Felix Mendelssohn was a German pianist, conductor, and composer who was initially criticized by his contemporaries but is now considered one of the greatest composers of his time. He was a child prodigy and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Despite his parents’ conversion to Lutheranism, his later compositions were often overshadowed by anti-Semitic beliefs. He studied at the University of Berlin and later became a conductor with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He died at the age of 38 and was known for his severe disposition and icy competitiveness. His Wedding March remains popular, and he is now regarded as one of the greatest composers after Mozart.
Felix Mendelssohn was a world-famous 19th-century German pianist, conductor, and composer. Although his work was often coldly received by his contemporaries, he is now regarded as one of the greatest composers of his time. Mendelssohn wrote in a variety of musical forms and is responsible for one of the most famous pieces of music in the classical canon.
Born in 1809 to wealthy Jewish parents in Hamburg, Germany, the young Felix was regarded as a child prodigy at the piano and was often compared to Mozart for his youthful skills. His family’s money enabled him to travel extensively throughout Europe, as well as a first-rate education for Felix and his three siblings. Despite his parents’ conversion to the Lutheran faith, Mendelssohn’s later musical compositions were often dwarfed by the rise of anti-Semitic beliefs across Europe.
At the age of 12, Felix was already an established composer. He became a correspondent of the famous poet Goethe and dedicated his piano quartet in B minor to the elderly writer. Mendelssohn was also fascinated by the works of William Shakespeare and composed an overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Many years later, in 1843, Felix would compose incidental music for the performance that would become one of the world’s most recognizable pieces of classical music, the Wedding March.
The young composer studied at the University of Berlin for three years before traveling to England to perform. He received much attention from the British, even impressing Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. In 1835 he received the position of conductor with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in Germany, and would later establish a music conservatory in the same city. He continued to consistently produce new works, including his famous eight volumes of piano compositions called Songs Without Words.
Unfortunately for the classical music world, Mendelssohn suffered two strokes and died at the age of 38 in 1847, only months after a similar condition killed his favorite sister, Fanny. Although his music was hugely popular, the composer was known for a severe disposition and icy competitiveness with many contemporary composers. Richard Wagner has been particularly cruel in his assessments of him, insulting not only Mendelssohn’s music but also his Jewish background. When the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in the early 20th century, his music was discredited and banned, and a statue of him in Leipzig was torn down.
In his short career he was extraordinarily prolific, creating hundreds of pieces for symphonies, piano, singers and string quartets, as well as one opera. His Wedding March remains one of the most popular wedding processions in Western society, even if it is not usually considered among his best works. Since the late 20th century, the music he has produced has undergone considerable re-evaluation, and some music critics have come to regard Felix Mendelssohn as the greatest composer after Mozart.
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