The Hebrides (overture) retains this position to the present day. Mendelssohn's first visit to England in 1829 resulted from invitations by Sir George Smart and the Philharmonic Society. Following his tour of England, Mendelssohn proceeded to Scotland, where he began work on his Symphony No. 3, "Scottish". He was engaged on a tour of Scotland with his travelling companion Karl Klingemann when he sent a postcard to his family with the opening phrase of the overture written on it. In a note to his sister Fanny, he said: "In order to make you understand how extraordinarily the Hebrides affected me, I send you
Holiday Overture optimistic in spirit, reflecting Carter's own affection for his years in Paris and reaction to news of the Allied victory in France. Whilst reminiscent of the populist manner of Aaron Copland, according to the composer himself, the work was also one of his first to use "different contrasting layers of musical activity at the same time". In addition, Carter has said of the work: ... it was to be a demonstration of brilliant orchestration, and a lively, good-spirited sort of piece. The music has a duration of about 10 minutes. The instrumentation is as follows: Holiday Overture The Holiday Overture