Role

:

Composer Conductor

Country

:

Germany

Birth

:

February 3, 1809 in Hamburg, Germany

Death

:

November 4, 1847 in Leipzig, Germany

Period

:

Romantic

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Choral

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

 

Symphony

 

Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic era. He was born on February 3, 1809, in Hamburg, Germany, to a wealthy Jewish family. His father, Abraham Mendelssohn, was a banker, and his mother, Lea Salomon, was a talented musician who gave Felix and his siblings a musical education. Mendelssohn showed an early talent for music, and his parents encouraged him to pursue it. He began taking piano lessons at the age of six and started composing music at the age of nine. He also studied violin, viola, and composition with some of the best teachers of his time. In 1816, Mendelssohn's family moved to Berlin, where he continued his musical education. He studied with Carl Friedrich Zelter, a composer and conductor who was a friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Zelter recognized Mendelssohn's talent and became his mentor, introducing him to the works of Bach, Handel, and Mozart. Mendelssohn's first public performance was in 1818, when he played a piano concerto by Mozart with the Berlin Singakademie. He was only nine years old at the time, and his performance was a great success. In 1821, he gave his first public recital, playing his own compositions and works by Beethoven and Mozart. In 1825, Mendelssohn traveled to Paris, where he met some of the leading musicians of the time, including Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz. He also attended performances of the Paris Opera and was impressed by the grandeur and spectacle of the productions. Mendelssohn's first major work was his Octet for Strings, which he composed in 1825 when he was only 16 years old. The Octet is a masterpiece of chamber music, combining the classical style of Mozart and Haydn with the Romantic style of Beethoven and Schubert. The Octet was an instant success and established Mendelssohn as a major composer. In 1829, Mendelssohn conducted the first performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion since Bach's death in 1750. The performance was a great success and helped to revive interest in Bach's music. Mendelssohn's own music was also influenced by Bach, and he became known for his skillful use of counterpoint and fugue. Mendelssohn's most famous work is his Violin Concerto in E minor, which he composed in 1844. The concerto is a virtuosic showcase for the solo violin, with a lyrical and expressive melody that has made it a favorite of audiences and performers alike. The concerto is also notable for its innovative use of the orchestra, with the solo violin often playing against the orchestra rather than with it. Mendelssohn was also a prolific composer of choral music, including his oratorio Elijah, which he composed in 1846. Elijah is a dramatic and powerful work, telling the story of the prophet Elijah from the Old Testament. The oratorio is notable for its use of soloists, chorus, and orchestra, and for its memorable melodies and stirring choruses. Mendelssohn was also a talented pianist and wrote many works for the piano, including his Songs Without Words, a series of short pieces for solo piano that are lyrical and expressive. The Songs Without Words are some of Mendelssohn's most popular works and have been arranged for many different instruments. Mendelssohn was also a conductor and helped to establish the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra as one of the finest orchestras in Europe. He conducted many premieres of his own works and also conducted the works of other composers, including Beethoven, Mozart, and Schumann.

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