Mendelssohn SYmphony 2 Sheet Music, Program Notes and Recordings

Let There Be Light: A Gutenberg Celebration

In June of 1840, the city of Leipzig was consumed by a massive, three-day festival. The occasion was the 400th anniversary of one of the most important inventions in human history: Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press with movable type. As the city’s music director and Germany's most celebrated composer, Felix Mendelssohn was tasked with creating the artistic centerpiece for the event. The premiere was to be held in the historic St. Thomas Church, the same church where Johann Sebastian Bach had served as cantor more than a century earlier. For this grand civic and historical celebration, Mendelssohn composed his "Lobgesang," a monumental work whose central theme—the triumph of light over darkness—was a direct metaphor for the enlightenment brought to the world by the printed word, especially the Gutenberg Bible. This is not a symphony for the quiet contemplation of the concert hall, but a grand public monument in sound.

A Symphony in Beethoven's Footsteps

The "Lobgesang" follows the revolutionary precedent set by Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by combining purely instrumental forces with a massive choral finale. However, Mendelssohn adapts the model for his own purposes. In Beethoven’s Ninth, the introduction of voices feels like a radical and shocking break with symphonic tradition. In Mendelssohn’s work, the entire structure is designed to lead organically to the cantata. The instrumental "sinfonia" that opens the work functions as a vast, three-movement prelude, while the vocal cantata that follows comprises more than two-thirds of the total performance time. It is a symphony that is consciously and deliberately fulfilled by the human voice.

The Unifying Motto

The key to the work's architecture is a powerful musical motto introduced in the very first bars by the trombones. This majestic, ascending theme is the musical DNA of the entire work. It not only opens the symphony in grand fashion but also reappears in various guises and transformations throughout the instrumental movements, building a sense of anticipation. Its true meaning is only revealed when the chorus makes its first magnificent entrance, singing this same melody to the words from Psalm 150: "Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn!" ("Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!"). This motto serves as a recurring beacon, guiding the listener through the work's epic journey.

Part I: The Sinfonia

The work begins with three purely orchestral movements, played without pause. This opening section, titled "Sinfonia," establishes the dramatic premise of the work. It begins with the trombone motto, which leads into a majestic and energetic Maestoso con moto – Allegro. This is followed by a beautiful, scherzo-like Allegretto un poco agitato, whose lilting rhythms provide a light, dance-like contrast. The sinfonia concludes with a deeply felt Adagio religioso, a prayerful and solemn movement that creates an atmosphere of reverence and contemplation, leading the listener directly to the threshold of the sacred cantata.

Part II: The Cantata - From Darkness to Light

The entrance of the full chorus singing the great motto is a moment of immense power, marking the beginning of the cantata. The texts, which Mendelssohn personally selected from the Lutheran Bible, trace a clear narrative path. The first vocal number after the opening chorus is a dramatic question from the soprano and chorus: "Hüter, ist die Nacht bald hin?" ("Watchman, will the night soon pass?"). This is the cry of humanity from the darkness, waiting in fear and uncertainty.

The Soloists as Messengers

Throughout the cantata, the vocal soloists act as key figures in the unfolding drama. The tenor soloist takes on the role of the watchman himself, a herald who brings the good news. In a dramatic recitative and soaring aria, he answers the chorus's fearful question with the triumphant reassurance, "Die Nacht ist vergangen!" ("The night is departing!"). The two soprano soloists, often singing together in sublime duets, offer messages of faith, comfort, and thanksgiving, their music providing some of the most lyrical and beautiful moments in the work.

The Choral Writing: A Nod to Bach

Mendelssohn’s writing for the chorus is magnificent, demonstrating the same mastery of sacred choral music found in his great oratorios St. Paul and Elijah. The chorus acts as the collective voice of humanity, expressing a wide range of emotions from fear and doubt to profound gratitude and overwhelming joy. In a direct and powerful homage to his great predecessor in Leipzig, Mendelssohn incorporates Martin Rinkart’s famous chorale, "Nun danket alle Gott" ("Now Thank We All Our God"), first sung in a beautiful duet by the sopranos and then proclaimed by the full chorus. This gesture firmly places his own work within the great German sacred tradition of J.S. Bach.

The Climax of Praise

As the cantata progresses, the music builds inexorably towards its conclusion. The journey from darkness to light is complete, and all that remains is to offer thanks. Mendelssohn achieves this with a magnificent final chorus, "Ihr Völker, bringet her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht!" ("Ye nations, offer to the Lord glory and might!"). It is a grand, intricate fugue, another nod to the Baroque masters Bach and Handel. Here, Mendels-sohn uses the most complex and learned of musical forms to create a universal and overwhelming expression of joy, bringing his monumental symphony-cantata to a powerful and celebratory close.