Felix Mendelssohn Essay

Many people in modern times take some sort of music lessons. If that is not true, then they listen to music often. Music is a prominent part of everyday life, but what many people do not know is that the development of music can be separated into four major periods, The Baroque, The Classical, The Romantic, and The Contemporary. Each period has several well-known composers, such as J.S. Bach in the Baroque, Mozart in the Classical, Shubert in the Romantic, and John Williams in The Contemporary or Modern. Some composers born in between periods would be considered both. Felix Mendelssohn was one of these composers. His works stunned his time period. Felix Mendelssohn was a talented composer who assisted in the transition from the Classical Period

Romanticism flaunts characteristics such as emotion, freedom, and imagination. There was also a rise in individualism. Each composer and performer wanted to be unique, with their own style. Romanticism was also known for its extremes. Very long pieces, or very short pieces. Dynamic markings like fff instead of f. One of the most prominent concepts of the romantic period was rubato, a pushing or pulling of tempo. In a general sense, romantic music was played with much more freedom and emotion than classical

However, some of his most prominent work and studying was done at Singakademie music academy in Berlin, a very prestigious academy of that time. It was here that Mendelssohn wrote Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of his best and most well-known works. While at Singakademie, Mendelssohn became a conductor. His biggest success was in conducting the Singakademie in John Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. “The work was a huge success, and the performance was of great importance to all later German composers for it marked the beginning of the revival of Bach’s works” (“Felix