Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • 2 days ago
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
**Born:** February 3, 1809, Hamburg, Germany
**Died:** November 4, 1847, Leipzig, Germany (aged 38)
**Era:** Early Romantic Period

**Key Details:**

1. **Family & Background:**
* Grandson of renowned Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn.
* Born into a wealthy, cultured, and converted Protestant family (added "Bartholdy" to surname after baptism).
* Sister Fanny Mendelssohn was also a highly talented composer and pianist.

2. **Child Prodigy:**
* Displayed extraordinary musical talent from a very early age.
* Began piano lessons with his mother at 6, composition with Carl Friedrich Zelter soon after.
* Gave his first public concert at age 9.
* Composed prolifically as a child/teenager, including symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music.

3. **Education & Influences:**
* Received a broad humanist education (languages, literature, art, philosophy).
* Deeply influenced by J.S. Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven.
* Met Goethe several times as a boy, greatly impressing the poet.

4. **Major Contributions:**
* **Revival of Bach:** His 1829 Berlin performance of Bach's *St. Matthew Passion* (at age 20) sparked a major revival of interest in Bach's music.
* **Conductor & Performer:** A pioneering and influential conductor, raising performance standards. Also a renowned pianist and organist.
* **Composer:** Prolific across genres:
* **Orchestral:** 5 Symphonies (No. 3 "Scottish", No. 4 "Italian", No. 5 "Reformation"), *Hebrides Overture* ("Fingal's Cave"), *A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture* (written at 17).
* **Concertos:** Violin Concerto in E minor (one of the most popular ever), Piano Concertos.
* **Chamber Music:** String Quartets (Op. 44, Op. 80), Octet for Strings (written at 16), Piano Trios (No. 1 in D minor).
* **Choral:** Oratorios *St. Paul* and *Elijah*, numerous sacred works (motets, psalms).
* **Piano:** *Songs Without Words* (8 sets), Variations sérieuses.
* **Incidental Music:** *A Midsummer Night's Dream* (including the famous "Wedding March").
* **Educator:** Played a key role in founding the Leipzig Conservatory (1843), one of Germany's first.

5. **Style:**
* Blended Classical forms (learned from Bach, Mozart, Beethoven) with Romantic lyricism, expressiveness, and programmatic elements.
* Known for clarity, elegance, formal balance, brilliant orchestration, and memorable melodies.
* Often evokes nature, landscapes, and literary sources.

6. **Significant Roles:**
* Music Director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig (1835-1847), transforming it into one of Europe's finest.
* Held positions in Düsseldorf and Berlin.


Category

🎵
Music
Transcript
00:00To be continued...

Recommended