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Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 1809 – 4 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music, organ music and chamber music. His best-known works include the overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream (which includes his "Wedding March"), the Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony, the oratorio St. Paul, the oratorio Elijah, the overture The Hebrides, the mature Violin Concerto and the String Octet. The melody for the Christmas carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is also his. Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words are his most famous solo piano compositions.

Mendelssohn's grandfather was the renowned Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, but Felix was initially raised without religion. He was baptised at the age of seven, becoming a Reformed Christian. He was recognised early as a musical prodigy, but his parents were cautious and did not seek to capitalise on his talent. His sister Fanny Mendelssohn received a similar musical education and was a talented composer and pianist in her own right; some of her early songs were published under her brother's name and her Easter Sonata was for a time mistakenly attributed to him after being lost and rediscovered in the 1970s.

Mendelssohn enjoyed early success in Germany, and revived interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, notably with his performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1829. He became well received in his travels throughout Europe as a composer, conductor and soloist; his ten visits to Britain – during which many of his major works were premiered – form an important part of his adult career. His essentially conservative musical tastes set him apart from more adventurous musical contemporaries such as Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Charles-Valentin Alkan and Hector Berlioz. The Leipzig Conservatory, which he founded, became a bastion of this anti-radical outlook. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes and antisemitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his creative originality has been re-evaluated. He is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1809 (Hamburg), Died November 4, 1847 (Leipzig)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1894 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-75 of 604 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor C-4865 12-in. 10/7/1907 If with all your hearts Evan Williams Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-5045 12-in. 1/30/1908 Frühlingslied Marcella Sembrich Soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor B-6093 10-in. 4/10/1908 I would that my love Harry Macdonough ; Elise Stevenson Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6101 12-in. 4/13/1908 Sorrows of death Evan Williams Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6118 12-in. 4/16/1908 Sorrows of death George Hamlin Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6365 12-in. 8/28/1908 Sing ye praise Evan Williams Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6373 10-in. 8/31/1908 On wings of song Evan Williams Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6471 12-in. 9/28/1908 Es ist bestimmt in Gottes Rath Ernestine Schumann-Heink ; Victor Orchestra Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6528 12-in. 10/11/1908 The cheerful wanderer Whitney Brothers Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied composer  
Victor C-6678 12-in. 12/18/1908 Be thou faithful Evan Williams Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6775 12-in. 2/4/1909 Quartet and chorale Victor Brass Quartet Brass quartet composer  
Victor B-8137 10-in. 8/10/1909 Spring song Victor String Quartet String quartet composer  
Victor B-8163 10-in. 8/20/1909 Es ist Bestimmt in Gottes Rath Victor String Quartet String quartet composer  
Victor C-8178 12-in. 8/25/1909 Canzonetta Victor String Quartet String quartet composer  
Victor C-8639 12-in. 2/16/1910 Military overture : Finale Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-8781 10-in. 4/1/1910 Spring song Victor E. Sorlin Cello solo, with piano composer  
Victor C-8879 12-in. 4/22/1910 Overture Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor C-9080 12-in. 6/10/1910 Reminiscences of Mendelssohn Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-9629 10-in. 11/8/1910 Oh for the wings of a dove Geraldine Farrar Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-9938 12-in. 2/10/1911 Midsummer night's dream overture Victor Concert Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor B-9950 10-in. 2/12/1911 Capricietto Mischa Elman Violin solo, with piano composer  
Victor C-9958 12-in. 2/16/1911 O rest in the Lord Janet Spencer Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-9998 10-in. 2/20/1911 On the wings of song Imperial Russian Balalaika Court Orchestra Balalaika orchestra composer  
Victor C-10331 12-in. 5/15/1911 Rondo capriccioso Kryl's Bohemian Band Band composer  
Victor B-10404 10-in. 5/16/1911 Then shall the righteous shine forth Daniel Beddoe Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
(Results 51-75 of 604 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix," accessed March 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102614.

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102614.

"Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102614

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