Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20: The Beauty of Coming Together
A memorable meal is rarely about one ingredient alone. Different flavors come together, each bringing its own character and contributing to something richer than any one ingredient could create on its own.
Music can work in much the same way. Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20, composed when he was just sixteen, brings eight string players together in a remarkable musical conversation.
The work is full of youthful energy, clarity, and lively interplay among its eight voices. The first movement captures this especially well, with musical ideas passing naturally from one instrument to another. Sometimes one voice leads; at other moments, the melody is shared across the ensemble.
Each musician has a distinct role, yet the music comes alive through their ability to listen and respond to one another.
The Secret of a Good Dish
Think of a simple combination of tomatoes, olive oil, basil, garlic, and salt. Each brings its own flavor, and their differences are what make the dish work. A good dish, like a good ensemble, depends on balance rather than uniformity.
Cooking also reminds us why balance matters. Too much salt or a strong spice can overwhelm the other flavors, just as one voice can dominate an ensemble. The beauty comes when each part has room to be heard while still contributing to the whole.
Beyond Music and Cooking
The same idea reaches beyond the kitchen and the concert hall. We often think of unity as becoming alike, but a good ensemble shows us another possibility: we can remain different while still creating something meaningful together.
The musicians do not erase their individual voices; they learn how to work together. In the same way, meaningful gatherings bring together people with different experiences, stories, and perspectives. Coming together does not require becoming the same; it means making room for different voices to belong together.
What Music and Cooking Have Been Teaching Us
As we reach the end of this series, togetherness feels like a fitting place to finish. Throughout the series, we have explored rhythm, improvisation, waiting, harmony, simplicity, and the surprises that can transform the familiar. Now, we return to the beauty of different things coming together.
Perhaps this is what music and cooking have been teaching us all along: beauty is rarely created by one ingredient, one voice, or one person alone. It emerges when different things contribute something unique to the whole.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
A good meal brings people to the table. A good piece of music reminds us why it is worth being there together.
Read previous: “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”: Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and the Secret Ingredient
