Felix Mendelssohn's Birthday
Next: February 3, 2027
The man behind the Wedding March.
The story
Where it comes from
Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg on 3 February 1809, and this Story marks his birthday. A grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, he grew up in Berlin and was an astonishing child composer, writing operas, string symphonies and sonatas as a boy. At 17 he wrote the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 1829 he conducted Bach's St Matthew Passion, its first performance since Bach's death, which helped spark a Bach revival. In 1835 he took charge of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig and made the city the musical capital of Germany.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but his music is easy to celebrate: the 'Wedding March' from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Italian and Scottish symphonies, the violin concerto, or a few of the short piano pieces he called Songs Without Words. Orchestras, choirs and piano students play him all year, so his birthday is a good day to listen to one piece properly.
Did you know
- The custom of playing his 'Wedding March' as a bride and groom leave began after it was performed at the wedding of Britain's Princess Royal in 1858.
- At 12 he was taken to Weimar to play for the poet Goethe, and the two became friends.
- He visited England ten times and became Queen Victoria's favourite composer; his Scottish Symphony is dedicated to her.
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