hand takes up the theme : — Ex. 12. r. ~ g*K r=p £ m t=c ±=£gF s Fed. Shortly after the theme appears in its first form in the key of E major, then A minor, A major, and D major, leading to a succession of dominant and diminished sevenths, with common chords to a first inversion of the remote chord of G \>. By twice flattening the B, one is brought to a suspension of the 4-3 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 19 on A b, and the subject appears in D \> major. When the subject next appears it is in its original key, but with a new and sprightly figure added to it : — Ex. 13. 1 ffi q»=f: -! — I — I — H t. This figure accompanies the chief phrase in all its various repetitions, but it is not again heard by itself. The movement here takes, a new lease of life by the appearance of an entirely new phrase, which is worked by itself. It is in the key of F : — Ex. 14. p *a The next point we will notice is the ascend- ing passage on a dominant pedal point, 20 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. composed of diminished sevenths alternating with common chords in their first inversion. Following this comes a short stretto of the phrase in Ex. 14, which leads to a repetition of the first phrase (Ex. 1 1 ) on a tonic pedal point. The second phrase (Ex. 14) also has its turn on this tonic pedal, although only its first four notes are used. This brings us to two long arpeggios, supplemented by a perfect cadence, and the whole sonata is brought to an end. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS, ar SONATA II. The second of these sonatas, in C minor and major, is a worthy successor of the first. The movements are both interesting and beautiful, especially the second, which would undoubtedly take high rank among corres- ponding movements in the other sonatas were the opinions of its innumerable players taken. The final movement, a fugue, is ex- tremely ingenious and interesting. The movements (four in number, two in C minor and two in C major) are : (i) Grave, (2) Adagio, (3) Allegro maestoso e vivace, and (4) Fuga (Allegro moderato). It will be seen that all these four movements have the same keynote, a peculiarity noticeable also in Nos. III. and VI. 22 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. The Grave, with which the sonata com- mences, may perhaps be looked upon more as an introduction to the second than as a separate movement. It is built entirely of one phrase, the rhythm of which is shown in the first bars : — Ex. 15. ^ ^ f fe^Hf^^T^ This is followed by a parallel two bars also ending on the dominant harmony. Then the same rhythm is heard again in one part with an invertible counterpoint in the other : — Ex. 16. 3£3=2 ^=t= ^ E= 1 1 Tr ¥ The inversion comes immediately, transposed into the fourth above (F minor), with a third part added : — MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 23 * Ex. 17 * t=3=t=^=q=q ] — j- -A - — w- —*- 1 r — 1- -* d- V PS— 1 1 L * t- ^b*- _L* . IC IT>| T 6^" L_ t_ ,..,1 ' It is. then repeated in the original key, still in its inverted form, and lastly in the key of G minor, reinverted back to its first position, and supplemented by another bar leading to a long dominant pedal in an inner part, with reminiscences of the theme built upon it. A rather curious resolution of the dominant seventh on A is : — Ex. 18. I £^fe i &c. m. W^r ±m- Pad. 24 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. The pedal will in some measure account for the strange progression. The movement closes with an imperfect cadence which over- laps the entry of the next. The second movement, Adagio, opens with a phrase of seven bars : — («) Ex. 19. SiS^S fctfEpSS f=F& $£* £*->£ ^ps^g^ tt*£ ±± which are repeated eleven notes lower, altered in the last bar but one of the example, and elongated, ending in the key of B'b major. This gives one the idea of a duet, say, be- tween soprano and tenor or baritone, a thought which Mendelssohn undoubtedly had in his mind when writing. The expression of the whole movement is pathos. Observe the MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 25 three successive attempts, as it were, of the phrase at a, Ex. 19, to reach the high G, and' then the descent into the dominant minor key. Following the repetition of this phrase,; comes the exquisite wail in the part which;; for convenience, we will call the soprano : — Ex. 20.,. s i % fe=£ fc=t isst It is then heard in the responsive part, a twelfth lower, in the key of F minor. In the same key, the soprano leads off with the prin- cipal melody as far as letter b, Ex. 19. Seven bars later the principal melody is heard in its original key, elongated and altered so as to end in the tonic key. A coda of seven bars then ends the movement. . The Allegro, maestro e vivace is built on a broad, dignified, symmetrical basis, the spirit E 26 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. resembling somewhat that of a stately march. The form is simplicity itself, and need not be treated in detail. There is only one subject. The two subsequent entries after the enuncia- tion are connected by means of a short development. The development begins with a brief tonal sequence, leading up to a chord of the minor ninth on B : — Ex. 21. * ^1 m 4^I-^-J=Si ®^ : m ^ ~&^ Fed. which forms the channel by which the re- petition of the subject is arrived at. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 27 The part which follows is merely a re- petition of what has gone before, but shortened, only the second half of the subject being used. The development is, on the other hand, lengthened by one bar. The subject again appears, the second half still only being heard, this time terminating with an interrupted cadence instead of a perfect, as before : — Ex. 22. 1 1— -4= i ^» m T H T21 Ped. A coda then follows, ending with dominant and tonic pedal. The last movement is a fugue, with this for its subject : — 28 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Ex. 23. ft: :fc2 1 --iT*^: =fc? -c^.- 4 **^ It is accompanied^ throughout the exposition only, by a counter subject : — Ex. 24. m -.--&-. id r a: P I :.ct S^sm^ *F The first and last bars of the counter subject, shown in the example, are not heard in the subsequent entries of the subject itself. After the exposition, the counter subject is only once heard completely, — that is, so much as is repeated in the exposition, and this is very curiously divided between two of the MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 29 accompanying parts, instead of adhering to one, as is usually the case : — Ex. 25. 1 -I- * * i i z± qst — (S>-s- :^: -is>- f J l p r; F7 |=^j ra^ 1 i : =n =P2= S # Fed *^/ :*=F A ^^ I flJ gg .- -©? Fed. Notice that the second part is in sixths with the subject. Also in the two following entries it is accompanied by another part in thirds. Notice also, in Ex. 26, the four notes marked with asterisks, which are unquestionably the four notes at the beginning of the sub- ject in diminution. The first example of stretto is : — Ex. 27 ' m 1 1 1- Jt 1 — — L^ — — Ym. ± -f v^ r- Ped. 32 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. The notes marked with asterisks are again here clearly the first four notes of the subject in diminution. The part which last contains the subject in the example, repeats it at full length, and at the end is followed by a sequence built on the first five notes of the subject in the pedals : — Ex. 28. PP -r-r^H^ZT^ i^=*= I I I , J -^l ^ : 3 Ped. Notice that the quavers are reminiscent of the subject, first as in Ex. 26, and then by con- trary motion. Following is an interesting example of stretto of these four notes in diminution, combining with the tail end of the subject :— MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 33 Ped. and again towards the close of the fugue : — Ex. 30. ^-^ 1 •TO- J i is rrrl -\. 1©: P!?E =S"* £=3 ^1£lT1 Z 1 p«rf. Following a dominant pedal of eight bars, on which:, the. subject is heard at full length with -p— • 34 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. two bars on the last three notes of the subject added, is a diminished seventh chord held on the manuals, while the pedals have a passage evidently suggested by the beginning of the subject, in diminution and contrary motion : — Ex. 31. $ 22: * ^r Fed. There are two other examples in the working •out of the fugue which we will notice as being not without interest, and which appear earlier in the movement than the preceding : — Ex. 32. I g ~jgg? ^22-* m 3SC 321 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 35 Fed. Both show the subject, with a shortened interval of reply. This brings us to a sort of coda, when the flow of quavers is stopped, and the subject, accompanied only by massive harmonies, is heard first in the pedals and then in the top part, concluding the fugue in a very effective and imposing manner. And so ends the second of these masterly sonatas. 36 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. SONATA III. The third sonata, in the key of A major, has two movements only, — (i) Con moto maestoso, and (2) Andante tranquillo. The first consists of an introduction and fugue with two subjects, heard at first separately and after in combination, ending with a refer-? ence to the introductory movement. The sonata begins with a broad, noble phrase, of which we give the last bar : — Ex. 34. ^a^ gpp <&hv+-r MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 37 The phrase lasts for four bars, ending with a half close on. the dominant, followed by a parallel phrase, ending with a full close on the dominant. Here is a solo part, (unaccom- panied) for two bars ; then another twO bars, reminiscent of.the preceding, and accompanied by massive chords, in the key of F#, and re- peated a fourth higher in the key of B. Towards the close, there is a tonic pedal, on which the first four notes shown in the previous example (top part) are heard several times. This leads to the enunciation of the fugue subject in the tonic minor key : — Ex. 35. @ !» f • #E t?l *? rfff 3* The early part of this example, it will be 38 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. noticed, is note for note the same as that used by Mendelssohn in the famous tenor recitative in the " Lobgesang . " Ex. 35 s - j t rcc ^'f HQ - ter, ist die nacht bald hin?... Watch- man, will the night soon pass?.. The next example shows the answer (tonal) with the counter subject : — Ex. 36. fes 3 ^@ PP^^^s^ f=v-£*, -^ ~P w* m=E %, rrJjjT tnffmfjitf} W£ & r 1.- ?- ^AU^ f U- During the final repetition of the subject in MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 39 the exposition, the counter subject is divided between the two inner parts. The following shows how it is transferred from one part to the other : — Ex. 37, P -l=a S£ *± EE T^ ^ 3E and Ex. 37a the return to its original position : Ex. 37 a. _ ^$k m 1 At the beginning of the last bar of the ex- position, the choral " Aus tiefer Noth " (" In 40 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. deepest need ") is brought in on the pedals. It may be here remarked that throughout the whole fugue section the pedals are used only for the choral, except in one instance, which will be noticed in due time. Three phrases of the choral — the first and third of which are alike — are used in this section of the fugue, the development of the fugue, being at the same time continued on the manuals ; the subject first re-appears in the original key,. then in D minor, "(the latter half of the subject in each case being considerably altered), and lastly in its original form, again on a dominant pedal, bringing us to an entirely new subject in semiquavers : — Ex. 38. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 4% This subject is first heard alone. It has its •own exposition as an independent fugue, and is developed at some length before befog - combined with the first subject (Ex. 35 J. The next example shows the answer, which fs real, with its counter-subject :— « Ex. 39. S * • + HE£ d^MP. J* m v tp tm » "'^j.< The counter-subject in the next ^appearance •of the subject is divided between the two 42 MENDELSSOHNS' ORGAN WORKS. parts, and in the next of the answer is hot heard at all. It accompanies the subject in the one solitary instance that it appears before its combination with the first fugue subject. Between the exposition of this second section and the combination of the two subjects, with the exception of one break,, is a long episode on the second fugue subject. Our next example shows the two subjects combined : — Ex. 40. The following example is interesting as show- ing the primary subject still attended by fragments of the counter subject : — MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 43 Ex. 40 a. *^liigiHiP Later is a long tonic pedal. An interest- ing feature about this pedal is that at its close it takes up the second half of the primary subject, its only appearance in the pedals. The subsequent example shows how the subject begun in the top part is taken up by the pedals : — Ex. 41. pL- * • * * * * * jaj. ±$* 1 ' 1 Xfi f ^^st 44 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. gjj j ?-ffi fsggi^^ After an • episode of considerable length* ending with a pedaj solo of four bars, the whole episode being built pn the opening phrase of the first subject, we are brought to a repetition of the introduction with which the sonata begins. The repetition is by no means exact ; being considerably shortened at the start, and some new bars introduced later on, in which reference to the first and principal fugue subject is made :— Ex. 4a. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 45 The movement ends with a tonic pedal of five bars. The second and last movement is an Andante tranquillo. Though of unques- tionable beauty its structural features may be soon reviewed. It begins with two four-bar phrases, the seeond ending in the dominant key. Here we come to a double bar. Why a double bar should have been placed here is not very apparent. Eight more bars, again ending in the dominant, lead back to a repetition of the first phrase, altered and shortened, ending on the first inversion of an imperfect triad with B in the bass. This is the signal for a new departure, and some fresh matter is introduced. A short coda on a tonic pedal, interrupted by one bar) on which the opening phrase of the subject is alternately heard in the subdomi- nant and tonic keys), brings the movement, and in fact the whole sonata, to an end. 46 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. SONATA IV. The fourth sonata, in B flat, has four move- ments, — (i) Allegro con brio, (2) Andante religioso, (3) Allegretto, and (4) Allegro maestoso e vivace. The sonata opens with a series of arpeggios, founded on the passage shown in the following example : — Ex. 43- I W ff £ j +-*- gg*^? iM ; j j '^ 1 Ped. There is a tonic pedal until the fourth bar, when the bass ascends in a scale passage to the submediant, and then falls to the domi- nant through the octave of the submediant, MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 47 where a similar phrase occurs on a dominant pedal and ends in the dominant key.* The phrase shown in Ex. 43 is then continually heard modulating through various keys until a beautiful descending passage on the domi- nant pedal, supplemented by a pedal solo — on the last few notes of the pedal solo are some chords suggestive of the new rhythm — bring- ing us to a definite close in the tonic key : — Ex. 44. &~ Ped. The new subject is presented in the key of G minor, the relative minor of the key : — * The pedal here is really a tonic pedal, the harmonies being those of F. I have used the word dominant, as it is the fifth of the key of the movement, to avoid a confusion of terms. 4& MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. E*,45, | ±=tt S3: fc* 3-fczataC -p—r T^f-~r-~ ± : »-f— K-r- i ^ and immediately repeated in the subdominant key, with the melody in an inner part r— Ex. 46. 1 , r Ped. The subject is then developed after the manner of the first, the subject being heard in a middle. part. T.he.._modulations:are end- less'. We give the following as* being in- teresting : — MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 49 Ex. 47. jtbkjIjtjCTM i^yf^^^^ # ^a I J * J =£j: p«j Notice that by enharmonically changing the A\> into G# a chord of the augmented sixth on Bb is arrived at. By this means the modulation is consummated. The next point to notice is the blending of the two subjects together : — Ped 5 o MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Ji W m Jj~-i- ^OT f & =*- The repetition of the second subject, it will be seen, is exact ; but the primary idea has been subjected to the exigencies of circum- stances. The spirit is, however, maintained. The two subjects are then developed to- gether, modulating freely, a,nd leading up to a repetition of the first theme, in the original key, supplemented by a reference to the second : — Ex. 49. ^■^g Ped. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 51 m^m$ -a-4v 3i m -± CsSee P The second subject, it will be noticed, has this time to give way to the first, and after two unsuccessful attempts the first is master of the field. The repetition does not con- tinue for more than four bars, and is followed by an episode composed entirely of crotchets until a reference to the second theme is made. The two subjects are again combined for a short time, leading to the descending passage on a tonic pedal before referred to, which is, as before, supplemented by the pedal solo shown in Ex. 44. With this, followed by the chords (also shown in Ex. 44) — the notes of the final chord being written in semibreves instead of crotchets — the movement ends. 52 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. The second movement, Andante religioso, is, as its name implies, of a sober, calm, and religious character. The phrase with which it begins : — Ex. 50. i *=&=*=& el Ust -I- is immediately afterwards heard in the tenor, with a new top part added : — Ex. 51. m J-J^L44-1 f^: -- -jcL. -pr- T=^ j J3. J J- J. 4 . J =p= pEps= i^e^ ~t— r A«*. It will be seen that the above is in the key of D minor. At the fifth bar from the beginning of the previous example the phrase is repeated, ending in the key of A minor. Modulating through G minor, a return is made to D minor. This key predominates for some bars, with reiterated A's, the dominant of D, in the pedals. A reversion to the key of F brings us to a repetition of the original phrase shown in Ex. 53. The second melody (Ex, 54) is then heard by itself, and on the resump- tion of the theme in the top part a new middle part is combined with it. A coda, with a tonic pedal in an innerpart, concludes the movement. 56 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. The last movement, Allegrp maestoso e vivace, begins with a broad, noble subject, suggestive of a religious march : — Ex. 55- . ^ ^ i OE t |H*— ' After four bars there is a half close on the dominant, and a repetition, ending four bars later with a full close in the dominant key. Here some new matter is introduced, founded on the notes in the following example, and starting on a dominant pedal : — $ Ex. 56. . The opening phrase is again heard, altered so that it would end in the tonic key. The final cadence is, however, interrupted, and a coda added which overlaps the entry of a fugue subject given out in the pedals : — MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 57 Ex.57. J * J * J d d d — I b*- -^^^3 tt£ fe u -'r J T H *=^= The last two notes may, or may not, be said to form an integral part of the subject. Our next illustration shows the answer, which is real, attended by a countersubject : — P£i S m E££ Fed. ^ z Zrrr¥r~r- b\¥ f~ g — \ *=g ^g fe r i* j j« 58 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. The next example speaks for itself: — Ex. 59. fc=i: $ r r#* &±95 4=q a^ g ~^ S ^—* ^ *- I @ »=^ Pei. «£ I£2I Following this is an episode founded on the semiquaver figure of the subject, leading 4o •an entry of the subject in El» . After a short MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 59 episode, the subject is again heard, but altering the repeating note : — Ex. 60. £ :*=f=P= w ib d 1 ' 1 1 1 The subject is then followed by the answer in a tonic part, slightly altered at the start, and ending on a dominant pedal.* The subject is next presented in the pedals, this time by contrary motion, attended in the second half by the counter subject, though the latter is reversed. We will give the passage as being interesting : — Ex. 61. i a J— - . n 25* t -^ r- W » A> \r-r^wT * * ? * S s m¥^ Fed. EST * The answer being real, it will be seen that there is no difference between subject and answer save that the latter is transposed into the key of the dominant of the former. 6o MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. i a fflgs £& -*P? i*: Ss^J -rrr m 3Ft£=t V^p; gSE£Zg jg^r^g fcES e^ After an episode of three bars, the subject is heard for the last time, on a tonic pedal, leading after a few connecting bars to a shortened repetition of the march phrase with which the. movement opened. It is reduced to eight bars, and its full sonorous chords form a fitting end to the movement. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 61 SONATA V. The fifth sonata is the first that begins with a choral. The choral is simply given out in five part harmony, and a short coda on a tonic pedal is added to the last phrase. No reference is made to it later on. The other two movements are (i) Andante con moto and (2) Allegro maestoso. The first of these two in B minor, has, as a counter attraction to a theme on the manuals, a staccato figure in the pedals. I append the opening bars, which may be regarded as showing the general spirit of the movement : — 62 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Ex. 62. Andante con moto. p 1 ^ — T > E^H i 1 ^^^ ^ ^3 -^±=± At the fifth bar this phrase is repeated and altered to end with a full close in the tonic key. Here is a short sequence. This movement in construction resembles that known as "sonata form," and though the form is presented only in the barest out- line, the general principle which governs the more elaborate examples is distinctly trace- able. The passage beginning in Ex. 63 may be regarded as the second subject : — MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 63 ssiipE^ii The four and a half bars at the end of this subject — where the development would come in a fully developed movement in sonata form, founded on the second half of second subject, and ending with the dominant seventh chord on F| — prepares for the recapitulation of the opening phrase, or first subject. At the eighth bar from the beginning of the recapit- lation, there is a modulation to G major, instead of B minor as at first. The connect- ing bars, which are analogous to those at the end of the first subject when first heard, though slightly altered and transposed, lead to a repetition of second subject in the key of 64 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. the tonic, B minor. The repetition is exact. Following here is a coda beginning with a short pedal solo ; then a reminiscence of the first subject, a passage in which the pedals have prominence over the manuals, and, with a few concluding chords, the movement ends. This is the only movement that " sonata form " is in any way even suggested, and, curiously, the sonata is the only one in which there is not a fully developed fugue. The Allegro maestoso is made of two sub- jects, both in the key of D. The first is : — t Ex. 64. m *Eg =Tffl^ — _ p n :***?= wrr Overlapping the last bar, as will be seen in the example, the subject makes a fresh start. On its next appearance the interval is shortened to one bar :— MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 65 Ex. 65. •p ^ -* , ^ — e*. — J J j ■■*- k ^* f-i * F- Ped. >^J^ ?=£ 3 rr de s r r^F* 4-4 ^E £* V. p«<<. Similarly, the subject is developed for some time, finally ending with a full close in the tonic key. Here the new subject enters, — a melody accompanied by triplets of quavers : — 66 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Ex. 66.^ i ■^J.- ^ I fa^-» — - — ,»-i iP -#: i "GJ" W fcT— "CT^Z. ir^ It will be seen to be on a tonic pedal. The melody is then heard in a middle part in the dominant key (A), then in the pedals in the tonic, as in the example. The interval of reply is shortened later on. After an episode made up of the quaver accompanimental figure, a return is made to the first subject (Ex. 64), transposed into the MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 6£ dominant key. It is then repeated in the key of F# major, followed by an episode founded on the matter contained in the first and second bars of Ex. 64 worked together, bringing in the second subject in the key of C, with some new bars added to it. This is repeated in the key of D. Here follows a stretto of consider- able length, beginning : — Ex. 67. i fe r .a- t fe£ Hrrfo- -?=*= :f=* ^ ££ MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN- WORKS. 75 P S3* -- fip- ^\ t— 1= ^2: :4: «**= Notice how the counter subject at the start very curiously imitates the answer. ,, At the close of the exposition the subject is. heard in an inner part in F, but not attended by the counter subject. Then an episode leading %q the subject in the top part in the key of A minor. After another short episode on j the first phrase of the subject, the subject ap- pears in its original key, with reminiscences of the counter subject on the manuals. The subject is next heard in a middle part, with a dominant pedal point. The episode which precedes the final entry of the subject at the end of the movement presents two points 76 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. worthy of notice. The episode, partaking the nature of a stretto, begins : — Ex. 77. t — * — & £=^ zjnz* ^ F rr-f * m e^s T- z&r* Fed. Notice the subject in contrary motion in the ,fcop part combined with, and followed in the next bar by references to it in its original form. The next illustration is interesting on account of the false relation occurring be- tween the extreme parts : — Ex. 78. *±- $* W -t&- MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 77 This contradiction of the leading note in the minor key is by no means rare, almost all the great composers from Bach and Beet- hoven downwards have left examples of it. The final, an andante, is a very quiet, calm, and unobtrusive movement in D major, and is distinctly refreshing and soothing after so long a predominance of the minor mode. The subject which begins Ex. 79 is for the first four notes a repetition of the final notes of the fugue, with of course a major 3rd. The opening phrase of the famous contralto solo, " O Rest in the Lord " is also suggested by these four notes : — Ex. 79. ^j^jj ^ m^m ^ At the fourth bar there is a half close on the dominant, and four bars later a modulation to F| minor. This curiously prepares the 78 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. return of the subject, the first four bars of which are repeated j the second half of the, subject is mainly transposed so as to end in the key of C # minor. Here some new matter is. introduced, ending on the chordof C # major. Through the chord of F minor the subject is again heard, altered and elongated, There-is a final reference to the subject, which we give as being interesting : — Ex. 80./" «^_ ^ £7=- — * pp? ^■=%*- •J*=SL r— t / 1 v_ m^^ :*==£: =t^F MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. jg Notice the successive entries of the theme (a), and also a phrase, the first four notes of the tenor (b) in the example, which as it were pre- pares the way for the subject. The Chorals. Following the example of Bach, Mendels- sohn is very partial to the working in of chorals as an inseparable part of a movement, as, for example, his Reformation Symphony where the choral " Ein' feste Burg ist un'ser Gott," plays such an important part, and also! in the Overture to " St. Paul " where he uses, " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme," which is heard again later in the work in the number "Sleepers wake, a voice is calling." These are only twb instances, others will readily occur to the mind of the reader i Of the chorals used in these sonatas two 80 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. are well known and of considerable antiquity and two are most probably written by Mendels- sohn himself. Of the former that used in the sixth sonata is perhaps the best known. It was originally adapted to words by Luther founded on the Lord's Prayer in which each verse begins with one or other of the peti- tions, thus for the first line " Vater unser im Himmelreich ! " (" Our Father which art in Heaven,") which is the name by which the choral is known ; the second verse begins, " Geheiligt werd' des Name dein," (" Hal- lowed be Thy Name," the third, " Es komm' dein Reich zu dieser Zeit " (" Thy kingdom come,") and so on. Bach has probably done more than anyone else to make this tune known in this country, he uses it in the "Johannes Passion" (Passion Music, St. John), and also in some less known works, " Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott ! " MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 81 41 Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glau- ben," and " Es reifet euch ein schrecklich Ende." The time is used in the " Hymnal Companion " No. 118. A very early form of this melody is shown in the next example which is taken from " Der Evangelische Kirchengesang " by Carl von Winterfeld who gives the date of it as 1537. It is in the Dorian Mode. Ex. 81. s_ : 22: -P2I 1ZZ ■=*=& f ZE2 tr- -JCZL Va - ter un - ser im Him - mel - reich ! J2L ZZ2I -"P2I ^21 I£2I -jzL i der du uns al - le lei - ssest gleieh CJ> — &* ST J r.J 1 | 1 1 t ft Brii - der sein und dich ru - fen an, £2_ -g-M^ 3=: ■fig- 22: If und willt das Be - ten von uns faa'n, M 82 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. -e=>- T*- =pc =P2= 5= ^: 32: f gieb, dass nicht bet al - lein der Mund : ii I£2I =P=- 23t ^=^: «= hilf, dass es geh ans Her zen grand. The choral in the third sonata is also- Lutheran and was either written or arranged by him to a metrical version of the One Hundred and Thirtieth Psalm, " Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir." It is written in the Phrygian Mode. In a cantata bearing this name Bach uses this melody, first as a whole and then making the first line a subject for fugal treatment. The following example is taken from Winterfeld's " Evangelische Kirchengesang," and bears the date 1524. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 83 82-83 38": -o—t^- i -P2: -t— Aus tie fer Noth schrei ich zu dir Dein gna dig Oh - ren kehr zu mil =P=^=P -A- --&=&■ zd: m Herr Gott er - hbr' mein Ru - fen und mein er Bitt sie off - ne 1221 — PL i ; -m- zn—^^ w - ^=^=C2 i denn so du das wilt se hen an IZ2I * ± ^2: IZ2I - — was Siind' und Un recht ist ge - than --=£?! -T3~ wer mag Herr vor dir.. =P*— G>- blei Z2I H ben. 84 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. THREE PRELUDES AND FUGUES. There only remains now to notice the three preludes and fugues, which are dedicated to Thomas Attwood, who was a favourite pupil of Mozart and organist of St. Paul's Cathe- dral from 1795 until the time of his death in 1838. Between Mendelssohn and Attwood, a warm friendship existed, " which was only broken by the death of the elder. Several of Mendelssohn's published letters were written from Attwood's villa at Norwood."* The first prelude and fugue is in the key of C minor. The prelude is built of a vigorous phrase, with which it begins : — * W. H. Husk, in Grove's Dictionary. # Y ftf f *J ^ k »*3 "J-n *— **H ^=J - />«/. It will be easily seen that the passage beginning Ex. 90. P* -A. $*=* r r f is founded on the first two notes of the subject. N go MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. This brings us to a repetition of the subject as when first heard, accompanied only by chords on the first beat of the bar. The episode at the end is considerably elongated, and with various references to the principal idea the movement ends with a few chords. The fugue has a subject in 12-8 rhythm : — Ex. 91. @J ; 1? i s =£ *=F 1 3^ 3?=* gZSZj_ m =S=F= » £W= P^ ':©= The last three notes in the bar (not shown in the example), although apparently belonging to the subject, are conclusively shown not to be by a comparison with the answer, where these notes do not appear. These notes therefore form a short coda, or codetta, and MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 91 connect the subject with the answer. The answer is tonal, and is accompanied by a countersubject, which is heard in connection with the subject several times later in the working out of the fugue. The next example shows the answer with the countersubject, which we give for the purposes of future reference : — Ex. 92. i* 1 2 S *£=?£ I 32$i- k»& KF^Ep^W In the working out of the exposition, that is, until the subject has been heard in all the four parts there is no irregularity. The countersubject attends the subject in each of 92 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. its appearances in the exposition. After an episode of three bars, in which reference to the beginning of the subject is made in the pedals, while the manuals keep up the flow of quavers, the subject is heard in the tenor ( beginning on Bl> ), but the countersubject is not given until the second bar, when it is allotted to the pedals. The subject then makes an unsuccessful attempt in the top part. In the next bar the pedals take it up (also beginning on B flat), the counter- subject again not being given until the second bar, when the repetition is not exact. This leads up to a full close in the key of El> major (the relative major). It will be noticed that the last two complete repetitions of the subject have been in this key, and, as it were, prepare the way for this. Here follows a long episode in which the first few notes of the subject is the leading feature. The pedals have the MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 93 next repetition of the subject. Notice that, although the countersubject is not actually heard in conjunction with the subject, yet in the second bar, the syncopation is strongly suggestive of it. Here follows another episode, in which the subject is easily traceable. This can hardly be called a stretto, for in a good stretto the subject overlaps the next entry until really it cannot go any further, and sub- sides in favour of its successor. There is no pretence of this here, and the first entry in no case reaches the appearance of the second ; hence it is more correctly termed an episode. The subject next is heard in a middle part {beginning on middle C), but without any reference to the countersubject. Another and longer episode follows, until the sub- ject is given in the pedals, this time with the syncopated figure which identifies itself with the countersubject. Notice in the 94 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. preceding episode the short sequence be- ginning: — Ex.93 I J: H ! hr bat: V P- tfc+- & The last entry of the. subject is in the top part, accompanied only by chords on the un- accented beats. An episode follows, in which reference is made to the subject simultaneously with the countersubject, and then the latter alone, or rather a figure suggestive of it : — Ex. 94. i * * -*— A ^F^F ss F ^ I 1 • and the movement ends with a perfect cadence, MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 95 led into by a Neapolitan sixth, followed by a six-four on the dominant : — Ex. 95. i /T\ 1&- --iT ** 7W. :9±Egf -S"- 1 - icsr :B: NA/ The second prelude, in compound duple rhythm (|), is in the key of G, and has for its chief theme the following : — The phrase lasts until the fifth bar, where it ends on the dominant harmony and prepares the way for a repetition of the melody in the 96 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. tenor, which is altered towards the end and comes to a definite close in the key of G. (the tonic). A fresh start is made on one of those ambiguous chords the derivation or tonality of which it is impossible to arrive at without reference to the context : — ■ The chord marked with an asterisk may have for its root either A or .F# (the dominant of D and B minor respectively). Examination of the succeeding chords proves clearly that the latter is the root, the: chord being the third inversion of the. chofrd.of the dominant eleventh in the key of B minor. The passage MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 97 in Example 97 is clearly taken from the last bar (treble part) of the preceding phrase. The passage is then repeated a major third lower, forming a sequence. It also makes a third start, but does not get beyond the first few notes. The chord at the beginning of this phrase is also a third inversion of the dominant eleventh, the root being A. A dominant* pedal of six and a half bars follows, leading to a recurrence of the principal theme to the key of D, in which key it makes a definite close. The first section of the move- ment may be said to end here. The middle section is built chiefly on a new melodic figure, beginning in the key of G minor and ending in the relative major (Bb) : — * The pedal note is A, the dominant of the new key (D) which is prevalent here. It is, therefore the dominant of the dominant of the original key. O g8 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. m ^^dxj- w e :^= ir The melody is easily traceable throughout the long episode which follows, and there seems no call for particular comment until we come to a final halt in the key of C minor, where the passage (Ex. 98) is repeated. It is curious to note how it is accompanied on the pedals by D in the first instance, the domin- ant and foundation of the harmonies used, MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. §9 and in the repetition by C. Notice how in the repetition the end of the melody is altered so as to end in the key of G minor. A few bars later a return is made to the primary idea. Instead of the melody being given in the tenor in the fifth bar as at first, it is given to the pedals, but without a modulation to the dominant, the C sharps being changed to C naturals. The dominant pedal passage, which was first heard in the key of D with A in the pedals, is transposed into the key of the movement with D (the dominant of G) in the pedals. This leads up to a short coda, in which reference is made to both leading themes. First, to the one used in the middle section (shown in Ex. g8), and afterwards to the one with which the movement opens. Notice in the following example the notes marked with asterisks, which show the first few notes of the theme ; and also the second bar of the ex- ioo MENDELSSOHN'S'ORGAN WORKS. ample, the treble part of which is taken from the eighth bar, counting from the beginning of the movement, and which also forms material for the sequence referred to above (see Ex. 97) : — I Ex. 99. -^-^ 3fe ^ * * * * — 1 1 ■ 1 * *' —'—.1 — — —""i * r *- -^ He ■*■ i /TN 'j^L -*-+ »o? =^l- F m & * * =pc£ SL s ±zt ^p; f* The fugue, a broad and dignified movement, with its ceaseless flow of crotchets occasion- MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 101 ally animated by a few stray quavers, has for its subject a striking theme : — Ex. ioo. , ,, „ K SIS t^ra ¥m^^ &*t»*a *^= t=t ^=; Fed. The answer is tonal. The countersubject is not regular,. The only part where it is attempted is shown in the following example, and even this is modified more or less in the subsequent repetitions in the exposition : — Ex. 101.-' — j v ' j ~^ i Fed. The exposition, as usual, ends in the domin- ant key, and is followed by an episode of three bars, when the subject makes its appearance in the tenor. In the first of the chords marked with asterisks in Ex. 102 the G # must be regarded as a passing note ; the 102 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. second chord is of course the last inversion of the chord of the eleventh on E : — Ex. 102. r ^E^ Fed. &=^ It is interesting to trace the use of the countersubject here. The asterisks show its progress : — Ex. 103. * * t 5£ :«*=*: t=T- *j 25* I* I* m #* A J - j j-^ J j The subject next comes in the pedals, and after an episode of two bars in the top part, then the alto, and again in the pedals. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 103 Following is an episode, emulating at the start the second passage of the subject (see second bar of Ex. 100), leading to a short sequential phrase not immediately taken from the subject, but following it in spirit It begins : — Ex. 104. I -^^^ *& mi a^ tJ_ .22- At the third bar it (the sequence) is inter- rupted by the appearance of the subject, which in its turn is interrupted by another short sequential phrase, as shown in the following example : — 104 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Ex. 105. 1^ -*> -r^i^r A — 1 — 1 M^ -1 — v — . 1 #* .u 4 I I ^ -»* s*s- -9 — * — + 1 J. — 1 — J. — m— J- 1 -I 1 — iS— — 1 .. T- . *' * * H*»»- ^=W=. ^^IgiLVJ-^ ^ 1-1** np — t 5 ^=F; Sit ^^ E2I =P2= =P= The example shows the end of the subject being given out in the top part, the tenor inter- MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 105 rupts with the first two notes, and then con- tinues the subject as it were from the top part, forming a short sequential passage, the accom- panimental parts of which will be seen to vary. Notice also how the first bar of the subject, coming in by the pedals, is heard simultaneously with the second bar in the top part ; and, also, how in the last bar of the example the three notes marked with an asterisk, which are taken from the end of the subject, seem as it were to end up the subject, — an ending up which has been so long delayed. The subject is then heard in the pedals, and, followed by a short episode, leads to a dominant pedal over which the subject is first heard in the top part and then in the middle part with shortened intervals of reply, as shown in the following : — io6 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Ex. 1 06. i^H#^7i*| S*-£-f=e= j __, , ^ — — ^ /svtt ° s ^- (£>• » ,,--., fA The subject is next heard in the pedals, followed by an episode beginning with an ascending scale passage in the pedals ; then a reference to the subject still in the pedals, the actual notes of which are repeated in the next bar but one in the top part, leading to a long tonic pedal with three entries of the subject a distance of a bar and a half from one another. In the last bar but one the pedal is interrupted to make way for a perfect cadence, with which the movement ends. The third and last of the preludes and fugues is in the key of D minor. Before the leading subject of the movement is introduced, MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 107 there are twenty-three bars of introductory matter. The following shows the idea on which it is founded : — Ex. 107. Allegro. At the fifth bar follows another five bars corresponding to the first five, the quaver passage being given to the left hand. The device is again repeated this time with the quaver figure shortened by one bar ; and, lastly, when it is the same as at first but altered in the last bar. A few chords follow, which lead to a perfect cadence in the key of the movement. Notice the use of the chord io8 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. of the Neapolitan sixth, and the false relation in the following example : — Ex. 1 08. i t J5g a 1 ggajg JfT 1 IZ33S -- >$■- Ped.fZ. 1 *E=$ The subject then comes in at the top part, and leads to an episode founded on the H2 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. countersubject, with a tonic pedal point (the key here is F) for two bars and three quarters, when, after a perfect cadence in that key (F), we are brought to an entirely new episodal figure of triplet quavers : — 53 ^^ g^ Pei. At the fifth bar a new start is made in the key of G minor, and later still in A minor and D minor. The subject is finally heard sim- ultaneously with the quaver figure : — Ex. 115. MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 113 The two notes marked with asterisks in fore- going example show a new start of the sub- jects ; notice how it overlaps the preceding entry. A long episode follows, at first emu- lating the triplet figure, and afterwards a combination of subject and countersubject similar to the episode commented on earlier in the movement, and shown in Ex. 112. The passage on a tonic pedal A (the key here is A minor) is a transposition of the before remarked tonic pedal F, and leads as before to an appearance of the triplet figure of quavers. At the third bar the quavers are accellerated into semiquavers; and at the fifth bar the preceding four bars are repeated, [14 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. transposed into the key of D minor. After an episode of semiquavers, the subject enters in the left hand, accompanied by semi- quavers : — Ex. 116. I r ^^^^S f -$*- Ped.r r Notice the short sequence at the beginning of the following episode, and also how at the third bar it is inverted. The subject in toto is only heard once more, and is accompanied by simple chords : — Ex "7- i , i cJ^— ^ § J^^j=A t- £^ a ■m — — 1 m *£ ¥- i MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 115 ^A=d-- rn^ri MM m In the last bar but one of the example (117), notice the appearance of the subject in the pedalsj and also the reference to the counter- subject in the middle part. An episode follows here, terminating with the third repetition of that tonic pedal above referred to, this time in the key of the movement (D minor). New notes have this time been added to the upper parts, and the whole passage ends with an interrupted cadence bringing us to the coda, which is built wholly on the subject. No mention is made of the triplet figure. Notice the sequence begin- ning :— 23: n6 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. Lx. 118 I J- =i k-AA, $ i&- T~V -zX J& r =P3= zi /%<*. The subject of the fugue is the following :— Ex. 119. i *=Z &: S -f-i- 2* Ex. 120 shows the answer, which is tonal, accompanied by its countersubject : — = J=; Ex. 120. I £ 33t ^ 1*" T"T tr'Tr *T f J L -i — m- a Jp- E ^-£"f 13 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. 117 In the first bar thecountersubjectwillbe seen to resemble the third bar of the subject (Ex. 119), and also towards the end a similarity may be traced. A comparison of the fore- going example with the next one shows how, in the second bar, modification has been necessary to preserve the key. Ex. 121. I £ Q P 2 - 32 PF ^s 7 "" r m -*= TZi S set ^ -cfc i ^^^ ^ *=*: r T-y ?=: s m ^ b 1 1 The coantersubject has little part in the working out of the movement other than those n8 MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS. two instances quoted. Even in the next entry of the subject its progress is difficult to trace : — Ex. 122. , * * * * i --$& &■=&- ^p W—m- 1 — r -F—-0- 5& z± ^z=i: -,*d- f = f a: Ped. I IZZ -F S* ^=jg ^r : GT jpt r F read " C." Example 37A, the C in the alto, first bar, should be tied. Example 75, the F in the first bar should be dotted, and the G following, a quaver.