Description
First Publication
Instrumentation: tenor, two basses, two sopranos and alto soloists, four-part mixed chorus and orchestra
Edition: piano score
Publisher: Marilee Vana
Year: 1829
Difficulty: medium
Festspiel, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s first extended work with orchestra, composed for her parent’s silver wedding anniversary, is scored for tenor, two basses, two sopranos and alto soloists, four-part mixed chorus and orchestra. Hensel set this tri-part incidental piece using a text by Wilhelm Hensel describing an allegory about three weddings: the first, the silver, and the golden. Festspiel is a light-hearted, celebratory piece con-taining humorous elements and lyrical melodies which culminate in a joyous choral section of praise.
