Fun fact: Brahms Hungarian Dances were influential in the development of ragtime!

Check out Scott Joplins German-American piano teacher Julius Weiss at this web address: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Weiss

Felix Mendelssohn: The Hebrides The Hebrides, also known as Fingals Cave, is a concert overture. It was not composed to precede a play or an opera as most overtures are. It was written to stand alone. Written in 1930, it was inspired by a cavern known as Fingals Cave on the island of Staffa (in the Hebrides archipelago) off the west coast of Scotland. In a note to his sister, Fanny, he said, In order to make you understand how extraordinarily the Hebrides affected me, I send you the following, which came into my head there.

Mendelssohns original sketch sent to his sister! The work was completed on December 16, 1830 and was originally entitled The Lonely Island. Although programme music, the work does not tell a specific story. Instead it depicts a mood and sets a scene. Listen for the combination of instruments Mendelssohn used to evoke the imagery of a dark cave at the beginning of the piece (violas, celli, and bassoons). At 0:30 on your Naxos Music Library selection, you can listen to the rapid dimenuendos and crescendos played by the orchestra perhaps Mendelssohn is making musical waves. The piece is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. The Hebrides is in ternary (ABA) sonata form with coda. Sonata form consists of an exposition (i.e. presentation of the theme), development (i.e. the theme is developed, elaborated and contrasted), and recapitulation (i.e. return or resolution of the theme). The work was completed on December 16, 1830 and was originally entitled The Lonely Island. Although programme music, the work does not tell a specific story. Instead it depicts a mood and sets a scene. Listen for the combination of instruments Mendelssohn used to evoke the imagery of a dark cave at the beginning of the piece (violas, celli, and bassoons). At 0:30 on your Naxos Music Library selection, you can listen to the rapid dimenuendos and crescendos played by the orchestra perhaps Mendelssohn is making musical waves. The piece is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. The Hebrides is in ternary (ABA) sonata form with coda. Sonata form consists of an exposition (i.e. presentation of the theme), development (i.e. the theme is developed, elaborated and contrasted), and recapitulation (i.e. return or resolution of the theme).