Composer Felix Mendelssohn Died in 1847

One of the most celebrated composers of the early Romantic period, Mendelssohn's signature works include his Overture and incidental music from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," his string octet, and his celebrated Violin Concerto in E Minor

German composer, pianist, and conductor Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, otherwise known as Felix Mendelssohn, died at age 38.

Mendelssohn was nurtured in the arts from childhood. Upon moving to Berlin at an early age, he studied the piano with Ludwig Berger, composition with Carl Friedrich Zelter, and literature and landscape painting.

He was acquainted with music from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which is reflected in the elegance and grace of his works. At the same time, his compositions helped mark the beginning of the Romantic period. While preserving Classical period practices, his works began to diverge from rigid forms and traditions of this era and incorporate artistic nuances of Romanticism. 

Some of Mendelssohn's most famous works include the overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream (which features the iconic "Wedding March"), the Italian and Scottish symphonies, the oratorios St. Paul and Elijah, The Hebrides overture, his mature Violin Concerto, the String Octet, and the melody used in the Christmas carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". His *Songs Without Words* for solo piano also remains highly regarded.

Mendelssohn also founded the Leipzig Conservatory of Music in 1843. 

ITZHAK PERLMAN | MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO IN E MINOR OP. 64 | MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS & THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY (2011) | DAVID ZINMAN & THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC (1983)