German composer, pianist, conductor, founder of the Leipzig Conservatory - the first higher musical institution in Germany. Author of over 90 world-famous works - operas, symphonies, overtures written for piano, organ, violin and orchestra, vocal and choral singing. The man who created the famous hit with whom all newlyweds enter into a life together is Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdi.
Biography and career
Jacob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was born on February 3, 1809 in Hamburg, into a classical Jewish family. The father of the future celebrity was a banker, and his grandfather was the Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. A few years after the birth of little Felix, the family converted to Lutheranism and moved to Berlin.
The boy's childhood was imbued with a creative and intellectual atmosphere. Little Felix often had the opportunity to communicate with the intelligent guests of his parents. The boy was educated by his mother. She attracted several teachers: the composer and music teacher Karl Friedrig Zelter taught music theory, the little composer received practical lessons from Ludwig Berger on piano and Karl Wilhelm Henning (and a little later from Eduard Ritz) on violin. The boy also played excellently on the viola, was fond of mathematics and literature, and was fluent in foreign languages. From the age of 11, Felix studied at the Singing Academy of Berlin.
The first successful performance as a pianist took place in 1818. Further, his vocal debut was added to the pianist's performances. Around the same time, the first works of authorship for violin, piano, organ appeared.
Since 1825, Felix regularly gives Saturday concerts in his own house for several hundred admirers of his talent. At the same time, one after another he writes works that later won worldwide popularity: the two-act opera Camacho's Wedding, the overture to Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, etc. The young composer performs with his operas not only as a musician and vocalist, but also as a conductor.
In 1827, Mendelssohn was disappointed when staging one of his works. Excessive attention and intrigue around "Camacho's Wedding" led to the young composer's refusal to write operas in the future. He began to pay more attention to instrumental music and oratorios.
After the performance of the work "Matthew Passion", somewhat forgotten at that time by the composer JS Bach, Mendelssohn achieved popularity, success and regular tours to London, Scotland, Italy, and then to Paris. There young Felix acts as a conductor and pianist, both with his own works and with the works of other famous composers.
Only the musician's illness was able to interrupt his tour of Europe for a short time - in March 1832, Felix contracted cholera. However, already in April of the same year, Mendelssohn again gave concerts in London, where he performed not only as a musician and conductor, but also as an organist. The musician is offered to build a career, first at the place of the general music director in Dusseldorf, then at the place of the conductor of symphony concerts at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. In the same 1835, Mendelssohn's first concert took place in Leipzig. The performance was an important musical event, as a result of which the University of Leipzig awarded Mendelssohn a PhD in 1836.
In 1840, Felix filed a petition to establish a conservatory in Leipzig - the first higher musical educational institution in Germany, which he headed three years later. There he teaches classes in solo singing, composition and instrumentation. However, the musician does not stop touring.
In 1841, the musician was invited to work for the post of Kapellmeister in Berlin. The king planned to make this city the cultural center of Germany and instructed Mendelssohn to carry out reforms at the Royal Academy of Arts. Unfortunately, the reforms did not bring the expected results, and Felix returned to active performances and tours.
The turning point in the composer's biography was May 1847, when his 42-year-old older sister Fanny died. The shock for the composer was so strong that he canceled concerts and left for Switzerland. He got tired quickly and regularly fainted. In the autumn of the same year, the composer suffered two strokes. The second of them, Mendelssohn did not survive and died the next day.
The composer was respected by the musicians. Many turned to Mendelssohn for help and advice - his opinion was considered indisputable. However, after the death of the composer, controversial articles with criticism followed. On the one hand, the author Richard Wagner recognized the composer's "richest specific talent", on the other hand, he spoke about the similarity of his work with the works of J. S. Bach. Then, in defense of Mendelssohn, P. I. Tchaikovsky made his contribution. The house where the famous composer died turned into a Museum.
Creation
The first works of the composer were: symphony for violin and piano, piano trio, two piano sonatas, a number of organ works. The composer wrote them in the 20s of the 19th century. Mendelssohn was very productive in composing his works. For 27 years of creative activity, Felix wrote 95 compositions that were popular in Europe and in demand by the audience: operas, oratorios, cantatas, orchestral works (symphonies and overtures), concerts for violin / piano with orchestra, chamber and organ compositions, vocal and choral works.
Of course, the most popular today is Mendelssohn's famous wedding March. The composer created this work among many in the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1842). Initially, the play was not associated with marriage in any way, but fifty years later found its application.
Personal life
The composer's wife was Cecilia Jean-Reno, whom the musician met in Frankfurt and with whom he signed in March 1837. In the marriage, the couple had five children.
The wife was a real muse for the musician. It was after meeting her that Mendelssohn's works became more lyrical.
