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Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847) Background Felix Mendelssohn (Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) was born in Hamburg in 1809. His father was a wealthy Jewish banker, who converted to Christianity and added Bartholdy to his surname. Felix was raised in Berlin, and began learning piano at an early age. He showed an astonishing musical precocity, giving his first piano recital at age nine, and beginning his compositional career at ten. By the time he was introduced to the 72-year-old poet Goethe at age twelve, he had composed several string symphonies, piano pieces, and songs, as well as two operettas. The young prodigy In 1825, he composed one of his greatest chamber works, the Octet in E flat for four violins, two violas, and two cellos. He composed the overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1826, and in the same year entered Berlin University. Mendelssohn had a great interest in the music of J.S. Bach, and in March 1829 he conducted a performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion, which had been unperformed since Bach's death. The performance started a Bach revival that spread across Europe. Later that year, he embarked on a tour of Britain, where his compositions and performances were met with tremendous enthusiasm. Before leaving Britain, he made a tour of Scotland, whose countryside inspired several works, including the Hebrides Overture (1830) and the Third Symphony, the 'Scottish' (1830-42). |
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The star conductor During the next few years, he travelled extensively throughout Europe. A visit to Italy inspired him to write his Fourth Symphony, the 'Italian' (completed 1833). He was appointed conductor of the Lower Rhine Festival in 1833, and in 1835 became conductor of the famous Leipzing Gewandhaus Orchestra. He married in 1837, became director of the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1841, and in 1843 established the Leipzig Conservatory. He composed many masterpieces during this period, including the oratorio St Paul (1834-6), the Second Piano Concerto (1837), and the Violin Concerto (1844). The star conductor In 1846, he made his ninth visit to Britian, where he conducted the first performance of his oratorio Elijah at the Birmingham Festival. The death of his beloved sister Fanny in 1847 shocked him deeply. Fanny was a brilliant pianist and a fine composer, and Felix's most trusted friend and companion. His despair is powerfully expressed in his F minor String Quartet Op. 80 (1847). The shock of Fanny's death, combined with his ailing health, lead to his death in Leipzig, 1847. The happy face of Romanticism Mendelssohn was a well-rounded intellectual, who could read Greek and Latin, as well as speak fluent German, French, and English. He was also and accomplished painter, whose Swiss landscapes were praised by Richard Wagner. He was one of the most prodigious composers of all time, and was often referred to as the Mozart of the 19th century - indeed, Mendelssohn's adolescent works often surpass those from Mozart's early period in terms of depth and complexity. However, his reputation as the 'genteel genius' of Early Romanticism whose expression was limited to superficial piano miniatures and orchestral works has proved particularly tenacious. Despite these prevailing attitudes, recent revivals have revealed him to be a master of symphonic structure. He utilised many innovative formal devices in his works, including thematic inter-relationships and programmatic associations, and although these are not his own inventions, his use of them is still highly progressive. His music combines a thorough knowledge of the contrapuntal methods of J.S. Bach and Handel with a very Romantic elegance and poetry. Back to top of page |
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