Organ Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 65 No. 3
by Felix Mendelssohn
The six Organ Sonatas Op. 65, published posthumously in 1845 and composed largely in response to a commission from the English publisher Coventry & Hollier, represent Mendelssohn's major contribution to the Romantic organ repertoire and the most significant organ works composed between Bach and Brahms. The Third Sonata in A major is the most formally concentrated of the six: its two movements — a lyrical Con moto maestoso and a fugal Andante tranquillo — demonstrate Mendelssohn's mastery of both the singing Romantic style and the Bachian counterpoint he revered above all. The chorale-based character of the first movement and the contrapuntal rigour of the fugue make this the most pedagogically useful of the six sonatas, and it appears frequently on conservatory examinations and international organ competitions.
Editions
Breitkopf & Härtel
Julius Rietz, 1874
Edition from the early Mendelssohn complete works, long the standard reference text; based on the first edition and composer's manuscripts.
Bärenreiter
Wm. A. Little, 1997
New critical edition from the Neue Mendelssohn Ausgabe; incorporates all surviving sources and is now the preferred scholarly and performing text.
Novello
John E. West, 1898
Practical English edition that established the sonatas in British organ pedagogy; historically significant for the development of the English organ recital tradition.