Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 in A major, the Italian Symphony (set work): the four movements, the energetic sonata-form first movement, the processional slow movement, the graceful third movement, and the saltarello finale, with their structure, orchestration, harmony and early Romantic features.

What this dot point is asking

This is the second of the two WJEC set works in Area of Study A. It asks you to analyse Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, the Italian Symphony, across its four movements: the structure, orchestration, harmony and character, and the early Romantic features (lyricism, energy, colour, a programmatic Italian flavour) that distinguish it from the Classical Haydn.

The answer

First movement: energetic sonata form

The brilliance comes from the fast tempo, bright A major tonality, the rhythmic drive of the accompaniment, and Mendelssohn's transparent, sparkling orchestration. The fugato in the development shows his command of counterpoint within the Romantic energy.

Second movement: the processional slow movement

The second movement is an Andante con moto in D minor, often called the "Pilgrims' March". It has a processional, walking character over a steady bass line, with a chant-like, modal-tinged melody that suggests a solemn religious procession, and a more flowing contrasting idea. The minor key and measured tread give it gravity and an "old", devotional colour, a deliberate contrast to the sunlit outer movements.

Third movement: the graceful movement

Fourth movement: the saltarello finale

The finale is a Presto saltarello in A minor, an Italian dance in fast triple-feel time with driving triplet rhythms and a relentless, whirling character (the saltarello and tarantella are leaping Italian folk dances). It gives the symphony its programmatic Italian flavour. Strikingly, the major-key symphony ends in the tonic minor (A minor), an unusual and dramatic choice that leaves the work whirling to a breathless close.

Orchestration, harmony and Romantic style

Mendelssohn writes for a Classical-sized orchestra (strings, pairs of woodwind, two horns, two trumpets and timpani) but with transparent, brilliant scoring that is unmistakably Romantic in its lightness and colour. The harmony is largely diatonic and functional with clear key centres, but enriched with chromaticism, the fugato counterpoint, and bold tonal strokes (the D minor slow movement, the A minor finale). The early Romantic character lies in the lyricism, rhythmic energy, orchestral colour and programmatic Italian idea, while the Classical clarity of form and texture is retained.

Examples in context

Model paragraph (Romantic energy and Italian colour). Mendelssohn keeps the Classical skeleton but fills it with light and movement. The first movement's energy is built from rhythm and colour as much as from theme: the woodwind's buzzing quavers set up a perpetual motion over which the strings leap and dance, and the bright A major never lets the spirits flag, even as a fugato in the development shows real contrapuntal craft. The Italian programme then surfaces at the close: the finale is a saltarello, a leaping folk dance whose driving triplets whirl the listener along, and Mendelssohn dares to end a sunny A major symphony in A minor, the tonic minor, so the work spins to a breathless, dramatic finish. Against Haydn's poised Classical balance, this is a symphony of brilliance, lyricism and place.

Try this

Q1. What kind of Italian dance is the finale, and in what key does it end? [2 marks]

• Cue. A saltarello, ending in the tonic minor (A minor).

Q2. Describe two features that give the first movement its energy. [2 marks]

• Cue. The fast tempo with a buzzing repeated-quaver accompaniment and a leaping, dancing first subject in bright A major.

Q3. Analyse how Mendelssohn creates energy and an Italian character in the outer movements, with reference to the score. [20 marks]

• What the marker wants. A located analysis of the sonata-form first movement (buzzing accompaniment, leaping themes, fugato, E major modulation) and the saltarello finale (triplet rhythms, A minor tonic-minor ending), with the keys, structure and orchestration that create energy and the Italian programme.