Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847) - photo 1

Felix Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn (full name Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) was a German composer, pianist, conductor, teacher, and one of the greatest representatives of Romanticism in music.

Felix was born into a Jewish musical family that later converted to Christianity. He received a versatile education and already as a child wrote many musical compositions, including 5 operas, 11 symphonies for string orchestra, concertos, sonatas and fugues. Mendelssohn's first public performance took place in Berlin in 1818, when he was nine years old. In 1821 Mendelssohn was introduced to J.W. von Goethe, for whom he performed works by J.S. Bach and Mozart and to whom he dedicated his Piano Quartet No. 3 in B minor. A friendship developed between the famous wise poet and the 12-year-old musician.

A few years later, the talented musician began conducting in various orchestras in Europe, and became acquainted with Carl Weber. In England, where Mendelssohn visited very often, by the middle of the 19th century his music had become very popular, even with Queen Victoria he was the most favorite composer. He dedicated his Symphony No. 3 in A minor major (Scottish Symphony) to the Queen.

Among Mendelssohn's most famous works are A Midsummer Night's Dream (1826), the Italian Symphony (1833), a violin concerto (1844), two piano concertos (1831, 1837), the oratorio Elijah (1846) and several chamber pieces. The tradition of playing the "Wedding March" from A Midsummer Night's Dream in wedding processions dates back to its performance at the wedding of a royal princess in 1858, already after Mendelssohn's death.

In 1843, Mendelssohn founded a conservatory in Leipzig, where he taught composition with Schumann. Mendelssohn was one of the first great Romantic composers of the nineteenth century.

Date and place of birt:3 february 1809, Hamburg, Germany
Date and place of death:4 november 1847, Leipzig, Germany
Period of activity: XIX century
Specialization:Composer, Educator
Art style:Romanticism

Creators Romanticism

Karl Hoff (1838 - 1890)
Karl Hoff
1838 - 1890
Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (1758 - 1823)
Pierre-Paul Prud’hon
1758 - 1823
Rudolf von Normann (1806 - 1882)
Rudolf von Normann
1806 - 1882
Horace van Ruith (1839 - 1923)
Horace van Ruith
1839 - 1923
Paul Sandby Munn (1773 - 1845)
Paul Sandby Munn
1773 - 1845
Johann Michael Sattler (1786 - 1847)
Johann Michael Sattler
1786 - 1847
Francisco de Goya (1746 - 1828)
Francisco de Goya
1746 - 1828
Vittorio Avondo (1836 - 1910)
Vittorio Avondo
1836 - 1910
Heinrich Ambros Eckert (1807 - 1840)
Heinrich Ambros Eckert
1807 - 1840
Johann Baptist Drechsler (1756 - 1811)
Johann Baptist Drechsler
1756 - 1811
Karoly Marko (1822 - 1891)
Karoly Marko
1822 - 1891
Gustave Wappers (1803 - 1874)
Gustave Wappers
1803 - 1874
Antoine Joseph Wiertz (1806 - 1865)
Antoine Joseph Wiertz
1806 - 1865
Victor Louis Hugues (1827 - 1879)
Victor Louis Hugues
1827 - 1879
Jean Brindesi (1826 - 1888)
Jean Brindesi
1826 - 1888
Henri Guilmard (1849 - ?)
Henri Guilmard
1849 - ?
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