The
musical development of the young Mendelssohn was not troubled, as it was for so many others, by struggle and financial hardship. Born in Hamburg, he was
the son of rich and cultured parents, whose resources and encouragement were
always at his disposal. The family soon moved to Berlin, where be studied the
piano with his mother and took lessons in theory with Carl Zelter. From the age
of 12 he composed prolifically, and his works were per- formed in the musical
salon at the family home that became famous in Berlin. Weber visited in 1821 and
made a lasting impression on the young composer.
Mendelssohn
was very close to his sister Fanny, also prodigiously talented but lacking the
support her brother received. In 1826 they read Shakespeare together, resulting
in Mendelssohn's overture A Midsummer
Night's Dream. The assured mastery of this work and the radiant Octet
of the previous year were astonishing achievements for a boy in his late
teens and it is no surprise that he was compared with Mozart. A
Midsummer Night's Dream bears the Mendelssohn hallmark of elegant melodic
invention, effortlessly interweaving
one or two programmatic effects, such as a musical donkey's 'hee-haw',
without interrupting the musical flow. Later he added other movements to
complete the incidental music for the play.
A
keen advocate of the music of J.S. Bach, in 1829 Mendelssohn conducted the first
performance of the St Matthew Passion since
its composer's death, giving a boost to the revival of Bach's works then under
way and leading to a performance of sections of the Passion
in London in 1837.
About
this time he decided to establish himself independently as a professional
musician. The Berlin musical scene was not ideal: his only opera had been a
failure there in 1827. Other musicians resented his privilege and found him
egotistical - complaints that were made more acute because they were mixed with
a strain of anti-Semitism against his Jewish family background. It made no
difference that Mendelssohn's parents were converted Christians and he himself
was baptized.
He
then embarked upon a number of tours in search of employment and late in 1829
arrived in London on the first of ten visits to England. He also toured
Scotland, where stunning rock formations on the island of Staffa inspired the Hebrides
overture. Mendelssohn's melodic genius was never better displayed than in
the main theme of this beautifully lyrical work.
His
travels to Scotland and a visit to Italy the following year also provided an
impression of the national musical character of the two countries, later
translated into the Scottish and Italian symphonies.
Although his melodies are undoubtedly Romantic, these symphonies still keep to
the basic Classical forms. Mendelssohn's habit was to compose first for piano
and orchestrate later, indicating a Classical concern for structure before
colour.
After
further travels, including a visit to Paris where he met Chopin and Liszt,
Mendelssohn finally secured a directorial position in Dusseldorf in 1833; but
his somewhat despotic approach encountered resistance and in 1835 he moved to
Leipzig as conductor at the famous Gewandhaus. This post was more congenial and
lasted until 1846. The orchestra's leader was the accomplished violinist
Ferdinand David, who became a good friend and inspired the Violin Concerto of 1844. Mendelssohn also found happiness in love
and in 1837 he married C6cilejeanrenaud.
He
continued to travel, especially to England, where he conducted his oratorio St
Paul and, during a later visit in 1842, played
for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, to the screeching accompaniment of the
royal parrot.
In
1840 he had proposed the establishment of a Conservatoire in Leipzig but was
interrupted in his negotiations by an invitation, then virtually a royal
command, to go to Berlin as Kapellmeister to the King of Prussia. Again he was
greeted rather sourly by musicians and public alike, and soon tendered his
resignation. With the compromise of a reduction in his responsibilities, he was
able to return to Leipzig, and the Conservatoire opened in 1843.
Mendelssohn
continued to conduct at the Gewandhaus and to direct and teach at the
Conservatoire. He put heart and soul into his great oratorio Eloah, which he
conducted at its premiere in Birmingham in 1846, when it showed Mendelssohn at
his most dramatic and romantic. He was already exhausted by travel and overwork
when the shattering news of his sister Fanny's death brought on a severe
depression. Fits of shivering and head pains followed, leading to a fatal
stroke. When he died at just 38, he was mourned especially by Schumann, who felt
that Europe had lost a potential successor to Beethoven.
Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90, 'Italian'
Elijah
Hebrides
Violin Concerto
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Octet
Song without words
