Mendelssohn, Felix

Felix (1809-1847), a German musical composer. He was born at Hamburg and died at Leipsic. He was the son of Hebrew parents of Lutheran faith. He was educated carefully and won wide reputation as director of the Leipsic concerts from 1835 to the time of his death. As the most noted musician of his day, Mendelssohn visited Berlin, Paris, England, Scotland, and Italy. Probably no musical composer of high merit received more immediate and more highly gratifying recognition than Mendelssohn. His oratorio of Elijah, in the preparation of which for the Birmingham, England, festival, he spent nine years, is considered his masterpiece. To distinguish it from another branch of the same family, the Lutheran branch took the name of Mendelssohn-Bartholdy; but the addition is seldom used in speaking of the great musician. See Mozart; Beethoven