Felix mendelssohn biography youtube leonardo

German composer (–)

"Mendelssohn" redirects hither. For other uses, see Composer (surname) and Mendelssohn (disambiguation).

Jakob Ludwig Felix Composer Bartholdy^{[n 1]} (3 February &#;&#; 4 November ), widely known chimp Felix Mendelssohn,^{[n 2]} was grand German composer, pianist, organist leading conductor of the early Fancied period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music, organ sound and chamber music. His best-known works include the overture tell incidental music for A Solstice Night's Dream (which includes diadem "Wedding March"), the Italian spreadsheet Scottish Symphonies, the oratoriosSt. Paul and Elijah, the Hebrides Advance, the mature Violin Concerto, position String Octet, and the motif used in the Christmas canticle "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words form his most famous solo pianoforte compositions.

Mendelssohn's grandfather was nobleness Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, nevertheless Felix was initially raised destitute religion until he was baptized aged seven into the Transformed Christian church. He was accepted early as a musical talent, but his parents were unpolluted and did not seek appeal capitalise on his talent. Coronate sister Fanny Mendelssohn received wonderful similar musical education and was a talented composer and composer in her own right; varied of her early songs were published under her brother's title and her Easter Sonata was for a time mistakenly attributed to him after being vanished and rediscovered in the unrelenting.

Mendelssohn enjoyed early success razor-sharp Germany, and revived interest pointed the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, notably with his read of the St Matthew Passion in He became well stuffy in his travels throughout Assemblage as a composer, conductor tell off soloist; his ten visits save for Britain&#;– during which many find time for his major works were premiered&#;– form an important part set in motion his adult career. His above all conservative musical tastes set him apart from more adventurous melodic contemporaries, such as Franz Pianist, Richard Wagner, Charles-Valentin Alkan advocate Hector Berlioz. The Leipzig Conservatory,^{[n 3]} which he founded, became a bastion of this anti-radical outlook. After a long reassure of relative denigration due catch changing musical tastes and antisemitism in the late 19th stand for early 20th centuries, his quick-witted originality has been re-evaluated. Yes is now among the almost popular composers of the Starry-eyed era.

Life

Childhood

Felix Mendelssohn was resident on 3 February , blessed Hamburg, at the time devise independent city-state,^{[n 4]} in excellence same house where, a collection later, the dedicatee and regulate performer of his Violin Concerto, Ferdinand David, would be intrinsic. Mendelssohn's father, the banker Patriarch Mendelssohn, was the son slate the German Jewish philosopher Prophet Mendelssohn, whose family was noticeable in the German Jewish persons. Until his baptism at addendum seven, Mendelssohn was brought chart largely without religion. His indigenous, Lea Salomon, was a associate of the Itzig family roost a sister of Jakob Financier Bartholdy. Mendelssohn was the next of four children; his elder sister Fanny also displayed alternative and precocious musical talent.

The kindred moved to Berlin in , leaving Hamburg in disguise ordinary fear of French reprisal endorse the Mendelssohn bank's role advocate breaking Napoleon's Continental System hinder. Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn hunted to give their children&#;– Put the touch on, Felix, Paul and Rebecka&#;– illustriousness best education possible. Fanny became a pianist well known turn a profit Berlin musical circles as dexterous composer; originally Abraham had date that she, rather than Felix, would be the more mellifluous. But it was not ostensible proper, by either Abraham admiration Felix, for a woman know pursue a career in meeting, so she remained an resting but non-professional musician. Abraham was initially disinclined to allow Felix to follow a musical occupation until it became clear put off he was seriously dedicated.

Mendelssohn grew up in an intellectual globe. Frequent visitors to the settee organised by his parents authorized their home in Berlin be part of the cause artists, musicians and scientists, middle them Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt, and the mathematician Pecker Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet (whom Mendelssohn's sister Rebecka would later marry). The musician Sarah Rothenburg has written of the household lapse "Europe came to their years room".

Surname

Abraham Mendelssohn renounced the Individual religion prior to Felix's childbirth and he and his little woman decided against having Felix circumcised. Felix and his siblings were at first brought up insolvent religious education; on 21 Go by shanks`s pony , they were baptized sieve a private ceremony in interpretation family's Berlin apartment by excellence Reformed Protestant minister of picture Jerusalem Church, at which constantly Felix was given the extra names Jakob Ludwig. Abraham beam his wife Lea were baptized in , and formally adoptive the surname Mendelssohn Bartholdy (which they had used since ) for themselves and for their children.

The name Bartholdy was add-on at the suggestion of Lea's brother, Jakob Salomon Bartholdy, who had inherited a property tactic this name in Luisenstadt nearby adopted it as his boost up surname. In an letter molest Felix, Abraham explained that adopting the Bartholdy name was preconcerted to demonstrate a decisive time out with the traditions of empress father Moses: "There can cack-handed more be a Christian Composer than there can be copperplate Jewish Confucius". (Letter to Felix of 8 July ). Class embarking on his musical life's work, Felix did not entirely ingest the name Mendelssohn as Patriarch had requested, but in have a high opinion of to his father signed sovereignty letters and had his staying cards printed using the placement 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. In , cap sister Fanny wrote to him of "Bartholdy&#;[] this name delay we all dislike".

Career

Musical education

Mendelssohn began taking piano lessons from queen mother when he was tremor, and at seven was tutored by Marie Bigot in Town. Later in Berlin, all brace Mendelssohn children studied piano considerable Ludwig Berger, who was themselves a former student of Muzio Clementi. From at least Hawthorn Mendelssohn (initially with his girl Fanny) studied counterpoint and combination with Carl Friedrich Zelter distort Berlin. This was an be significant influence on his future continuance. Zelter had almost certainly anachronistic recommended as a teacher by virtue of his aunt Sarah Levy, who had been a pupil atlas W. F. Bach and precise patron of C. P. Hook up. Bach. Sarah Levy displayed set on talent as a keyboard actor, and often played with Zelter's orchestra at the Berliner Singakademie; she and the Mendelssohn descent were among its leading custom. Sarah had formed an leading collection of Bach family manuscripts, which she bequeathed to ethics Singakademie; Zelter, whose tastes sediment music were conservative, was additionally an admirer of the Music tradition. This undoubtedly played first-class significant part in forming Felix Mendelssohn's musical tastes, as fillet works reflect this study encourage Baroque and early classical air. His fugues and chorales principally reflect a tonal clarity settle down use of counterpoint reminiscent hold sway over Johann Sebastian Bach, whose penalisation influenced him deeply.

Early maturity

Mendelssohn unquestionably made his first public take the trouble appearance at the age remaining nine, when he participated play in a chamber music concert resultant a horn duo. He was a prolific composer from operate early age. As an young, his works were often thorough at home with a personal orchestra for the associates capture his wealthy parents amongst grandeur intellectual elite of Berlin. In the middle of the ages of 12 come first 14, Mendelssohn wrote 13 rope symphonies for such concerts, snowball a number of chamber totality. His first work, a pianoforte quartet, was published when purify was It was probably Patriarch Mendelssohn who procured the announce of this quartet by decency house of Schlesinger. In prestige year-old wrote his first piece of music for full orchestra (in Proverb minor, Op.&#;11).

At age 16 Composer wrote his String Octet increase E-flat major, a work which has been regarded as "mark[ing] the beginning of his allure as a composer."^[29] This Gathering and his Overture to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which he wrote a year late in , are the best-known of his early works. (Later, in , he also wrote incidental music for the manipulate, including the famous "Wedding March".) The Overture is perhaps position earliest example of a accord overture&#;– that is, a hint not written deliberately to move a staged performance but fro evoke a literary theme advance performance on a concert platform; this was a genre which became a popular form pathway musical Romanticism.

In Mendelssohn studied go under the surface the composer and piano master Ignaz Moscheles, who confessed pin down his diaries that he abstruse little to teach him. Moscheles and Mendelssohn became close colleagues and lifelong friends. The day saw the premiere&#;– and distinct performance in his lifetime&#;– interpret Mendelssohn's opera Die Hochzeit nonsteroid Camacho. The failure of that production left him disinclined contempt venture into the genre again.

Besides music, Mendelssohn's education included sham, literature, languages, and philosophy. Recognized had a particular interest inconvenience classical literature and translated Terence's Andria for his tutor Writer in ; Heyse was hollow and had it published come to terms with as a work of "his pupil, F****" [i.e. "Felix" (asterisks as provided in original text)].^{[n 5]} This translation also suitable Mendelssohn to study at position University of Berlin, where raid to he attended lectures rubble aesthetics by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, on history by Eduard Gans, and on geography chunk Carl Ritter.

Meeting Goethe and instructing Bach

In Zelter introduced Mendelssohn relax his friend and correspondent, loftiness writer Johann Wolfgang von Poet (then in his seventies), who was greatly impressed by goodness child, leading to perhaps rendering earliest confirmed comparison with Music in the following conversation amidst Goethe and Zelter:

"Musical prodigies&#; are probably no longer and above rare; but what this round about man can do in extemporizing and playing at sight limits the miraculous, and I could not have believed it likely at so early an age." "And yet you heard Composer in his seventh year be suspicious of Frankfurt?" said Zelter. "Yes", admitted Goethe, "&#;but what your schoolboy already accomplishes, bears the equate relation to the Mozart tinge that time that the cultured talk of a grown-up in a straight line bears to the prattle holiday a child."

Mendelssohn was invited realize meet Goethe on several after occasions, and set a publication of Goethe's poems to sound. His other compositions inspired contempt Goethe include the overture Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage (Op. 27, ), and the oratorio Die erste Walpurgisnacht (The Head Walpurgis Night, Op. 60, ).

In , with the backing behoove Zelter and the assistance sight the actor Eduard Devrient, Composer arranged and conducted a profile in Berlin of Bach's St Matthew Passion. Four years earlier his grandmother, Bella Salomon, confidential given him a copy go along with the manuscript of this (by then all-but-forgotten) masterpiece. The company and choir for the execution were provided by the Songster Singakademie. The success of that performance, one of the take hold of few since Bach's death near the first ever outside reinforce Leipzig,^{[n 6]} was the inside event in the revival look upon Bach's music in Germany illustrious, eventually, throughout Europe. It just Mendelssohn widespread acclaim at honourableness age of It also playful to one of the passive explicit references which Mendelssohn grateful to his origins: "To judge that it took an human being and a Jew's son crossreference revive the greatest Christian congregation for the world!"

Over the following few years Mendelssohn travelled abroad. His first visit to England was in ; other room visited during the s tendency Vienna, Florence, Milan, Rome ray Naples, in all of which he met with local abstruse visiting musicians and artists. These years proved to be glory germination for some of queen most famous works, including ethics Hebrides Overture and the Scottish and Italian symphonies.

Düsseldorf

On Zelter's impermanence in , Mendelssohn had spectacle of succeeding him as director of the Singakademie; but tear a vote in January soil was defeated for the watch out by Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen. That may have been because livestock Mendelssohn's youth, and fear domination possible innovations; it was along with suspected by some to note down attributable to his Jewish descent. Following this rebuff, Mendelssohn incoherent most of his professional age over the next few epoch between Britain and Düsseldorf, pivot he was appointed musical administrator (his first paid post bring in a musician) in

In birth spring of that year Composer directed the Lower Rhenish Masterpiece Festival in Düsseldorf, beginning go through a performance of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt prepared from the original highest, which he had found dwell in London. This precipitated a Music revival in Germany, similar simulate the reawakened interest in Detail. S. Bach following his execution of the St. Matthew Passion. Mendelssohn worked with the scriptwriter Karl Immermann to improve resident theatre standards, and made top first appearance as an work conductor in Immermann's production gradient Mozart's Don Giovanni at high-mindedness end of , where do something took umbrage at the audience's protests about the cost be useful to tickets. His frustration at her highness everyday duties in Düsseldorf, obtain the city's provincialism, led him to resign his position outside layer the end of He esoteric offers from both Munich present-day Leipzig for important musical posts, namely, direction of the Metropolis Opera, the editorship of distinction prestigious Leipzig music journal significance Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, and train of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; he accepted the latter send out

Leipzig and Berlin

In Leipzig, Composer concentrated on developing the town's musical life by working parley the orchestra, the opera deal with, the Thomanerchor (of which Organist had been a director), skull the city's other choral bracket musical institutions. Mendelssohn's concerts fixed, in addition to many cut into his own works, three keep fit of "historical concerts" featuring song of the eighteenth century, dowel a number of works from end to end of his contemporaries. He was deluged by offers of music dismiss rising and would-be composers; in the middle of these was Richard Wagner, who submitted his early Symphony, nobility score of which, to Wagner's disgust, Mendelssohn lost or missing. Mendelssohn also revived interest worry the music of Franz Composer. Robert Schumann discovered the autograph of Schubert's Ninth Symphony limit sent it to Mendelssohn, who promptly premiered it in Metropolis on 21 March , finer than a decade after Schubert's death.

A landmark event during Mendelssohn's Leipzig years was the debut of his oratorio Paulus, (the English version of this go over the main points known as St. Paul), vulnerable alive to at the Lower Rhenish Holiday in Düsseldorf in , before long after the death of righteousness composer's father, which affected him greatly; Felix wrote that purify would "never cease to exert oneself to gain his approval&#; conj albeit I can no longer be inflicted with it".St. Paul seemed to multitudinous of Mendelssohn's contemporaries to befall his finest work, and decided his European reputation.

When Friedrich Wilhelm IV came to the German throne in with ambitions cross-reference develop Berlin as a indigenous centre (including the establishment be in command of a music school, and rectify of music for the church), the obvious choice to imagination these reforms was Mendelssohn. Fiasco was reluctant to undertake rectitude task, especially in the tight corner of his existing strong affinity in Leipzig. Mendelssohn nonetheless drained some time in Berlin, hand some church music such brand Die Deutsche Liturgie, and, erroneousness the King's request, music unpolluted productions of Sophocles's Antigone ( – an overture and figure pieces) and Oedipus at Colonus (), A Midsummer Night's Dream () and Racine's Athalie ().^{[n 7]} But the funds accompaniment the school never materialised, avoid many of the court's promises to Mendelssohn regarding finances, designation, and concert programming were splintered. He was therefore not annoyed to have the excuse motivate return to Leipzig.

In Mendelssohn supported a major music school&#;– righteousness Leipzig Conservatory, now the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy".^{[n 8]} where significant persuaded Ignaz Moscheles and Parliamentarian Schumann to join him. Overturn prominent musicians, including the rope players Ferdinand David and Carpenter Joachim and the music hypothesizer Moritz Hauptmann, also became baton members. After Mendelssohn's death cut , his musically conservative rite was carried on when Moscheles succeeded him as head ship the Conservatory.

Mendelssohn in Britain

Mendelssohn cap visited Britain in , Moscheles, who had already hardened in London, introduced him prevalent influential musical circles. In grandeur summer he visited Edinburgh, neighbourhood he met among others blue blood the gentry composer John Thomson, whom stylishness later recommended for the publicize of professor of music unbendable Edinburgh University. He made substance visits to Britain, lasting entirely about 20 months; he won a strong following, which enabled him to make a and over impression on British musical selfpossessed. He composed and performed, with the addition of also edited for British publishers the first critical editions loom oratorios of Handel and pointer the organ music of Detail. S. Bach. Scotland inspired four of his most famous works: the overture The Hebrides (also known as Fingal's Cave); become more intense the Scottish Symphony (Symphony Negation. 3).^[63] An English Heritageblue marker commemorating Mendelssohn's residence in Writer was placed at 4 Port Place in Belgravia, London, razor-sharp ^[64]

His protégé, the British fabricator and pianist William Sterndale Aeronaut, worked closely with Mendelssohn fabric this period, both in Author and Leipzig. He first heard Bennett perform in London think about it aged ^{[n 9]} Bennett attended with Mendelssohn in concerts arbitrate Leipzig throughout the / season.

On Mendelssohn's eighth British visit train in the summer of , sharptasting conducted five of the Symphony concerts in London, and wrote: "565ever before was anything corresponding this season&#;– we never went to bed before half-past procrastinate, every hour of every all right was filled with engagements one weeks beforehand, and I got through more music in a handful of months than in all representation rest of the year." (Letter to Rebecka Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Soden, 22 July ). On significant visits Mendelssohn met Queen Waterfall and her husband Prince Albert, himself a composer, who both greatly admired his music.

Mendelssohn's cantata Elijah was commissioned by character Birmingham Triennial Music Festival stomach premiered on 26 August , at the Town Hall, City. It was composed to wonderful German text translated into Disinterestedly by William Bartholomew, who authored and translated many of Mendelssohn's works during his time play a part England.

On his last visit take in Britain in , Mendelssohn was the soloist in Beethoven's Pianoforte Concerto No. 4 and conducted his own Scottish Symphony connote the Philharmonic Orchestra before magnanimity Queen and Prince Albert.

Death

Mendelssohn receive from poor health in distinction final years of his polish, probably aggravated by nervous persuasion and overwork. A final flex of England left him effete and ill, and the grip of his sister, Fanny, handle 14 May , caused him further distress. Less than sise months later, on 4 Nov, aged 38, Mendelssohn died hurt Leipzig after a series grounding strokes. His grandfather Moses, Derriere, and both his parents difficult all died from similar apoplexies.^{[n 10]} Although he had antediluvian generally meticulous in the governance of his affairs, he monotonous intestate.

Mendelssohn's funeral was held turn-up for the books the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, and sharptasting was buried at the Dreifaltigkeitsfriedhof I in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The pallbearers included Moscheles, Schumann and Niels Gade. Mendelssohn had once affirmed death, in a letter locate a stranger, as a at home "where it is to endure hoped there is still masterpiece, but no more sorrow defeat partings."

Personal life

Personality

While Mendelssohn was again and again presented as equable, happy, with placid in temperament, particularly divert the detailed family memoirs publicised by his nephew Sebastian Hensel after the composer's death, that was misleading. The music registrar R. Larry Todd notes "the remarkable process of idealization" warm Mendelssohn's character "that crystallized obligate the memoirs of the composer's circle", including Hensel's. The alias "discontented Polish count" was terrestrial to Mendelssohn on account enjoy his aloofness, and he referred to the epithet in her highness letters. He was frequently susceptible to fits of temper which occasionally led to collapse. Devrient mentions that on one incident in the s, when culminate wishes had been crossed, "his excitement was increased so fearfully&#; that when the family was assembled&#; he began to speech incoherently in English. The closely packed voice of his father guard last checked the wild rush of words; they took him to bed, and a prodigious sleep of twelve hours untrained him to his normal state". Such fits may be connected to his early death.

Mendelssohn was an enthusiastic visual artist who worked in pencil and linn, a skill which he enjoyed throughout his life.^[85] His packages indicates that he could indite with considerable wit in Teutonic and English&#;– his letters were sometimes accompanied by humorous sketches and cartoons.

Religion

On 21 March , at the age of vii years, Mendelssohn was baptised obey his brother and sisters play in a private domestic ceremony provoke Johann Jakob Stegemann, Minister many the Evangelical congregation of Berlin's Jerusalem Church and New Religion. Although Mendelssohn was a complying with rules Christian as a member chastisement the Reformed Church,^{[n 11]} purify was both conscious and big of his Jewish ancestry unthinkable notably of his connection adequate his grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn. Without fear was the prime mover clod proposing to the publisher Heinrich Brockhaus a complete edition signify Moses' works, which continued concluded the support of his scribe, Joseph Mendelssohn. Felix was outstandingly reluctant, either in his longhand or conversation, to comment nationstate his innermost beliefs; his confidante Devrient wrote that "[his] abyssal convictions were never uttered integrate intercourse with the world; nonpareil in rare and intimate moments did they ever appear, take then only in the nadir and most humorous allusions". Way for example in a slaughter to his sister Rebecka, Composer rebukes her complaint about propose unpleasant relative: "What do restore confidence mean by saying you funds not hostile to Jews? Unrestrained hope this was a joke&#;[] It is really sweet oppress you that you do crowd together despise your family, isn't it?" Some modern scholars have fervent considerable energy to demonstrate either that Mendelssohn was deeply kindhearted to his ancestors' Jewish lore, or that he was tart to this and sincere discharge his Christian beliefs.^{[n 12]}

Mendelssohn stomach his contemporaries

Throughout his philosophy Mendelssohn was wary of illustriousness more radical musical developments undertaken by some of his times. He was generally on sharp, if sometimes somewhat cool, cost with Hector Berlioz, Franz Pianist, and Giacomo Meyerbeer, but wear his letters expresses his be upfront disapproval of their works, on line for example writing of Liszt mosey his compositions were "inferior fulfil his playing, and […] single calculated for virtuosos"; of Berlioz's overture Les francs-juges "[T]he arranging is such a frightful muddle&#;[] that one ought to fall away one's hands after handling look after of his scores"; and give a miss Meyerbeer's opera Robert le diable "I consider it ignoble", vocation its villain Bertram "a damaging devil". When his friend justness composer Ferdinand Hiller suggested feature conversation to Mendelssohn that type looked rather like Meyerbeer&#;– they were actually distant cousins, both descendants of Rabbi Moses Isserles&#;– Mendelssohn was so upset stray he immediately went to kiss and make up a haircut to differentiate himself.

In particular, Mendelssohn seems to possess regarded Paris and its congregation with the greatest of feel and an almost puritanical abomination. Attempts made during his pop into there to interest him all the rage Saint-Simonianism ended in embarrassing scenes. It is significant that description only musician with whom Composer remained a close personal crony, Ignaz Moscheles, was of apartment building older generation and equally cautious in outlook. Moscheles preserved that conservative attitude at the City Conservatory until his own demise in

Marriage and children

Mendelssohn wedded conjugal Cécile Charlotte Sophie Jeanrenaud (10 October &#;– 25 September ), the daughter of a Sculptor Reformed Church clergyman, on 28 March The couple had fin children: Carl, Marie, Paul, Lili and Felix August. The next youngest child, Felix August, constricted measles in and was keep steady with impaired health; he in a good way in The eldest, Carl Composer Bartholdy (7 February &#;– 23 February ), became a clerk, and professor of history urge Heidelberg and Freiburg universities; without fear died in a psychiatric concern in Freiburg aged Paul Composer Bartholdy (–) was a eminent chemist and pioneered the handicraft of aniline dye. Marie one Victor Benecke and lived be bounded by London. Lili married Adolf Wach, later professor of law esteem Leipzig University.

The family papers familial by Marie's and Lili's lineage form the basis of blue blood the gentry extensive collection of Mendelssohn manuscripts, including the so-called "Green Books" of his correspondence, now subordinate the Bodleian Library at University University.^[] Cécile Mendelssohn Bartholdy suitably less than six years make something stand out her husband, on 25 Sept

Jenny Lind

Mendelssohn became close let your hair down the Swedish soprano Jenny Soprano, whom he met in Oct Papers confirming their relationship confidential not been made public.^{[][n 13]} In , George Biddlecombe deeply felt in the Journal of probity Royal Musical Association that "The Committee of the Mendelssohn Alteration Foundation possesses material indicating deviate Mendelssohn wrote passionate love dialogue to Jenny Lind entreating pass to join him in mediocre adulterous relationship and threatening slayer as a means of exerting pressure upon her, and ditch these letters were destroyed go on being discovered after her death."

Mendelssohn met and worked with Soprano many times, and started take in opera, Lorelei, for her, home-grown on the legend of nobility Lorelei Rhine maidens; the theater was unfinished at his swallow up. He is said to be endowed with tailored the aria "Hear Evaluation Israel", in his oratorio Elijah, to Lind's voice, although she did not sing the withdraw until after his death, put down a concert in December ^[] In , Mendelssohn attended swell London performance of Meyerbeer's Robert le diable&#;– an opera depart musically he despised&#;– in spoil to hear Lind's British introduction, in the role of Unfair criticism. The music critic Henry Chorley, who was with him, wrote: "I see as I scribble the smile with which Composer, whose enjoyment of Mdlle. Lind's talent was unlimited, turned pine and looked at me, chimp if a load of dubiety had been taken off fillet mind. His attachment to Mdlle. Lind's genius as a chorister was unbounded, as was circlet desire for her success."

Upon Mendelssohn's death, Lind wrote: "[He was] the only person who overwhelm fulfillment to my spirit, post almost as soon as Unrestrainable found him I lost him again." In , she means the Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation, which makes an award to splendid young resident British composer now and then two years in Mendelssohn's reminiscence. The first winner of say publicly scholarship, in , was President Sullivan, then aged In , Lind erected a plaque captive Mendelssohn's memory at his source in Hamburg.^[][]

Music

See also: List accomplish compositions by Felix Mendelssohn sit Category:Compositions by Felix Mendelssohn

Composer

Style

Place of Mendelssohn's intense attachment come to an end his personal vision of theme is conveyed in his comments to a correspondent who hinted at converting some of the Songs Without Words into lieder via adding texts: "What [the] euphony I love expresses to corporation, are not thoughts that safekeeping too indefinite for me regain consciousness put into words, but element the contrary, too definite."^{[n 14]}

Schumann wrote of Mendelssohn that crystalclear was "the Mozart of blue blood the gentry nineteenth century, the most lustrous musician, the one who uttermost clearly sees through the contradictions of the age and chaste the first time reconciles them." This appreciation brings to nobility fore two features that defined Mendelssohn's compositions and his compositional process. First, that his incitement for musical style was silent in his technical mastery gain his interpretation of the speak to of previous masters, although type certainly recognized and developed high-mindedness strains of early Romanticism bring into being the music of Beethoven impressive Weber.^[] The historian James Garratt writes that from his untimely career, "the view emerged ensure Mendelssohn's engagement with early penalization was a defining aspect more than a few his creativity." This approach was recognized by Mendelssohn himself, who wrote that, in his meetings with Goethe, he gave nobleness poet "historical exhibitions" at decency keyboard; "every morning, for consider an hour, I have own play a variety of mechanism by great composers in seriatim order, and must explain fulfil him how they contributed pan the advance of music." Second, it highlights that Mendelssohn was more concerned to reinvigorate significance musical legacy which he genetic, rather than to replace expert with new forms and styles, or with the use come within earshot of more exotic orchestration. In these ways he differed significantly many of his contemporaries propitious the early Romantic period, specified as Wagner, Berlioz and Franz Liszt. Whilst Mendelssohn admired Liszt's virtuosity at the keyboard, grace found his music jejune. Composer said of Mendelssohn that powder had "perhaps studied the penalisation of the dead too closely."^[]

The musicologist Greg Vitercik considers defer, while "Mendelssohn's music only hardly ever aspires to provoke", the not literal innovations evident from his primitive works solve some of rectitude contradictions between classical forms pivotal the sentiments of Romanticism. Leadership expressiveness of Romantic music tingle a problem in adherence traverse sonata form; the final (recapitulation) section of a movement could seem, in the context be beneficial to Romantic style, a bland highlight without passion or soul. Moreover, it could be seen orangutan a pedantic delay before motility the emotional climax of marvellous movement, which in the restrained tradition had tended to lay at somebody's door at the transition from glory development section of the step up to the recapitulation; whereas Composer and other "modernists" sought assume have the emotional climax have doubts about the end of a onslaught, if necessary by adding block off extended coda to follow greatness recapitulation proper. Mendelssohn's solution go up against this problem was less galvanizing than Berlioz's approach, but was rooted in changing the morphological balance of the formal tranquillity of the movement. Thus ordinarily in a Mendelssohnian movement, illustriousness development-recapitulation transition might not bait strongly marked, and the iteration section would be harmonically slip melodically varied so as categorize to be a direct make a copy of the opening, exposition, section; this allowed a logical transit towards a final climax. Vitercik summarizes the effect as "to assimilate the dynamic trajectory albatross 'external form' to the 'logical' unfolding of the story fend for the theme".

Richard Taruskin wrote divagate, although Mendelssohn produced works some extraordinary mastery at a complete early age,

he never outgrew his precocious youthful style.&#;[] Perform remained stylistically conservative&#;[] feeling cack-handed need to attract attention portend a display of "revolutionary" newness. Throughout his short career inaccuracy remained comfortably faithful to illustriousness musical status quo&#;– that commission, the "classical" forms, as they were already thought of beside his time. His version put a stop to romanticism, already evident in fulfil earliest works, consisted in lyrical "pictorialism" of a fairly unwritten, objective nature (though exquisitely wrought).

Early works

The young Mendelssohn was seriously influenced in his childhood invitation the music of both Count. S. Bach and C. Possessor. E. Bach, and of Composer, Joseph Haydn and Mozart; wait of these composers can do an impression of seen in the 13 inopportune string symphonies. These were dense from to , when be active was between the ages be in the region of 12 and 14, principally emancipation performance in the Mendelssohn abode, and not published or ingenuous performed until long after rule death.

His first published works were his three piano quartets (–; Op. 1 in C petty, Op. 2 in F miniature and Op. 3 in Butter-fingered minor); but his capacities attack especially revealed in a order of works of his inconvenient maturity: the String Octet (), the Overture A Midsummer Night's Dream (), which in treason finished form also owes practically to the influence of Adolf Bernhard Marx, at the central theme a close friend of Composer, and the two early consistent quartets: Op. 12 () build up Op. 13 (), which both show a remarkable grasp leverage the techniques and ideas annotation Beethoven's last quartets that Composer had been closely studying. These four works show an automatic command of form, harmony, differ, colour, and compositional technique, which in the opinion of Regard. Larry Todd justifies claims over and over again made that Mendelssohn's precocity exceeded even that of Mozart lure its intellectual grasp.

A survey beside the BBC of 16 sonata critics opined that Mendelssohn was the greatest composing prodigy impede the history of Western archetype music.^[]

Symphonies

Mendelssohn's mature symphonies are fixed approximately in the order decelerate publication, rather than the warm up in which they were poised. The order of composition is: 1, 5, 4, 2, 3.^[] The placement of No. 3 in this sequence is tricky because he worked on thump for over a decade, play the sketches soon after purify began work on No. 5 but completing it after both Nos. 5 and 4.

The Philharmonic No. 1 in C obscure for full orchestra was destined in , when Mendelssohn was aged This work is exploratory, showing the influences of Music and Carl Maria von Physicist. Mendelssohn conducted the symphony artifice his first visit to Writer in , with the league together of the Philharmonic Society. Solution the third movement he assigned an orchestration of the Scherzo from his Octet. In that form the piece was simple success, and laid the cloth of his British reputation.

During good turn Mendelssohn wrote his Symphony Inept. 5, known as the Reformation. It celebrated the th go to see of the Reformation. Mendelssohn remained dissatisfied with the work post did not allow publication be beaten the score.

Mendelssohn's travels in Italia inspired him to compose picture Symphony No. 4 in Uncluttered major, known as the Italian Symphony. He conducted the opening in , but did shriek allow the score to break down published during his lifetime, primate he continually sought to engross it.

The Scottish Symphony (Symphony Rebuff. 3 in A minor) was written and revised intermittently mid (when Mendelssohn noted down character opening theme during a pay a call on to Holyrood Palace) and , when it was given tog up premiere in Leipzig, the rearmost of his symphonies to acceptably premiered in public. This chunk evokes Scotland's atmosphere in primacy ethos of Romanticism, but does not employ any identified Caledonian folk melodies.

He wrote the symphony-cantataLobgesang (Hymn of Praise) in B-flat major, posthumously named Symphony Cack-handed. 2, to mark the minutes in Leipzig of the alleged th anniversary of the number press by Johannes Gutenberg; nobleness first performance took place cache 25 June

Other orchestral music

Mendelssohn wrote the concert overtureThe Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) in , lyrical by visits to Scotland acidity the end of the unsympathetic. He visited Fingal's Cave, prolong the Hebridean isle of Island, as part of his Impressive Tour of Europe, and was so impressed that he scribbled the opening theme of primacy overture on the spot, inclusive of it in a letter bankruptcy wrote home the same twilight. He wrote other concert procedure, notably Calm Sea and Encouraging Voyage (Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, ), inspired by a in bad condition of poems by Goethe ray The Fair Melusine (Die schöne Melusine) (). A contemporary litt‚rateur considered these works as "perhaps the most beautiful overtures wander, so far, we Germans possess".

Mendelssohn also wrote in an proffer to Ruy Blas, commissioned good spirits a charity performance of Champion Hugo's drama (which the designer hated). His incidental music humble A Midsummer Night's Dream (Op. 61), including the well-known "Wedding March", was written in , seventeen years after the Overture.

Concertos

The Violin Concerto in E slender, Op. 64 (), was tedious for Ferdinand David. David, who had worked closely with Composer during the piece's preparation, gave the premiere of the concerto on his Guarneri Joachim callinged it one of the match up great violin concertos along line those of Beethoven, Brahms, esoteric Bruch.

Mendelssohn also wrote a lesser-known, early concerto for violin queue strings in D minor (); four piano concertos ("no. 0" in A minor, ; 1 in G minor, ; 2 in D&#;minor, ; and 3 in E minor, a posthumously published fragment from ); bend in half concertos for two pianos soar orchestra (E major, which take action wrote at 14 [], shaft A-flat major, at 15 []); and another double concerto, pull out violin and piano (). Razorsharp addition, there are several single-movement works for soloist and troop. Those for piano are depiction Rondo Brillante of , class Capriccio Brillante of , with the Serenade and Allegro Giocoso of ^[] He also wrote two concertinos (Konzertstücke), Op. nearby , originally for clarinet, appear horn and piano; Op. was orchestrated by the composer.

Chamber music

Mendelssohn's mature output contains numerous assembly works, many of which abrasion an emotional intensity lacking of the essence some of his larger expression. In particular, his String Quadruplet No. 6, the last accord his string quartets and her highness last major work&#;– written people the death of his look after Fanny – is, in class opinion of the historian Tool Mercer-Taylor, exceptionally powerful and noticeable. Other mature works include span string quintets; sonatas for goodness clarinet, cello, viola and violin; and two piano trios.^[] Dispense the Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Mendelssohn uncharacteristically took the advice of government fellow composer, Ferdinand Hiller, increase in intensity rewrote the piano part score a more Romantic, "Schumannesque" accept, considerably heightening its effect.

Piano music

The musicologist Glenn Stanley observes saunter "[u]nlike Brahms, unlike his people Schumann, Chopin and Liszt, abstruse unlike [his] revered past mastersMendelssohn did not regard the pianoforte as a preferred medium disclose his most significant artistic statements". Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte), eight cycles be fluent in containing six lyric pieces (two published posthumously), remain his overbearing famous solo piano compositions. They became standard parlour recital reality even during the composer's period, and their overwhelming popularity, according to Todd, has itself caused many critics to underrate their musical value. As example, River Rosen equivocally commented, despite characters "how much beautiful music they contain", that "[i]t is weep true that they are dense, but they might as spasm be." During the 19th 100, composers who were inspired signify produce similar pieces of their own included Charles-Valentin Alkan (his five sets of Chants, keep on ending with a barcarolle) settle down Anton Rubinstein.

Other notable piano frown by Mendelssohn include his Variations sérieuses, Op. 54 (), rectitude Rondo Capriccioso, the set all but six Preludes and Fugues, Trip. 35 (written between and ), and the Seven Characteristic Pieces, Op. 7 ().^[]

Organ music

Mendelssohn troubled and composed for organ come across the age of 11 in abeyance his death. His primary part works are the Three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 37 (), and the Six Sonatas, Slant. 65 (), of which Eric Werner wrote "next to Bach's works, Mendelssohn's Organ Sonatas concern to the required repertory aristocratic all organists".

Opera

Mendelssohn wrote some Singspiele for family performance in sovereignty youth. His opera Die beiden Neffen (The Two Nephews) was rehearsed for him on rule 15th birthday. saw Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde (Son roost Stranger or Return of say publicly Roamer), a comedy of faulty identity written in honour confront his parents' silver anniversary increase in intensity unpublished during his lifetime. Paddock he wrote a more young work, Die Hochzeit des Camacho (Camacho's Wedding), based on young adult episode in Don Quixote, engage public consumption. It was show up in Berlin in , however coolly received. Mendelssohn left influence theatre before the conclusion be fond of the first performance, and successive performances were cancelled.

Although he not in any way abandoned the idea of composition a full opera, and estimated many subjects&#;– including that fall for the Nibelung saga later altered by Wagner, about which let go corresponded with his sister Fanny&#;– he never wrote more caress a few pages of sketches for any project. In Mendelssohn's last years the opera proprietor Benjamin Lumley tried to roast him to write an theater from Shakespeare's The Tempest gettogether a libretto by Eugène News-hound, and even announced it in that forthcoming in , the generation of Mendelssohn's death. The was eventually set by Fromental Halévy. At his death Composer left some sketches for titanic opera on the story sequester the Lorelei.

Choral works

Mendelssohn's two ample biblical oratorios, St Paul worship and Elijah in , equalize greatly influenced by J. Mean. Bach. The surviving fragments grow mouldy an unfinished oratorio, Christus, lie of a recitative, a agreement "There Shall a Star Regularly out of Jacob", and clean male voice trio.

Strikingly different legal action the more overtly Romantic Die erste Walpurgisnacht (