Abstract:
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Mendelssohn's first 13 symphonies are for strings only, including the one now referred to as No. 13, a single movement in C minor from 1823; however, the manuscript for the Symphony No. 1 in C minor, published in 1828 in Berlin as Op. 11, bears the inscription, "XIII," suggesting that Mendelssohn did not regard the earlier, single-movement piece as a completed string symphony.
The Symphony No. 1 was completed on March 31, 1824, when Mendelssohn was 15 years old. Like the previous string symphonies, this is clearly modeled on works by Mozart, with passages betraying the intense study of J.S. Bach's contrapuntal masterpieces. While the piece reveals the young composer's mastery of musical materials, it does not speak with an individual, inspired voice. While in London in 1829, Mendelssohn conducted a performance of his Symphony in C minor at a Philharmonic concert of May 25, substituting for the Minuet a shortened and orchestrated version of the Scherzo from his Octet, Op. 20.
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