Episode 242: Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 “Reformation”, Part 4
May 24, 2026 · 20 min · 5 segments
Welcome to our final episode in our Reformation Symphony series, of course with the grand movement IV. Be sure to like and share with a friend! Music…
May 24, 2026 · 20 min · 5 segments
Welcome to our final episode in our Reformation Symphony series, of course with the grand movement IV. Be sure to like and share with a friend! Music…
As we alluded to in our last episode, this movement is played attacca, or continuously from the third movement.
It starts out with a solo flute playing the first melody that is joined by some other woodwinds to form a nice, simple chorale setting.
[classical music] This movement is meant to represent the success of the Lutheran movement during the Reformation, and as such, this melody we hear first, which will be developed throughout the movement, is a chorale setting of a Lutheran hymn, Ein feste burg ist unser Gott, A Mighty Fortress is Our God.
As the additional woodwinds enter, we hear a hallmark of choral settings, something called voice leading.
[classical music] Voice leading is a universal music concept, but is really popular within polyphonic religious music.
Its basic tenets are that each voice that changes notes, and by voices here we're talking about the, the f- generally a traditional four-part harmony, the soprano, alto, tenor, bass.
Each of those voices that change notes should move as little as possible, and almost each note should match within the rest of the notes being sung or played to form a part of the chord progression.
Now, by as little as possible here, we mean try to avoid large leaps and moving in stepwise motion.
There is also a strong emphasis on each voice moving in contrary motion, or not too many voices moving in the same direction or distance at the same time.
In our second phrase, when all the woodwinds have come in, the first flute is still playing the melody.
[classical music] The second flute does admittedly have some large leaps, but they are leaps of fourths and fifths, which are actually deemed acceptable because they are, quote, "easy" intervals to hit.
And even though this piece is in an orchestral setting, voice leading, as the name implies, has its roots in choral music, right? So a lot of these concepts are designed to make the singers' jobs easier.
[laughs] And to continue this example, the first oboe starts a fourth below the first flute and has a downward leap of a fifth, and then it doesn't actually move at all for the rest of the phrase.
As we alluded to in our last episode, this movement is played attacca, or continuously from the third movement.
It starts out with a solo flute playing the first melody that is joined by some other woodwinds to form a nice, simple chorale setting.
[classical music] This movement is meant to represent the success of the Lutheran movement during the Reformation, and as such, this melody we hear first, which will be developed throughout the movement, is a chorale setting of a Lutheran hymn, Ein feste burg ist unser Gott, A Mighty Fortress is Our God.
As the additional woodwinds enter, we hear a hallmark of choral settings, something called voice leading.
[classical music] Voice leading is a universal music concept, but is really popular within polyphonic religious music.
Its basic tenets are that each voice that changes notes, and by voices here we're talking about the, the f- generally a traditional four-part harmony, the soprano, alto, tenor, bass.
Each of those voices that change notes should move as little as possible, and almost each note should match within the rest of the notes being sung or played to form a part of the chord progression.
Now, by as little as possible here, we mean try to avoid large leaps and moving in stepwise motion.
There is also a strong emphasis on each voice moving in contrary motion, or not too many voices moving in the same direction or distance at the same time.
In our second phrase, when all the woodwinds have come in, the first flute is still playing the melody.
[classical music] The second flute does admittedly have some large leaps, but they are leaps of fourths and fifths, which are actually deemed acceptable because they are, quote, "easy" intervals to hit.
And even though this piece is in an orchestral setting, voice leading, as the name implies, has its roots in choral music, right? So a lot of these concepts are designed to make the singers' jobs easier.
[laughs] And to continue this example, the first oboe starts a fourth below the first flute and has a downward leap of a fifth, and then it doesn't actually move at all for the rest of the phrase.
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