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A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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Felix Mendelssohn
An actor in a spritely costume sits in a cloth swing against a dark background. Text on screen reads, "A Midsummer Night's Dream: Puck's Final Monologue."
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Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn German composer Felix Mendelssohn, painting by Wilhelm Hensel.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

work by Mendelssohn
Written by
Betsy Schwarm
Betsy Schwarm is a music historian based in Colorado. She serves on the music faculty of Metropolitan State University of Denver and gives pre-performance talks for Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony...
Betsy Schwarm
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History
Felix Mendelssohn: “You Spotted Snakes”Felix Mendelssohn's setting of the fairies' song, “You Spotted Snakes” (from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, scene 2, line 9); sung by Gillian Humphreys.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, incidental music by German composer Felix Mendelssohn written to accompany performances of Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Prussian royal court.

Mendelssohn became familiar with Shakespeare by reading German translations as a boy, and in 1827, at age 17, he was inspired to write a piece capturing the atmosphere of Shakespeare’s comedy. The piece, a concert overture, quickly became a popular favourite throughout Europe.

Mendelssohn returned to Shakespeare in 1843 at the request of Prussian King Frederick William IV, an admirer of the overture, who wanted a set of incidental music for an upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mendelssohn crafted 14 short pieces based on themes and moods from the earlier piece. The complete work was first performed with the play on October 14, 1843.

An actor in a spritely costume sits in a cloth swing against a dark background. Text on screen reads, "A Midsummer Night's Dream: Puck's Final Monologue."
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Puck's final speech“If we shadows have offended, / Think but this, and all is mended
”
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Mendelssohn’s new creations, such as the “Song with Chorus,” a lullaby for the fairy queen Titania, and the “Wedding March,” written to accompany the multiple weddings at the end of the play, recaptured the magical spirit of the overture. The complete set also includes a nimble fairies’ scherzo, a haunting nocturne rich with horns, a buoyant clowns’ dance, and a farewell finale. The best-known movement is perhaps the “Wedding March,” which is often played in modern wedding ceremonies.

Betsy Schwarm