• Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, musical conductor, and teacher of the early Romantic period, now considered one of the greatest composers of that era.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: February 3, 1809
  2. Died: November 4, 1847 after a series of strokes
  3. Full name: Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
  4. Grandson of philosopher Moses Mendelssohn
  5. Best known for the "Wedding March" from A Midsummer Night's Dream and the melody for "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
  6. Was married and had 5 children
  7. Accomplished watercolor artist

• Life

  Mendelssohn grew up in a learned household in Hamburg and his parents placed high priority on his education. They moved to Berlin in 1812 and began receiving piano lessons from his mother when he was six years old. He picked up the skill quickly, as he was a gifted child prodigy. His first performance was at age nine and had already began writing and composing original music by the time he was 13. Throughout his teenage years he wrote many symphonies and often gave private concerts for associates of his parents. He continued intellectual studies, becoming fluent in numerous languages and becoming a talented painter. In 1835, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra hired him as their conductor and 8 years later he founded the Leipzig Conservatory. His health began to decline not long after that and Mendelssohn died November 4, 1847 after suffering multiple strokes.

• Notable Works

  • 1824: Symphony Number 1
  • 1830: The Hebrides
  • 1836: St Paul
  • 1846: Elijah

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Ludwig van Beethoven | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Franz Schubert | Johann Sebastian Bach | Johannes Brahms | Robert Schumann | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Franz Liszt | George Frideric Handel | Antonio Vivaldi | Pranav Veera

Categories

Would you like to become this page's manager? Mahalo pages can make up to $50 a month.

 

What is this?

View Top Managers

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page