Sonata 3

Background

The Third Sonata has two movements. The first, *allegro maestoso*, has three sections: an opening march, followed by two fugues. It also uses the German chorale 'Aus tiefer Not ich schrei zu dir' [Out of the depths I call unto thee]. It is one of the longest single movements in the sonata collection.

The second movement, *andante tranquilo*, has a style very similar to Mendelssohn's Songs without Words for piano: the melody is like a lyrical, vocal line which is accompanied by the lower voices. It is a character piece, meaning it displays one mood or feeling from beginning to end (though there are, of course, nuances within that one style or mood). The form of the piece is like a rondo, meaning that the first theme returns at regular intervals in the music, alternating with other melodies.

Organ and Registration

By Mendelssohn's time a great number of styles of organs existed, from the very large to the very small. In general, however, the aesthetic was turning toward what is now thought of as the Romantic Organ. The standard Romantic organ consists of at least two manuals and a full pedalboard. All of Mendelssohn's sonata movements can be played on an instrument of this size, and many can be played on one manual with pedal.

The sound palette of the common Romantic organ favored warm, orchestra-like sounds that are achieved by pulling multiple stops on the same pitch level. Many organs of the time feature, for example, three or more different 8' stops on one manual. However, as in other periods, no two organs had the same set of stops. Because of this, Mendelssohn did not write specific registration indications in his music because, as he said, the same stop combinations on one organ would produce a different, and perhaps undesirable, result on another organ. Instead, he used dynamic markings (f, p, mp, etc.), to indicate general stop combinations. In the preface to the organ sonatas, Mendelssohn explained his system in this way:

"By *fortissimo* I intend to designate the Full Organ; by *pianissimo* I generally mean a soft 8-foot stop alone; by *forte* the Great Organ, but without some of the most powerful stops; by *piano* some of the soft 8-foot stops combined, and so forth.

"In the *pedal* part I should prefer throughout, even in the *pianissimo* passages, the 8-foot and the 16-foot stops united, except when the contrary is expressly specified...

"It is therefore left to the judgment of the performer to mix the different stops appropriately to the style of the various pieces - advising him, however, to be careful that, in combining the stops belonging to two different sets of keys [manuals], the kind of tone in the one should be distinguished from that in the otehr, but without forming too violent a contrast between the two distinct qualities of tone."

When choosing registrations, consider Mendelssohn's own suggestions, the general aesthetic of the time, and the possibilities of your own organ. One approach would be to build stop combinations for each dynamic level that is indicated in the music. To do this, choose stop combinations for the two extremes in dynamics *ff* and *pp*, then fill in the other levels by adding or subtracting stops.

For example, a *ff* marking indicates full organ. On a romantic instrument, this might include the following:

Great: 8' principal 8' flute 8' string 4' principal 4' flute 2' principal mixture

Swell: 8' flute 8' string 8' oboe 4' flute 4' principal 2' flute 2 2/3' (Nazard)

Swell-Great coupler

Pedal: 16' Principal 16' Flute 8' principal 8' flute 4' principal

Great-Pedal Swell-Pedal

On the opposite end, a *pp*, as Mendelssohn suggests, might consist even of one 8' flute in the manual, and a 16' and 8' flute to balance it in the pedal. In modern practice, the *pp* sound is often achieved by adding two or more 8' stops, to maintain the orchestra-like sound, even in the soft movements.

Above all, strive to maintain balance of sound in the manual and pedal, so that one is not overpowering the other.

Articulation and Phrasing

Legato touch is the generally accepted style for Mendelssohn, especially given his emphasis on melodic line. Articulations and phrase breaks are also essential to maintaining the clarity of the phrasing. When deciding on phrasing, consider the natural contour of the melodic lines (most of them have an arch shape with a clear beginning and end). Many of these are marked with slurs in the music. Similarly, try singing the lines, or imagine playing them on a wind instrument where the player would have to decide where to control his or her breath to play the lines. Ask yourself where your lines need to 'breathe', or break, to create phrases.

Practice Techniques

Learn the 'rondo' theme sections first: they have the melody, but each is slightly different. Pay attention to mm. 27-33, where the theme is passed from voice to voice: be practice synchronizing left hand/pedal duet (in eighth notes) at mm. 30-33.