Mendelssohn Composing for Fun

Musical composition takes not only imagination but a lot of practical, almost mechanical work. Yet a composer who writes often can learn to get ideas onto paper with startling speed—especially when a deadline or a little pride is involved.

Mendelssohn once expected to provide a romance and an overture for a charity performance of ‘Ruy Blas.’ Other duties delayed him, and he finished only the romance. When he sent it to the committee, they thanked him warmly—then added that it was a pity he hadn’t written the overture too, though of course they understood it couldn’t be done in a hurry, and next year they would give him more notice.

Mendelssohn heard the implication: that he simply couldn’t write an overture quickly. He admitted he was ‘rather nettled.’

Within two days he had the overture finished. They were not two days of uninterrupted work either—he still had rehearsals to attend and a concert to give. But he later said that writing that overture gave him more fun than anything he had ever done.