The Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream is a seminal piece composed by Felix Mendelssohn in the 19th century. The composition is representative of the Romantic era with all its features and characteristics. Mendelssohn was one of the prominent German composers of the time and demonstrated an incredible musical talent. He was born into a wealthy family of a banker, meaning that he had a fitting, comfortable environment for the development of his musical abilities (Biography, n.d.). Consequently, Mendelssohn’s earlier works were significantly ahead of the average expectations even from a child prodigy. His childhood pieces were characterized by exceptional depth and complexity of the melody, as well as the use of advanced instrument techniques. Surprisingly, the Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream also dates back to Mendelssohn’s earlier pieces. He wrote at a relatively young age of seventeen, inspired by William Shakespeare’s comedy.
Interestingly, this piece is not designed as an overture to an opera but to a collection of incidental music. This term refers to a format in which the composition itself is not designed to be in the center of the audience’s attention. Instead, its purpose is to accompany a dramatic performance (Alsop). As implied by the title of Mendelssohn’s piece, it is related to the famous comedy written by William Shakespeare. Accordingly, the Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream can be placed in the category of program music, which refers to pieces, which carry a certain shade of extramusical meaning. In this regard, Mendelssohn’s overture is intended to reflect the theme and narration of Shakespeare’s comedy. The beginning of a performance is a phase of paramount importance, as it sets the mood and the flow of the subsequent numbers.
The Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream successfully accomplishes this objective through the careful arrangement. The exposition opens with four powerful chords in the key of E major, which leave a lasting impression and ensure the flow of the piece. The strings suddenly shift toward E minor, marking the character’s transition to a different world of fairies (Alsop). The latter are represented by gentle woodwind fanfares, creating vivid images of fantasy throughout the second subject group and the Development. Whenever fairies are present, they dominate the musical landscape through the selection of instruments. They return once more for the closing appearance in the Coda, only to disappear like a gentle dream. Interestingly, Mendelssohn originally devised the structure of this composition to incorporate the use of the ophicleide, an archaic keyed brass instrument. However, in the modern performances of the Overture, it is usually replaced by the tuba. Strings also play a pivotal role in this piece, as their braying sound is used to represent Bottom’s transformation into a donkey.
Overall, the Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream has become one of the most prominent pieces of incidental music. Felix Mendelssohn has managed to capture the very essence of Shakespeare’s comedy in a musical form, accurately translating it into a combination of memorable chords. The transition from reality to a distant dream is clearly marked by key changes. Furthermore, Mendelssohn artfully plays with the tempo of the piece, reflecting the key events of the original comedy. While his piece becomes a perfect accompaniment for the staged performance, it can effectively exist as a standalone rendition of Midsummer Night’s Dream in the musical form.
References
Alsop, Marin. “Marin Alsop’s Guide to Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” NPR, 2014. Web.
“Biography”. Mendelssohn House Leipzig & Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation. n.d. Web.