RomanticFelix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, into a rich and cultured family.
Felix Mendelssohn’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1809👶 Birth
Born in Hamburg on 3 February, grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn
- 1816🌍 Meanwhile
Maelzel patents the metronome (1815–16)
- 1821🧳 Journeyage 12
Meets Goethe in Weimar, aged 12
- 1822🌍 Meanwhile
Champollion deciphers hieroglyphs
- 1825🎼 Workage 16
String Octet, at 16
- 1826🎼 Workage 17
A Midsummer Night’s Dream overture, at 17
- 1829🎼 Workage 20
Revives Bach’s St Matthew Passion, forgotten for a century
- 1835🎩 Careerage 26
Conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
- 1837❤️ Private lifeage 28
Marries Cécile Jeanrenaud
- 1839🌍 Meanwhile
Photography is invented (daguerreotype)
- 1840🌍 Meanwhile
Adolphe Sax invents the saxophone (c. 1840)
- 1843🎩 Careerage 34
Founds the Leipzig Conservatory
- 1847🕯️ Deathage 38
Dies in Leipzig on 4 November, six months after his sister Fanny
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Excerpts of up to 90 seconds, freely licensed recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
Once upon a time…
Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, into a rich and cultured family. With his big sister Fanny he spent his days making music.
At twelve he met the great writer Goethe, who adored him. At sixteen he composed a magnificent Octet, and at seventeen music full of elves and fairies for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
At twenty he had a work by Bach performed that had been forgotten for a hundred years: thanks to him everyone rediscovered Bach! He travelled to Scotland and Italy and turned his travel memories into music.
His Wedding March is played at millions of weddings. He was also a very good painter.
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