Fugal procedures in the Mendelssohn organ sonatas

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote Six Sonatas for Organ, Opus 65, published in 1845. Fugal procedures are a predominant feature in these sonatas. With the exception of two independent fugues, the Mendelssohn sonatas represent an instance in composition where monothematic-form techniques and multi-thematic form techniques are used within the same movement. An examination of the Mendelssohn sonatas was made in an attempt to discover how Mendelssohn uses fugal procedures in multi-thematic forms. The study reveals that Mendelssohn uses fugal procedures within the context of sonata-allegro form and ternary form. The use of fugal procedures within the sonata-allegro form is represented in the first movement of the First Sonata. Its use in the ternary form is found in the first movement of the Third Sonata and the first and fourth movements of the Fourth Sonata