Where words end, music begins

In amongst the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland, Nature has placed one of her greatest marvels, namely Fingal’s Cave, its enormous entrance rising in barren grandeur from the ocean, lined with innumerable fluted columns. Within lies a kind of natural throne imposing enough to suggest the kingly seat of Neptune himself. When a storm is raging, the scene at Fingal's Cave is said to be sublime.

The prolific Scottish writer and poet, Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), described it as "one of the most extraordinary places I ever beheld, baffling all description” and induced Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47) to make a storm-tossed visit there in 1829. The sight and sound of the sea swell tumbling into the Cave made a profound impression on the young 20 year old composer. The theme which he later developed into his ever-popular Hebrides Overture apparently occurred to him on this trip, immortalizing the mystical aura of this curious freak of nature.

The most striking aspect of the music is its otherworldly tone-painting quality. One can hear the haunting breaking of waves, almost see the basalt columns and strange colors, and overall, sense the overwhelming vastness of the cave: