Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    The Classic FM Concert with John Suchet 8pm - 10pm

    The Classic FM Concert with John Suchet

    Now Playing

    Symphony No.3 in A minor Opus 56 Felix Mendelssohn Download 'Symphony No.3 in A minor Opus 56' on iTunes

    Symphony No.3 in A minor Opus 56 artwork
    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Lifestyle
    • Win
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on Twitter
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    Composers

    Mendelssohn

    • Mendelssohn Home
    • Music
    • News
    • Album reviews
    • Guides
    • More Composers

    Mendelssohn went to Scotland in 1829. Here's how much he hated the music

    Facebook share Twitter share

    Mendelssohn's travels around Scotland inspired some of his best compositions: the Hebrides Overture and the Scottish Symphony. But that didn't mean he liked the 'vulgar' local music he heard...

    1. Mendelssohn in Scotland

      1. Mendelssohn in Scotland

      In 1829, after a stunningly successful season of concerts in London, a 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn needed a break. He set off with his best friend, the diplomat Karl Klingemann, on a walking tour of Scotland. Photo: Getty

    2. Mendelssohn Scotland Edinburgh

      2. 'Stern and robust' Edinburgh

      Mendelssohn and Klingemann arrived in Edinburgh on 28 July. "Everything here looks so stern and robust," the composer wrote, "half enveloped in a haze of smoke or fog." Photo: Getty

    3. Mendelssohn Scotland Highlanders

      3. Observing the Scottish

      "Many Highlanders came in costume from church," Mendelssohn reported, "victoriously leading their sweethearts in their Sunday attire and casting magnificent and important looks over the world; with long, red beards, tartan plaids, bonnets and feathers and naked knees and their bagpipes in their hands…" Photo: Getty

    4. Scotland bagpipes piper

      4. Music 'beyond conception'

      Mendelssohn was not a fan of the traditional Scottish music he heard. "Infamous, vulgar, out-of-tune trash…" he called it. "It is distracting and has given me a toothache already… altogether their music is beyond conception." Photo: Getty

    5. Mendelssohn Scotland Holyrood Palace Mary Queen Scots Rizzio

      5. Holyrood palace

      On his visit to Holyrood palace - the castle where Mary, Queen of Scots had lived - Mendelssohn visited the room where courtier David Rizzio was murdered. Rumours were rife that she had been having an adulterous affair with Rizzio. He was stabbed 56 times by Mary's husband Darnley and his accomplices.

    6. Mendelssohn Scotland Holyrood Palace Abbey ruins

      6. Inspiration for the Scottish Symphony

      Mendelssohn was particularly inspired by the ruins at Holyrood. "Everything around is broken and moldering and the bright sky shines in. I believe I have found today in that old chapel the beginning of my Scottish symphony." He jotted down 10 bars that were to become the introductory theme of the symphony. Photo: Getty

    7. Mendelssohn Scotland sketch Ben More Mull

      7. Music in nature

      The two friends ventured further afield, stopping often at a beautiful scene so that Mendelssohn could make a quick pencil sketch. "It is in pictures, ruins and natural surroundings that I find the most music," he wrote. This is Mendelssohn’s sketch of Ben More, on the Isle of Mull.

    8. Mendelssohn Scotland Fingal's Cave Hebrides Overture

      8. Visiting Fingal's Cave

      Mendelssohn was particularly dazzled by the Isle of Staffa off the western coast of Scotland, an experience that gave rise to his 'Hebrides Overture' - also known as 'Fingal's Cave'. He began composing the piece straight away and finished it the following year. Photo: Getty

    9. Mendelssohn Scotland mist

      9. Capturing the 'misty mood'

      Mendelssohn carried out more work on his Scottish Symphony while in Italy in 1830-1831, but he said he found it hard to conjure up the "misty mood" of Scotland and put the work on hold. It was not finished until January 1842. Photo: Getty

    10. Scotland Queen Victoria John Brown Balmoral

      10. Royal Approval

      The great popularity already enjoyed by Mendelssohn in Britain was enhanced even further when Queen Victoria granted Mendelssohn royal approval to dedicate the Scottish Symphony to her. She is seen here at Balmoral with her Scottish attendant John Brown. Photo: Getty

    Facebook share Twitter share

    Mendelssohn News

    See more Mendelssohn News

    drunk wedding march

    The Wedding March (drunk version) is the funniest thing you could hear on your special day

    janine jansen mendelssohn la phil

    Can we please just take a moment to recognise how incredible Janine Jansen sounds here?

    LA Phil

    computer

    Classical music 'makes women more attractive' online

    Mendelssohn Music

    See more Mendelssohn Music

    Dog interrupts orchestra

    Curious and loving dog almost ruins a live orchestra concert

    Videos

    new releases 19th June

    New releases: Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Mendelssohn and Mario Venzago conducts Schubert

    New releases 20th march

    New releases: 'Jubilate: 500 Years Of Cathedral Music' & Andrew Manze conducts Mendelssohn

    Discover Music

    Mendelssohn Album Reviews

    See more Mendelssohn Album Reviews

    New releases 21st Aug

    New releases: Isabelle Faust plays Mendelssohn & Antonio Meneses plays Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Saint-Saens

    New releases 15th april

    New releases: Rami 'My Journey' and Cantus 'Northern Lights'

    New releases 13th Feb

    New Releases: LSO plays Mendelssohn and the latest album from Riccardo Chailly

    Discover Music

    Mendelssohn Guides

    See more Mendelssohn Guides

    George Gershwin painting

    Beautiful art by great composers and musicians

    Discover Music

    Victoria Albert Mendelssohn

    Mendelssohn: 15 facts about the great composer

    Felix Mendelssohn

    How To Buy Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Christmas Songs
    • Music for Pets
    • Quizzes
    • Handel
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Beethoven
    • Mozart
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Live
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Saturday Night at the Movies
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on Twitter
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2022
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager