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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 - 1950

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 1-25 of 619 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Berliner 20 7-in. 11/21/1894 Mendelssohn's wedding march Artists vary Band composer  
Berliner 1953 7-in. Before Apr. 1899 Be thou faithful unto death W. D. McFarland Tenor vocal solo composer  
Berliner 0238 7-in. 6/8/1899 Wedding march Sousa's Band Band composer  
Berliner 0896 7-in. 1/16/1900 Oh, for the wings of a dove Florence Hayward ; Harry Macdonough Female-male vocal duet composer  
Berliner 0975 7-in. 2/16/1900 Spring song Charles D'Almaine Violin solo composer  
Berliner 01115 7-in. 3/16/1900 Autumn song Florence Hayward ; Harry Macdonough Female-male vocal duet composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]430 7-in. 10/18/1900 Mendelssohn's spring song Charles D'Almaine Violin solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]639 10-in. 5/7/1902 Mendelssohn's wedding march Kendle's First Regiment Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]639 7-in. 1/26/1901 Mendelssohn's wedding march Kendle's First Regiment Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]1671 10-in. 10/9/1902 Spring song Alexander Heindl Cello solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]1671 7-in. 10/9/1902 Spring song Alexander Heindl Cello solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix C-]2344 12-in. either 1901 or 1902 If with all your hearts Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3025 10-in. 1/26/1901 Mendelssohn's wedding march Kendle's First Regiment Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3210 10-in. 3/16/1901 Mendelssohn's spring song Alexander Heindl Cello solo composer  
Victor C-112 [Old series] 12-in. 2/9/1903 or 5/26/1903 If with all your hearts Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor C-704 12-in. 11/16/1903 But the Lord is mindful Corinne Morgan Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-704 10-in. 11/16/1903 But the Lord is mindful Corinne Morgan Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-772 12-in. 12/3/1903 Mendelssohn's Wedding march Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-772 10-in. 12/3/1903 Wedding march Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor A-772 7-in. 12/3/1903 Wedding march Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-912 10-in. 1/14/1904 Spring song Alexander Heindl Cello solo, with piano composer  
Victor A-912 7-in. 1/14/1904 Spring song Alexander Heindl Cello solo, with piano composer  
Victor B-1363 10-in. 5/27/1904 Spring song Charles D'Almaine Violin solo, with piano composer  
Victor A-1363 7-in. 5/27/1904 Spring song Charles D'Almaine Violin solo, with piano composer  
Victor B-1605 10-in. 7/14/1904 Wedding march Kendle's First Regiment Band Band composer  
(Results 1-25 of 619 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102614.

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102614.

"Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102614

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