The summer of 1829 was a year of exploration and travel for Felix Mendelssohn. At 20 years old, he was already well known in London after conducting and performing earlier that year. Accompanied by his friend, a German poet and diplomat, Karl Klingemann, he traveled to Scotland to explore coastlines, castles, lochs, and wild landscapes that also inspired the imagination of writers like Sir Walter Scott. The stops that had inspired him on this trip included Edinburgh, where he visited the residence of Mary, Queen of Scots, Holyrood Palace. That evening, he became so inspired by the ruins that he sketched the opening bars to his Scottish Symphony.
The next stop on this adventure was the Highlands, where he and Klingemann trekked through the rugged countryside on foot or horseback, braving unpredictable weather. Enchanted by the mist, dramatic skies, and ruins, Mendelssohn sketched the lochs and mountain landscapes in watercolor. The Scottish landscape, with its mist, dramatic skies, and ruins, had a profound influence on Mendelssohn’s creative process.
The next stop was the town of Oban, where they hired a boat to visit the island of Staffa, where they saw the legendary Fingal’s Cave, a natural sea cavern formed of hexagonal basalt columns. Being in awe at the sight and sound, Mendelssohn immediately jotted down the haunting theme, which became the opening of The Hebrides Overture. In his letter to his sister, Fanny, he included the watercolor sketch and the musical sketch of this majestic cave, a testament to the rich cultural influence of Scotland on his work. While traveling through Glasgow and back toward England, Mendelssohn was absorbed by not only the scenery but also the music and culture of Scotland.
Titled Die einsame Insel (the Lonely Island), in December of 1830, Mendelssohn wrote the first complete version of The Hebrides Overture. By the summer of 1831, during his travels in Italy, he extensively revised and retitled it Die Hebriden (The Hebrides). In 1832, Mendelssohn made further revisions to Die Hebriden (The Hebrides) before its London premiere on May 14, 1832, and by 1833, he made a final round of adjustments. The version we know today, published as Die Hebriden, Op. 26.