The Hebrides (overture) the following, which came into my head there." The cave at that time was approximately high and over deep, and contained black basalt pillars. The work was completed on 16 December 1830 and was originally entitled "Die einsame Insel" ("The Lonely Island"). However, Mendelssohn later revised the score and renamed the piece "Die Hebriden" ("The Hebrides"). Despite this, the title of "Fingal's Cave" was also used: on the orchestral parts he labelled the music "The Hebrides", but on the score Mendelssohn labelled the music "Fingal's Cave". This revision of the overture was premiered on 14 May 1832 in London in
The Hebrides (overture) at first called the work "To the Lonely Island" or "Zur einsamen Insel", but then settled on the present title. However, in 1834, the year after the first publication, Breitkopf & Härtel issued an edition with the name "Fingalshöhle" (Fingal's Cave) and this title stuck, causing some confusion. Being a concert overture, "The Hebrides" does not precede a play or opera, but is instead a standalone composition in a form common for the Romantic period. Dedicated to King Frederick William IV of Prussia, then Crown Prince of Prussia, the B minor work became part of the standard orchestral repertoire and