He was a German composer, pianist, musical conductor, and teacher, one of the most-celebrated figures of the early Romantic period. Who is he you might wonder? He is Felix Mendelssohn, who was born on February 3, 1809, in Hamburg, Germany.
Mendelssohn largely observed Classical models and practices while initiating key aspects of Romanticism—the artistic movement that elevated feelings and the imagination above rigid forms and traditions.
His parents were both Jewish, in which they were Abraham and Lea Salomon Mendelssohn, who taught him his first piano lessons. Although in 1811 he moved to Berlin because the French have occupied Hamburg so they were forced to move. There he studied the piano with Ludwig Berger and studied composition with Carl Friedrich Zelter, who majorly influenced Mendelssohn's development. Being taught literature and landscape painting lead to Mendelssohn's mind being cultivated, in other words, he was well educated. He had a broad knowledge of arts as he was stimulated by learning. He even traveled to Paris with his sister, in which he took more piano lessons leading to his acquaintance with the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
He became quite advanced in composing music, as he composed a variety of them at such a young age, varying from operas to symphonies for concerti, sonatas, and even for string orchestra. His first performance was in 1818 in Berlin, Mendelssohn was only nine at the time. Could you believe that?! His works were preserved in manuscripts in the Prussian State Libray in Berlin, although it is said they were lost in World War II.
Some of his most known works include:
1. Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
3. Symphony No. 3 in A Minor Op. 56. The Scottish. 1842
4. Symphony No. 4, in A Major Op. 90. The Italian. 1833
5.Violin Concerto in E minor Op. 64. 1845.
He died on November 4, 1847, in Leipzig, Germany.
If you are interested in learning more about Mendelssohn click on this link:
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Felix-Mendelssohn