Octet in E-flat major, op. 20 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847): a transcription for double wind quintet

Abstract

Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 is widely considered to be a canonic work within chamber string repertoire. Composed when Mendelssohn was just sixteen years old, the Octet was described as “a different kind of art” by contemporary Louis Spohr because of its use of eight independent parts coming together in a collaborative nature rather than approaching the work as two quartets in an antiphonal setting. Knowing that Mendelssohn himself arranged a portion of this work for full orchestra, it is not a leap for this work to be transcribed in other capacities. Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 lends itself very well to a transcription utilizing a double woodwind quintet in the same collaborative nature for which Mendelssohn originally conceived the piece. With only two original compositions exclusively for winds and only a small percentage of the works in his canon previously transcribed or arranged for winds, this transcription lends an additional opportunity for winds players to experience Mendelssohn. Every effort was made to retain the original intent and maintain compositional integrity with Mendelssohn’s efforts. Adjustments to voicing due to registration, chord voicings due to personnel and instrument limitations, and slight rhythm alterations due to instrument facility were the primary deviations from the composer’s efforts.