Sinfonia II

Sinfonia II by Felix Mendelssohn

Arranged for Flute Quartet by Robert Rainford

Instrumentation: 2 c flutes, alto flute, bass flute

Score and parts

I. Allegro

II. Andante

III. Allegro Vivace

This is the second of a series of 13 String Symphonies (sometimes labelled ‘Sinfonia’) that were composed by Mendelssohn in his early teens.  Remarkably, these pieces were undiscovered until the early 1960’s.  This early symphony shows his rigorous training in Bach counterpoint and chorale harmonies, but still has pointers toward his own individual style that was to develop throughout his lifetime.   It follows the standard three movement form, with an opening Allegro, a slower middle movement and then a lively closing movement.

In this edition, dynamics and articulation have been largely left to the performers discretion.