Written by Minh Nguyen.

As the first concert of the season approaches, it’s always nice to know a little bit of history about the music you’ll be enjoying. Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a classic, and you may have heard his famous Wedding March before. But why did Mendelssohn compose A Midsummer Night’s Dream? What does it have to do with Shakespeare’s play? And what is incidental music, anyways?

Who is Felix Mendelssohn?

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47), sometimes known as Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn, was born in Hamburg, Germany. He, like Mozart, was a child prodigy, and was already writing music and performing on piano when he was a child. Mendelssohn was a prolific composer of the early Romantic period and wrote many famous pieces, such as his Violin Concerto, his Songs Without Words for piano, and— of course— his incidental music from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. 

Why did Mendelssohn write “A Midsummer Night’s Dream?”

Mendelssohn loved Shakespeare; he was obsessed with A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was a teenager and would make his family act it out in their backyard. His famous Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream was originally written as a solo piece, but even then, he composed it to be a musical, miniature version of Shakespeare’s famous play. When his publishers asked him for program notes, he told them:

“I believe it will suffice to remember how the rulers of the elves, Oberon and Titania, constantly appear throughout the play… then comes Prince Theseus of Athens and joins a hunting party in the forest…then the two pairs of tender lovers, who lose and find themselves; finally the troop of clumsy, coarse tradesmen, who ply their ponderous amusements; then again the elves, who entice all – and on this the piece is constructed. When at the end all is happily resolved… the elves return and bless the house, and disappear as morning arrives. So ends the play, and also my overture.” 

However, the rest of what is now known as his A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61, would not be composed until 1843. King Friedrich William IV of Prussia asked Mendelssohn to write more music for a new production of the play, and so Mendelssohn composed an additional 12 songs and a finale to go alongside his overture. These pieces would become the incidental music for the play.

What is the story about?

Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream accompanies the play and follows the same story. The play is about four young Athenians — two couples — who venture into the woods one summer evening. This happens as a wedding between the Duke of Athens and the Queen of the Amazons is about to take place. In the woods, a mischievious fairy named Puck uses a magic flower to make both the boys fall in love with the same girl, causing chaos. The Fairy King Oberon and Fairy Queen Titania also appear, arguing with each other, and Puck helps his master play a trick on his wife. Sometime during the night, a group of rowdy actors gets lost in the woods, and Puck casts his magic over them as well, turning one of the actors into a man with the head of a donkey.

In the end, however, after everyone has fallen into a deep sleep and then woken up, everything is sorted out. Oberon and Titania make up, the four Athenians fall in love with the right people, the Duke of Athens marries the Queen of the Amazons, and there is nothing left but celebration.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is “Incidental Music”

So, what is incidental music? Incidental music is simply music that is composed to accompany a dramatical performance, one that isn’t focused on music. Technically, film soundtracks are incidental music too — we just don’t refer to them as such. In this case, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is incidental music because it is meant to accompany a performance of Shakespeare’s play.

Mendelssohn’s incidental music has an overture, a finale, and 12 songs in between. Some of the songs are played during scenes, and because Mendelssohn was such a big Shakespeare fan, he even wrote some lyrics to accompany certain songs. Other songs are intermezzos, meaning they’re played between acts. These are often performed on their own during orchestra concerts. 

One of the most famous pieces from the whole suite of music is the Overture, which is played before the play even begins. The Overture was actually written years before the rest of the incidental music. Mendelssohn originally composed it in 1826 as a piano duet, which he performed with his sister. A year later, he orchestrated it for a mostly traditional orchestra, with one exception: Mendelssohn included an ophicleide (off-ih-clyde), which is a little like a tuba. Modern performances of the Overture simply use a tuba.

The Overture is the piece that introduces, musically, all the characters that will be in the play. Mendelssohn included motifs — or repeated musical patterns— to represent the fairies, the actors, the lovers, and even the city of Athens. It has a magical feel and is one of the most well-known pieces in this suite of incidental music.

The fast-paced Scherzo happens after Act I, which has no music. It has lots of fast, high-pitched notes for the woodwinds, especially flute. Because this is when the audience first sees the fairies, the music sounds like the fluttering of their wings as they zip about.

Some other famous songs from the suite include a Nocturne, which plays after Act III and features a beautiful French horn solo, and a Dance of Clowns. The incidental music ends with the Finale.

What is the Wedding March from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream?”

Perhaps the most famous piece of incidental music from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the Wedding March. It plays at the end of Act IV, right before Act V with its post-wedding celebrations. The Wedding March is known for its use in weddings— lots of people include it in their wedding repertoire, and there it’s often played on an organ. However, the original is performed with a traditional orchestra, and it features that famous, grand trumpet opening. 

Despite its name, the Wedding March only became popular at weddings because of Princess Victoria, aka Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter. Before her, it’s believed that people did not play music during wedding ceremonies. Princess Victoria, however, went against tradition and decided to play both Mendelssohn’s Wedding March and Richard Wagner’s Bridal Chorus (which you might recognize as “Here Comes The Bride”). Both composers were favorites of hers, and her wedding popularized not only the Wedding March, but also the idea of playing music during a wedding ceremony.

Featured Image – From left to right:

• Titania sleeping in the moonlight protected by her fairies, John Simmons
• Midsummer Eve, Edward Robert Hughes
• “A drawing of Puck, Titania, and Bottom”, Charles Buchel

Written by Minh Nguyen. Minh is a flutist studying music at the University of Connecticut beginning this Fall. She worked as an intern at the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in the Spring of 2026.