Biography
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847)
| 1809 | 3rd February: born in Hamburg, the second child of Lea, née Salomon, and Abraham, son of the Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn |
| 1811 | The family moves to Berlin |
| 1816 | 21st March: all four children are baptised into the Christian church
(Fanny is ten, Felix seven, Rebecka almost five and Paul three years
old) Felix takes piano lessons with Ludwig Berger, violin lessons with Wilhelm Henning |
| 1818 | Mendelssohn's first public appearance as a pianist |
| 1819 | Takes theory of music lessons with Carl Friedrich Zelter |
| 1820 | Begins work on his first composition album; Takes drawing lessons with Johann Gottlob Samuel Rösel; 1st October: joins the Berlin Singakademie together with Fanny |
| 1821 | November: first visit with Zelter to Goethe in Weimar, preceded by his first short stay in Leipzig |
| 1822 | Start of the Sunday morning concerts in the family home |
| 1825 | A journey to Paris with his father to meet Cherubini determines his future career |
| 1827 | Matriculates at Berlin University; attends Hegel's lectures on aesthetics, among others |
| 1829 | 11th March: first revival of Bach's "Saint Matthew Passion" in the Berlin Singakademie, conducted by Mendelssohn 10th April: starts an eight-month educational visit to England and Scotland, giving concerts in England |
| 1830 | 13th May: starts his "great" journey to Italy, travelling via Leipzig, Weimar - where he meets Goethe for the last time - and Munich, Vienna, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Naples |
| 1831 | Return journey via Rome, Switzerland, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Düsseldorf, Liege, Paris, London |
| 1832 | June: returns to Berlin |
| 1833 | Declines to apply for the post of Director of the Berlin Singakademie as successor to Zelter Director of the Lower Rhine Music Festival in Düsseldorf 13th May: première of the "Italian" Symphony at one of the Philharmonic Concerts in London With effect from 1st October: appointed Municipal Director of Music in Düsseldorf |
| 1835 | Appointed Director of Music of the Gewandhaus concerts in Leipzig 4th October: 26-year-old Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's first concert in the Gewandhaus with a programme that includes the overture "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage" and Beethoven's 4th Symphony 9th November: first performance at the Gewandhaus of Bach's Concerto for Three Pianos and Orchestra in D Minor (pianists: Clara Wieck, Louis Rakemann and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) 19th November: Mendelssohn's father dies in Berlin |
| 1836 | Awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Faculty of Philosophy at Leipzig University Completes his oratorio "Saint Paul"; Director of the Lower Rhine Music Festival in Düsseldorf 22nd May: première of the oratorio "Saint Paul" 7th November: first performance in Leipzig of Handel's oratorio "Israel in Egypt" conducted by Mendelssohn in the Paulinerkirche |
| 1837 | Marries Cécile Jeanrenaud, daughter of a Hugenot pastor, in Frankfurt am Main Conducts concerts at the Birmingham Music Festival 16th March: first performance in Leipzig of the oratorio "Saint Paul" conducted by the composer in the Paulinerkirche March: "Saint Paul" performed in Boston |
| 1838 | 15th February: first of four so-called "Historical Concerts" in the Leipzig Gewandhaus (all four conducted by Mendelssohn) Birth of his first son Carl |
| 1839 | 21st March: première of Schubert's "Great" C Major Symphony conducted by Mendelssohn in the Gewandhaus Birth of his daughter Marie |
| 1840 | Première of his Symphony No. 2, the "Lobgesang" / "Hymn of Praise", in
St Thomas's Church in Leipzig to mark the 400th anniversary of the
invention of the art of printing Mendelssohn becomes committed to improving conditions for his musicians Recognition of the Gewandhaus Orchestra as the City's own orchestra 6th August: organ concert by Mendelssohn in St Thomas's Church to raise money for a monument to Bach |
| 1841 | 31st March: première of Schumann's "Spring Symphony" conducted by Mendelssohn in the Gewandhaus 4th April: first revival in Leipzig of Bach's "Saint Matthew Passion" in St Thomas's Church; 1st July: Mendelssohn appointed Kapellmeister of the Royal Court of Saxony Mendelssohn leaves Leipzig in the summer to take up the post of court composer to Friedrich Wilhelm IV, where he will stay until his final return in 1845, but he remains a Guest Conductor at the Gewandhaus 13th October: appointed Kapellmeister of the Royal Court of Prussia Birth of his son Paul |
| 1842 | 3rd March: première of the "Scottish" symphony in the Gewandhaus conducted by the composer Received by Queen Victoria during his seventh visit to England; 12th December: Mendelssohn's mother dies in Berlin |
| 1843 | 2nd April: opening of the Music Conservatoire in Leipzig - the first in
Germany - with Mendelssohn as the first Director of Studies Awarded the Freedom of the City of Leipzig 23rd April: unveiling of the Bach monument donated by Mendelssohn Birth of his son Felix |
| 1844 | Mendelssohn resigns from all his posts in Berlin |
| 1845 | 13th March: première of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Major, conducted by Niels W. Gade, with Ferdinand David as soloist 13th August: Mendelssohn returns to Leipzig The family moves to Königstrasse 5 (now known as Goldschmidtstrasse 12) Birth of his daughter Elisabeth As of the 1845-46 season: Joint Director of the Gewandhaus concerts with Gade |
| 1846 | 11th June: première of Mendelssohn's "Lauda Sion" in the presence of the composer in Liege July: completes his oratorio "Elijah" 19th July: Mendelssohn's final appearance as pianist at the Gewandhaus 26th August: première of his oratorio "Elijah" in Birmingham conducted by the composer |
| 1847 | 18th March: Mendelssohn conducts his last concert in the Gewandhaus 19th March: Mendelssohn resigns from his post as Director of Music at the Gewandhaus 4th November: Mendelssohn dies in Leipzig 7th November: his funeral is held in Leipzig 8th November: Mendelssohn is laid to rest in the family grave at the Trinity Cemetery [Dreifaltigkeitsfriedhof] in Berlin |
