Felix Mendelssohn was a classical composer born on February 3rd, 1809. Most people would recognise some of his more famous works--the Wedding March and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", for example. Unfortunately, the larger (but no less excellent) amount of his works is relatively unknown.
His brilliant Italian Symphony was one of my first faves:
His music is so sane. There's no shallow pathos, boring ho-hum repetition, or eccentric abstraction--Mendelssohn's music is deep, but it's also got clarity and meaning. There's genius in it, but it's a sane genius. It's the kind of music that can be solemn or cheerful, light or intense, but likewise uplifting.
Mendelssohn helped bring about the Bach renaissance; and he was also one of the first Romantic composers, finding inspiration from sources like Shakespeare and travels in Europe and Britain. One of his most epic overtures is the Hebrides Overture, or "Fingal's Cave", inspired by the famous Scottish cave of the same name. {My sister and I have also dubbed it "Frugal Smeagol Fingal's Cave"...inside joke. ;) }
Not only did he write the typical classical genres--concertos, sonatas, symphonies, etc--but he also wrote religious music, like the "Hymn of Praise" (Symphony #2).
{Lyrics from Romans 13:12 : "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."}
I don't really know why Mendelssohn isn't as well known as other composers. I just hope that someday he gets the same recognition and status as Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach, because he certainly deserves it.
Some of my fave albums:
Mendelssohn: Symphonies 3 & 4 and Fingal's Cave A great intro to Mendelssohn's orchestral music.
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies, 7 Overtures This is probably the ultimate CD set for Mendelssohn fans. ;) Four discs of brilliance, and the interpretations/performances are right on, as far as I'm concerned.
