Artists

Bartholdy, F. M.

image of Bartholdy, F. M. An early Midsummer Night's Dream

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and known generally as Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) was a German composer and conductor of the early Romantic period. He was born to a notable Jewish family, being the grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. At the age of 16 he wrote his String Octet in E Flat Major, the first work which showed the full power of his genius. The Octet and his overture to Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which he wrote a year later, are the best known of his early works. Mendelssohn’s work includes symphonies, concertos, oratorios, piano and chamber music. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes in the late 19th century, his creative originality is now being recognized and re-evaluated, and he is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era.