Mendelssohn Highly Favoured From Childhood

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 17, 8 November 1948, Page 8

Mendelssohn Highly Favoured From Childhood

From the earliest childhood, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was one who was highly favoured. He was the ' exception to the rule that the path of genius is a difficult one, for he was brought up in an atmosphere that gave his musical ability every possible chance to develop. * His father was a wealthy man—a banker—and his mother was both cultured and musical. Felix himself was given the best musical education available, being at one time a student at the famous Vocal Academy of Berlin, where he heard some of most famous singers. • ' He made his first public appearance at the age of ten, in Berlin, when his masterly playing attracted considerable attention. The genius he showed was fostered at home, largely by means of weekly concerts which were attended by the foremost composers of the time—• among them being Weber. Cqfhposer as well as player, Mendelssohn soon rose to fame. In 1826 he read some of William Shakespeare’s plays, and thus was born the delightful “Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Some little time after he visited London . for the first time and grew to like the city and England, whose people feted and feasted him as he appeared among them as conductor, composer a'nd pianist. A visit to Scotland inspired him to write the “Fingal’s Cove” overture and the “Scottish Symphony.” He was a welcome visitor at Buckingham Palace, where Queen Victoria, it is said, was delighted to sing to the composer’s piano accompaniment. His last great work was undoubtedly the oratorio “Elijah.”