of the music—will see that Mendelssohn’s object was to give a
broad, general picture of the fairy world and to intensify, by his
music, the fancy and humor found in the play. The introduc-
tory sustained chords, pianissimo, are a happy illustration of his
deftness in tone-painting; for, assigned to the ethereal flutes and
clarinets, they constitute, as Niecks ingeniously expresses it, a
“magic formula” which ushers us into the moonlit realm of fairy-
land. The first theme in E minor (Allegro di molto: throughout
ppand staccato), announced by the strings, is a graphic rep-
resentation of the playful antics of the nimble elves and fairies.
Its course is twice interrupted by a peculiar, prolonged chord
which seems to say, “Hush! you are listening to the activities of
beings not of this every-day, humdrum world.” The first theme
has a second part in E major (beginning at measure 62) of a
pompous, march-like nature, which may be thought to repre-
sent the dignity of Duke Theseus and his train. The Overture
being in complete Sonata-form, there occurs at this point a short
transition based on the rhythm of the first theme; followed by
a lovely cantabile melody—the second theme proper—that typ-
ifies the romantic love pervading the play. This theme also is
expanded into several sections; the first of which may portray
the clownish Athenian tradespeople, and the second, the brays
of Bottom after he has been transformed into an ass,e.g.
[Music]
[Footnote 208: This is exceptionally effective in the four-hand
version—in fact, it was often played as a pianoforte duet by
his sister Fanny and himself—although the real poetic effect is
inseparably connected with the orchestral treatment.]
[Footnote 209: Originally these tones were played by the Ophi-
cleide or Serpent (now obsolete).]
The free fantasia, an improvisation on the first theme—although
containing a few perfunctory manipulations—sustains interest,
as a whole, by its modulations and by the suggestive orches-
tral effects. The closing measures, where the pizzicato ’cellos
and double basses seem to imitate the light, tripping footsteps
of the elves, is genuinely realistic. The Recapitulation, which
begins with the same chords as the Introduction, is an illus-
tration of bondage to classic practise; for here they have no
dramatic significance and are merely a concession to routine
procedure.[210] The first theme and the transition, however, are