Violin Concerto in E minor — 1st movement

F. MendelssohnOp. 64

Key

Em

Time

C

Tempo

♩=100

AO focus

AO3

Form

Allegro molto appassionato — sonata form. Soloist enters in bar 2 (rare for a Romantic concerto — the orchestra usually plays a long ritornello first). Cadenza placed before the recapitulation, also unusual.

Teaching points

• Solo entry in bar 2 — discuss why Mendelssohn breaks the 'orchestral exposition first' Classical convention
• Long-breathed E-minor melody — the single most-recognised opening in the violin repertoire
• AO3: cadenza placement — Mendelssohn fully writes out his cadenza and integrates it into the form, rather than leaving it for improvisation