The Hebrides (overture) The Hebrides (overture) Felix Mendelssohn's concert overture The Hebrides (; ) was composed in 1830, revised in 1832, and published the next year as his Op. 26. Some consider it an early tone poem. It was inspired by one of Mendelssohn's trips to the British Isles, specifically an 1829 excursion to the Scottish island of Staffa, with its basalt sea cave known as Fingal's Cave. It is not known whether Mendelssohn set foot on the island, the cave being best visible from the water, but the composer reported that he immediately jotted down the opening theme for his composition. He
Italian overture Italian overture The Italian overture is a piece of orchestral music which opened several operas, oratorios and other large-scale works in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. An Italian overture typically has a three-movement structure – the outer movements are quick, the middle movement is slow. This type of overture was particularly popular among Italian composers such as Alessandro Scarlatti, and in the early 18th century would usually be called "sinfonia". Later, to avoid confusion with other types of sinfonia/symphony, the term "Italian overture" was used more frequently. The structure of the Italian overture/sinfonia was the base from which