ABSTRACT
A more extensive analysis shows that Mendelssohn's symphony contains one of the best and most subtle examples of cyclic form among nineteenth-century instrumental compositions. Since this symphony is a familiar work, a detailed movement-by-movement analysis is not necessary for readers of this journal. An examination of the themes of the symphony will disclose that virtually all of them are derived from two basic ideas, which the author have reduced to the abstract series of pitches designated as motive X and motive Y. Motive X is the main motive, and it is in turn subdivided into two interlocking segments, a and b. Segment a, which is stated at the very beginning of the symphony, appears in all several movements. Motive Y is shorter and is subjected to numerous permutations in the course of the symphony. Thematic relationships are not the only elements which provide unity in the "Scottish" symphony.
