LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Mendelssohn: Composers
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Mendelssohn was a devout Protestant Christian and this work is an eloquent profession of his faith. The finale comprises of a chorus and solo singers and the composer's joy and faith in the Lord is conveyed most touchingly with his simple yet glorious melodies. A must-listen for all Christians!
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Mendelssohn was one of the best loved composers of the 19th century, particularly in Victorian England, and he was certainly the most successful. His career showed none of the reverses, disappointments and delays that were the rule for the other great Romantic composers; indeed, it was the overwork and exhaustion to meet the demands for his performances and compositions that led to his early death at the age of 38.
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As well as reviving interest in Bach, Mendelssohn ... kept the work of Franz Schubert before the public. It was he who conducted the premiere of Schubert's Ninth Symphony, more than a decade after the composer's death. In all, Mendelssohn wrote five symphonies. He also wrote two piano concertos and one famous violin concerto which is often seen as an essential piece for young prodigies to play.
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Mendelssohn wrote five symphonies, in addition to an attractive series of twelve early symphonies for strings, completed at the age of fourteen. Of the mature symphonies the Italian Symphony, Symphony no. 4, completed in 1833 and reflecting the composer's experiences in Italy during his Grand Tour, is the most popular, closely followed by Symphony no. 3, the Scottish, with its echoes of the Palace of Holyrood in the days of Mary Queen of Scots. Symphony no. 5, the Reformation, written in 1832 to celebrate the third centenary of the Augsburg Confession, is less often heard, as is Symphony no. 2, the choral Lobgesang, written to mark the fourth centenary of the invention of printing in 1840.
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In person Mendelssohn was small, but was counted handsome. His look is described as "dark and very Jewish." He had strikingly large dark-brown eyes, which became extraordinarily bright and expressive when he was animated. He was perhaps the most versatile of all the composers, for he was an adept at painting, billiards, chess, riding, swimming, and general athletics.
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Unlike so many composers, superbly gifted people who are unhappy, miserable, depressed, neurotic, sometimes out-and-out psychotic, Mendelssohn was happy. He was cheerful and contented and enthusiastic throughout his entire life, brief as it was. His name -- "Felix", Latin for "happy" -- couldn't have suited him more.
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