Felix Mendelssohn Biography


Felix Mendelssohn was a composer who liked to write very fast and deep symphonic music.  The composer who influenced Felix Mendelssohn the most was Bach.  It is said that he was the one who revived the works of Bach.  Felix Mendelssohn was mainly known for writing his big symphonies.  His symphonies were very fast paced, and was usually written in the minor.  The style of Felix Mendelssohn was classical and romantic, a different combination from the usual because normally we see just classical, romantic, or modern style, but not both.  Felix Mendelssohn mixed the two styles in very well, sounding like Bach or Beethoven at one moment, and sounding like Frederic Chopin or Franz Liszt the next moment.

It is not to say that he did not have his own style.  Every time a musical piece by Felix Mendelssohn is played on the radio, I can always tell it was composed by him.  He had clever chord usage and logical chord progressions in his music, and he also wrote the famous Wedding March that every newly wed will hear when getting married.  His piano music is obviously not his strong point, but his symphony writing makes up for that.  He shows off very little, and gets to the point in his music.  Felix Mendelssohn is not redundant in his music writing, something Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and man others are known for.  Sometimes the music of Felix Mendelssohn can be frightening to listen to, but nevertheless, this composer is one of the greats.  Another thing to note is the powerful piano trios that he wrote.  Felix Mendelssohn's piano music is very classical style, but the combination of a violin and cello in his classical style scherzo writing piano score, it mixes very well, and creates much suspension, keeping the listener trying to figure out what comes next.  The music of Felix Mendelssohn is also appreciated by Bach listeners.