Who Was Felix Mendelssohn?
Felix Mendelssohn – The German Famous Composer at 9 years old made his public debut. He joined the Berliner Singakademie, and in 1819 he started composing nonstop. In addition to composing at Sing Akademie, he also does conducting on the side. The Leipzig Conservatory of Music was founded by this great German composer in 1843.
Childhood
Felix Mendelssohn – A Conductor, Pianist, and Composer – was born in Hamburg Germany, on February 3, 1809. Before his birth, his parents who were originally Jewish converted to Christianity. He moved to Berlin at 2 years old with both his parents and siblings. After settling down in Berlin, he started taking piano lessons with his teacher Ludwig Berger. As a child, he was privileged to study composition under composer K.F Zelter. He further widens his horizon when in 1817, he studied under pianist Marie Bigot when he had an extended stay in Paris.
He was able to compose a good number of operas and 11 symphonies making his public debut in Berlin at 9 years old.
His Early Work
He wrote a series of musical formats in 1820 alone which included a two-piano sonata, a violin sonata, multiple songs, a brief opera, a cantata, and a male quartet. Mendelssohn produced one of his excellent and famous works in 1826, Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream. The only opera he was able to perform during his lifetime was “The marriage of the Camacho”.
As a conductor, Mendelssohn also conducted a performance in 1829. The performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion brought him great opportunities including the privilege to conduct the London philharmonic society. It took more than a decade for him to compose the symphony no 3. In 1830, he wrote the reformation symphony, which was followed by a 3-year European tour.
During this period, his first books of songs were published called ” Songs without Words” and the Italian Symphony. He was granted an Incredible role in 1835 – Conductor of The Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig.
Personal life
Mendelssohn and Cecile Jean Renaud met in 1836 in Frankfurt. They got married on March 28, 1837, which led to the birth of five children.
Later Work
Mendelssohn wrote his Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor the year he got married. He labored on his Violin Concerto in E Minor from 1838 to 1844. Mendelssohn created the Leipzig Conservatory of Music and served as its director before the composition was finished. By doing this, he established Leipzig as Germany’s musical hub. Mendelssohn led a series of concerts at the Philharmonic after completing Violin Concerto in E Minor. He performed his recently completed Elijah at the Birmingham Festival in 1846.
Final Years and Death
Fanny, Mendelssohn’s sister, who had always been an inspiration to him, passed away unexpectedly in May 1847. He was so distraught by her passing that he quickly lost his sense of purpose. His already weakened health from his demanding profession quickly got worse. Felix Mendelssohn passed away in Leipzig, Germany, on November 4, 1847, because of a ruptured blood vessel, six months later. He had just returned from a brief trip to Switzerland, where he finished writing his String Quartet in F Minor, he had just returned.
Mendelssohn successfully established himself as one of the first great Romantic composers of the 1800s despite being just 38 years old when he passed away.