Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix.

to an unidentified composer, who had recently sent him a copy of his Symphony in F minor, giving a frank assessment of its short-comings, and a very detailed report on the alterations he would advise, transcribing the rhythms in three string passages, for the second violins, violas and cellos, warning that they are disjointed and too difficult to play, especially the syncopated passage for the violas, pointing out the repetitive melody in the cello in the slow movement, criticizing the orchestration in the last movement and re-writing one cadential passage completely differently from the composer's original; Mendelssohn concludes by excusing his numerous remarks and expressing the wish to meet soon, since "one can say more about music in half an hour than one can write in ten days"



...Da glaube ich, ist es besser die Sechzehntheil fortgehen zu lassen, ohne Pausen, weil es sonst zu unruhig, auch zu schwer wird. Noch mehr ist dies bei der Stelle (vor Bogen 4) der Fall wo die Celli Achtel haben und die Bratschen syncopiert nachschlagen [rhythmic notation]. das halte ich im schnellen tempo für fast unausführbar...



4 pages, 8vo, with a typescript translation into English, Leipzig, 26 December 1846

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This is an attractive and informative letter about composition, revealing Mendelssohn's practical concern that string writing should not over-extend the capabilities of viola-players.  Mendelssohn did not necessarily practise what he preached: he included a notoriously fearsome passage for violas in the saltarello last movement of his "Italian" Symphony.