Mendelssohn’s

Calm Sea and Prosperous

Voyage

IGCSE Music Set Work 2021

1. Historical Background

Mendelssohn was a nineteenth-century German composer from a wealthy and educated

background; his grandfather was an eminent philosopher and his father was a banker. He
was a child prodigy, had piano lessons, and performed and composed from an early age.
Despite his relatively short life, he composed works including overtures, concertos,
symphonies, oratorios, chamber music and music for piano.

Mendelssohn admired the music of Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart and was partly
responsible for the revival of Bach’s music, arranging a performance of Bach’s St Matthew
Passion. The influence of these earlier composers may be seen in many of his works.

As part of his education Mendelssohn travelled widely throughout Europe, initially with his
family in Germany and later alone. Aged 12 his teacher Zelter took the young Mendelssohn
to meet Goethe in Weimar. At that time Goethe was probably the most important figure in
German literature. Despite the 60-year age gap the two became friends and met many times
until the poet’s death in 1832.

In 1787 Goethe had been travelling from Sicily to Italy when the ship became stuck due to a
lack of wind (in the days of sail, no wind meant no movement). Fortunately, the wind picked
up again before the ship drifted into nearby rocks. In 1795 Goethe wrote two poems recalling
this experience. Both Schubert and Beethoven set the poems to music in 1815, Schubert
writing a song using the text of the first poem and Beethoven composing a cantata using
both.

In the 1820s Mendelssohn was great friends with A B Marx, the editor of a musical journal. It
seems that he persuaded Mendelssohn to set the two poems to music, but without using the
text in the composition. The work would therefore be programme music: music which tells a
story or sets a scene, without using words. It would also be a concert overture. Previously
overtures had been composed to precede large-scale performances such as an opera, often
serving as an introduction to what was to follow. In the nineteenth century they were
becoming separated from their original context and being played alone in concerts, so
composers such as Mendelssohn decided to write concert overtures which would stand
alone. In 1826 Mendelssohn had written a concert overture for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In 1828 Mendelssohn had seen the sea only once and had never sailed. He had also
suffered the failure of his opera the previous year, which caused a crisis in his confidence.
However, he began writing the overture, which was first performed privately in Berlin in
1828. Due to Mendelssohn’s travels abroad, it was not performed publicly until 1832, also in
Berlin. This was in a revised version, with some changes to the original.

Mendelssohn’s three concert overtures A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Hebrides and
Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage were published together in 1832. Later a motif from the
overture was used by Elgar, in his thirteenth Enigma Variation,
which refers to a sea voyage.

1. Describe Mendelssohn’s family background.

2. Who is Goethe?

3. What is meant by the term “programmatic” music?

2
3
1a Background Continued - The Poems

Here is a translation of the two poems by Goethe. In the text there are a lot of clues
to how the music will sound. For the words in bold, explain what musical feature is
most likely. Think about characteristics such as tonality, tempo, instrumentation,
melody, harmony, texture

“Calm sea”

Deep stillness reigns on the water;

motionless, the sea rests,
and the sailor gazes about with alarm
at the smooth flatness all around.
 
No breeze from any side!
It is fearfully, deathly still!
In the enormous expanse
not one wave stirs.

Prosperous (Fortunate) Voyage

The mist is pulled aside,

The sky lights up,
And Aeolus undoes
The ties of fear.
 
There, the winds rustle,
There, the sailor moves on.
 
Hurry! Hurry!
The waves are breaking.
The distant becomes nearby,
Already, I see the land!

4
2. Instruments

On the score, the instrument names are given in Italian. Translate each one into
English. Note which ones are transposing instruments and what clef they read in.

5
3. Directions on the score.

Dynamics

ff fortissimo very loud

f
mf
mp
p
pp

cres.
dim.

Apart from the standard dynamic and tempo markings there are some less-common
terms that appear on the score. Define what each of these terms mean.

sempre p – always quiet

espressivo (espress.) expressive

leggiro (legg.)light, graceful

pendendosi – Dying away

tr - for timpani - trill

pizz. (pizzicato) – plucked strings

marcato – Marked, accented, loud and short

dolce - Sweetly

piu f – Louder (more loud)

molto cres. – Much crescendo

The composer also wrote:

Meersstille

Glückliche Fahrt

These are the German titles of the two poems/sections.

6
4. Techniques

Mendelssohn’s piece is typically Romantic in that it is tonal, but uses a lot of

techniques to broaden the r tonal colour range.

Define these terms:

Tonal – Within the key signature

Modulation – To change the key signature, or use accidentals to suggest a different

key

extended chords (seventh and ninth chords)

Chords with notes that go beyond the basic tonic triad

chromaticism – Use of semitones, or semitone movement

modal shifts between major and minor – Changing between a major key and a minor
key

extended pedal tones – Play a note for a long time without stopping

7
5 Structure and Form

Concert overtures were usually written in sonata form. Since this particular overture
is programmatic music, Mendelssohn had the added complication of following the
structure of the poems, necessitating some changes to the standard form.

Standard sonata form pieces usually have:

 An Exposition section, with a 1st subject in the tonic, a transition modulating

to the dominant or relative major (if the work is in a minor key) and a 2nd
subject in the dominant or relative major

 A Development section, where themes from the Exposition are developed

(fragments of themes are heard in a variety of keys)

 A Recapitulation section, with the 1st subject in the tonic, a transition (which
does not modulate) and the 2nd subject in the tonic

 The work may also have an introduction and/or a coda

The first section of this overture is sometimes referred to as a slow
introduction.

Compare the standard structure with Mendelssohn’s “solution”.

How does this differ from standard sonata form?

Normal sonatas exposition starts at bar one, this one starts at bar 99
No second subject in the recap
Development has no specific subjects presented

8
9
6. Listening Questions

Times are based on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHAPB5X69cY

Introduction (0’ 08’’)

1. What is the tempo? Adagio (slowly)

2. What two instrumental families are featured? Strings and woodwind

3. What effect do the pedal tones have? Anchoring the harmony, providing a sense
of stability

4. What techniques does Mendelssohn employ to create a feeling of unease? –

Chromaticism, modulations to minor keys and keys that aren’t close to the tonic,
reverse pedal tone creates tension

Exposition (4’19’’)

1. There is a “lead-in section” before theme one appears. Name three ways the
composer builds suspense and excitement in this section.

2. What instruments have the first subject? Describe its musical shape. (5’15’’)

3. What are the main musical ideas in the transition section? (5’57’’)

4. The second subject differs from the first in several ways. List 3 differences.(6’39’’)

5. What musical devices does the composer use to bring the exposition to a clear
ending? (8’10)

10
Development (8’36”)

1. What instrument doubles the flute melody?

2. A lot of uncertainty can be heard in this section. What does the composer do to
create this feeling? (8.54’’)

3. What theme briefly reappears near the end of the development? (9’41)
Describe the accompaniment that is played “on top” of the subject.

4. Yet again the composer plays with our expectations; sometimes hopeful,
sometimes hopes are dashed. What musical techniques are used to create this
effect? (10’00”)

Recapitulation (11’08”)

5. As expected, this section is very similar to the exposition, but there have been
some changes. List a three of them.

6. Near the end of this section (12’12”) the tonic chord is emphasised. What
percussion instrument helps to emphasise the tonic chord?

Coda (12’55)

7. In this section a fanfare has appears. What instruments are featured?

8. Describe the very short, “harkening back” to the start of the piece (13’38”)

11
Score Reading Questions

Calm Sea

What is the key, time signature and tempo for this extract?
How does the term contrary motion apply to this example?
Analyse each chord in this example. (Remember I, IV and V)

What note is emphasized in the treble part?

How can you tell the piece has modulated in this section?
What are the chords used in the bass part?

Prosperous voyage

Introduction

What key is this example in?

How is the idea of waves expressed in the music?

12
introduction continued

What chord is repeatedly played in the pass part?

What is its relationship to the tonic?
What articulation is used in the treble part?
What does molto cres. and sempre cres. mean?

Exposition
First subject

Compare the first four bars with the next three.

How are the ideas similar, how are they different?

Second subject

Analyse the chords in this excerpt.

Explain the dynamic, articulation and expression markings.

13
What two notes/chords are played repeatedly in this example?

14
Development

This is the transition theme heard previously in the exposition.

Describe it’s melodic and rhythmic features.
What chord supports this melody here?

What chord is this? How does it relate to the dominant?

Explain how the string players would play the rhythms in the bass part.

What chord is this?

Explain the dynamic markings.

This is the second subject, but it’s in a different key than the original.
What key is it in now? What is the pedal tone note?
Describe the accompaniment in the bass.

15
Coda

What is the melodic shape?

Describe the shape of the bass part.
What is the articulation?
Overall, how does this section create a sense of excitement and triumph?

This is an example of a fanfare, what makes it so?

These are the last seven bars of the piece.

How is the sense of finality expressed in this section?
Contrast the melodic shape with that of the bass line.
What are the last two chords?
What type of cadence is this?
What dramatic effect occurs with the dynamics?

16
 Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage -
Summary

Here is a summary of the information the examiners

expect you to know. For each of these categories fill in
the information.

 Structure and terminology

 Themes and their transformations

 Key centres and modulations

 Identification of chords

 Instruments

 Transposition

 Score markings, performance directions, instrumental effects

 General background information about the composer

17
Extension Work - Beethoven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0ko02qDEx0

Before Mendelssohn had written his overture, Beethoven had set Goethe’s text to
music. Even though one is a vocal work, and one is purely instrumental, there are
several similarities between the two. Compare the two works.

Beethoven Mendelssohn
Calm Sea key: key:

time signature: time signature:

tempo: tempo:

overall dynamic: overall dynamic:

other musical features: other musical features:

Prosperou key: key:

s Voyage
time signature: time signature:

tempo: tempo:

overall dynamic: overall dynamic:

other musical features: other musical features:

Have one last listen to the Beethoven, taking note of the different vocal textures he
uses:

homophonic

imitation

polyphonic

soli

18