Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, known simply as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) was a German composer of the early Romantic period. He was considered the greatest child prodigy after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Musical influence

As well as orchestral music, Mendelssohn wrote chamber music, including the string octet in 1825, organ sonatas, solo piano music, including the Songs Without Words, and two large oratorios, St. Paul in 1836 and Elijah (or Elias) in 1846. These works, in particular, were greatly influenced by Bach.

Related Topics:
Chamber music - Organ - Piano - Oratorio

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Mendelssohn's music in general has a light, cheerful sound; even in minor keys, the high spirits are never completely suppressed. This is in contrast to the subdued melancholy of Chopin's works, and is reminiscent of Haydn. Like Beethoven and Schubert, Mendelssohn straddles the Classical and Romantic periods, although he is generally considered Romantic. His earliest works were more Classical than Romantic, but Romanticism is clear in his mature works.

Related Topics:
Chopin - Haydn - Beethoven - Schubert

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As well as reviving interest in Bach, Mendelssohn also kept the work of Franz Schubert before the public. It was he who conducted the premiere of Schubert's Ninth Symphony, more than a decade after the composer's death. In all, not including very early (though sometimes still played) works, Mendelssohn wrote five symphonies. He also wrote five piano concertos (three for one piano and two for two pianos), and one famous violin concerto which is often seen as an essential piece for young prodigies to play. He also wrote a less-well known violin concerto, as well as a concerto for piano and violin.

Related Topics:
Schubert's Ninth Symphony - Piano concerto - Violin concerto

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Mendelssohn wrote the concert overture The Hebrides in 1830, otherwise known as Fingal's Cave, a piece which remains popular today. The work was inspired by visits he made to Scotland around the end of the 1820s, though its main theme is now known to have been sketched before this. These visits also inspired his Symphony No 3, The Scottish, which was written intermittently between around 1830 and 1842. Unlike most pieces about nations written in that day, Mendelssohn did not base his Scottish Symphony on Scottish folk tunes, but rather how visiting Scotland made him feel. Mendelssohn travelled widely in Europe throughout his life, and a visit to Italy inspired one of his best known works, the Symphony No 4 in A major, known as the Italian, the final version of which was completed in 1834.

Related Topics:
Scotland - Symphony No 3 - Italy - Symphony No 4

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Mendelssohn wrote his renowned Violin Concerto in E Minor, op. 64, in 1844. This has become one of the most popular of all of Mendelssohn's compositions, and has also acquired a reputation, among violinists, as the "initiation" piece to be played at the start of a concert career. Many violinists have commenced their solo careers with a performance of this concerto. Perhaps most famous among them was Jascha Heifetz, who gave his first public performance of the piece at the age of seven.

Related Topics:
Violin Concerto - Jascha Heifetz

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Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, op. 25 and Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, op. 40 are two more of Mendelssohn's compositions that have accrued great fame over the years. For the first piano concerto, the mighty, thunderous tones of the piano that ring out with the vibrant, powerful sounding orchestra brings a song meant to evoke excitement and thrill within all who listen. The second, more delicate piano concerto, is also very moving and, like its predecessor, brings out strong feelings of exhilaration. Also, this piano concerto, just like its counterpart, sends forth the feeling of a touch of sadness, mingled with relaxing tones, merging into a great work of music.

Related Topics:
Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor - Piano concerto - Orchestra - Music

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In 1842, Mendelssohn wrote incidental music for the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, including the famous Wedding March that is played as the recessional at many weddings. The first time it was used at a wedding was when Dorothy Carew wed Tom Daniel at St Peter?s Church, Tiverton, UK, on 2 June 1847. However it did not become popular at weddings until it was selected by Victoria, The Princess Royal for her marriage to the Crown Prince of Prussia on January 25, 1858. The organ on which the Wedding March was composed is housed in St Ann's Church Tottenham.

Related Topics:
Incidental music - Shakespeare - Play - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Wedding March - 2 June - 1847 - Victoria, The Princess Royal - Prussia - January 25 - 1858 - Tottenham

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