In the 19th century many composers, including Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847), were inspired by Scottish literature to write music based on Scottish themes. The main influences were Ossian, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. Most major composers did not visit Scotland in person and so the inspiration remained cultural. However, Mendelssohn was one of the few […]
Author: Almut Boehme
Music display at the National Library of Scotland
August has become a regular month for a small music display at the National Library of Scotland to coincide with the Edinburgh International Festival. A selection of items from the collections of the many musical works that will be performed over the coming month will be shown. A major theme this year is music related to the literary […]
The smallest score in the National Library of Scotland
This miniature book of songs comes with an accompanying locket featuring a magnifying glass. In this era of budget air travel this tiny score would still be the ideal travel companion. Interestingly musicians would not refer to this as a miniature score. Miniature scores to the musician are scores of a height of around 15-20 […]
The First Edinburgh Musical Festival of 1815
Two hundred years ago today, at ten o’clock in the morning, musicians from London, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh gathered together for a first rehearsal to present a musical extravaganza never before heard in Scotland, a musical festival! Edinburgh enjoyed its first ‘Festival Week’. “From England, and the remotest parts of Scotland, individuals and whole families […]