Description
Instrumentation: tenor, two basses, two sopranos and alto soloists, four-part mixed chorus and orchestra
Edition: score
Publisher: Marilee Vana
Year: 1829
Difficulty: medium (approx. 15′)
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.
