In 1842 Mendelssohn had published his Scottish Symphony as "Symphony No. 3", however a "Symphony No. 2" had never been published during Mendelssohn's lifetime. Possibly the composer's intention was to spare this number for his earlier Italian Symphony, which he premiered in 1833, but afterwards withheld for a revision that was never completed. The Italian Symphony was published posthumously as "Symphony No. 4". Decades after Mendelssohn's death, the editors of the old Mendelssohn complete edition entered Lobgesang as "No. 2" in the sequence of this symphonies for editorial reasons. However, there is no indication that this represented the composer's intentions. The new Mendelssohn-Werkverzeichnis (MWV), published in 2009 by the Saxonian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, no longer lists Lobgesang among the symphonies, but rather among the sacred vocal works.
Librettist | Bible |
Date of composition | 1840 |
Premiered | 1840, June 25th in Leipzig, Germany |
First published | 1840, Breitkopf und Härtel in Leipzig, Germany |
Type | Symphony |
Tonality | B-flat Major |
Catalogue | Op. 52 |
Approx. duration | 70 minutes |
Spoken language | German |
Instruments |
Voice (Tenor)
Chorus/Choir Orchestra 2x Voice (Soprano) |
Autotranslations beta |
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphonie n°2 en si bémol majeur, Op. 52 "Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise)" Felix Mendelssohn: Sinfonia n. 2 in si bemolle maggiore, Op. 52 "Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise)" Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Sinfonie Nr. 2 B-dur, Op. 52 "Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise)" |