Octet (Mendelssohn)

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A double string quartet, the ensemble employed by the work.
A double string quartet, the ensemble employed by the work.

Felix Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 was composed in the fall of 1825 at the remarkably young age of 16.

The work is comprised of four movements:

  1. Allegro moderato con fuoco
  2. Andante
  3. Scherzo
  4. Presto

[edit] Instrumentation

The first four measures (click to enlarge). The first violin has the melody and the violas' parts are syncopated.
The first four measures (click to enlarge). The first violin has the melody and the violas' parts are syncopated.

The original score is for a double string quartet with 4 violins and pairs of violas and cellos. The most common alteration to the instrumentation is the use of multiple players for each part; although, a version edited by Arturo Toscanini exists that employs double basses. This arrangement was made for performance with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1947.

[edit] See also

[edit] External link


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