Felix Mendelssohn (photo) (audio)

An important figure of the late romantic era (nineteenth century), Felix Mendelssohm rivived the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and mixed his influence into the

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romantic style. His birth name, Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was given to him when he was born on February 3rd, 1809. As a child, young Felix wrote many compositions and appeared his first public performance in 1818. In 1827, he composed his first acclaimed work - "A Midsummer Night's Dream". In 1829, Mendelssohn tried to promote Bach's music when he conducted his "St. Matthew's Passion" in Berlin. In London, that same year, Mendelssohn conduced Bach's "Symphony in C Minor".

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By 1833, Mendelssohn became music director in Dusseldorf, Germany. In 1835, he was hired as conductor of of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, uplifting its prestige. Mendelssohn work is astonishing, considering his short life.

audio - Mendelssohn's Fingals Cave Overture - Mendelssohn's Venetian Boat Song - Mendelssohn's Symphony #4

Of his works, the "Italian" and "Reformation" symphonies stand out. He also composed one violin concerto, two piano concertos, chamber music and organ music. Moreover, he also created choral masterpieces and the so-called "Songs Without Words", all forty-eight of them.