Mendelssohn's Lobgesang: the genesis of the symphony-cantata and a critical edition of its original version

Thesis

Mendelssohn's Symphony no. 2, the Lobgesang Symphony, was first performed on 25 June 1840. However, he was not satisfied with the original composition and made significant alterations in the autograph manuscript before releasing it for publication. The symphony is known today in its 1841 second version. A critical edition, based on the copyist Eduard Henschke' s copy of Mendelssohn's original score, has been prepared of the discarded, and for decades lost, original version. The edition and critical notes make up volume II. As background and preamble to the edition, a narrative in five broad sections, contained in volume I, puts the work into context.

Chapter 1 gives an account of the historical background to the symphony, the Gutenberg Festival, which brought about its composition, and early performances. The compositional development of the work is the subject of Chapter 2 focussing on the creation of a new genre - the symphony-cantata. This includes renewed speculation as to whether the symphony dates back to an otherwise lost symphony in B flat of 1838.

Chapter 3 provides an introduction to the sources - their whereabouts, physical appearance and importance - as a prelude to Chapter 4, a physical unravelling of Mendelssohn's autograph score with its layers of revisions, paste-overs, page insertions and deletions. A critical comparison of the two versions, made possible by the availability of the Henschke score, provides the first clear insight into the compositional process of the Lobgesang, and an opportunity to discuss the major structural alterations made to the first version and why they were made.

Chapter 5 draws together conclusions from the earlier chapters focusing on the unusual nature of the musical form and textual content, and to what extent Mendelssohn achieved his aims, using his background as a point of reference in determining what some of those were. The thesis concludes that these aims were continually developing through each stage of the compositional process as he hit upon new ideas, seemingly by accident, until he finally created the symphony-cantata.

Authors: Husain-Naviatti, A

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-yrgjorgkg
• Type of award: MLitt
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English