MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY, Jacob Ludwig Felix. - Musician, born in Hamburg on 3 Feb. 1809, died in Leipzig on 4 Nov. 1847. He received his first musical instruction from his mother, and continued his studies in Berlin. At the age of fifteen he produced his first symphony. He visited Italy, where he composed some of his finest works and formed friendships with illustrious masters. He traveled extensively in France, England, and Germany. Settling in Leipzig, he became conductor of the Gewandhaus concerts and founded the Conservatory of Music.
Mendelssohn’s music, a faithful reflection of his lyrical temperament and the refined, highly sensitive life of the artist, embraces all genres: overtures, symphonies, Lieder, motets, psalms, concertos, oratorios—a continuous succession of authentic masterpieces. In his oratorios one discerns the manner of Haydn; yet *St. Paul* (Op. 36) stands out for the warm poetic inspiration that permeates it, uncommon in other works of the genre at a time when Rossini and Meyerbeer were in vogue. *Elijah* (Op. 70) is more dramatic and marked by bold contrasts. Of another oratorio, *Christus* (Op. 97), only fragments survive—highly interesting ones that hinted at another masterpiece left uncompleted by the author’s death.