Composer

Felix Mendelssohn

German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of Jewish descent (1809-1847)

1809–1847

4,109 works in the index

Born: 1809
Died: 1847
Birthplace: Hamburg
Place of death: Leipzig
Citizenship / historical state: Kingdom of Saxony; Hamburg
Period (estimated from birth year): Romantic

Biography

Mendelssohn wrote fluently and early, and his music is unusually grateful to play — it lies well under the hand in a way that his contemporaries' often does not.

The Songs Without Words are the most useful thing in this catalogue for a developing pianist: forty-eight short pieces across a wide range of difficulty, several genuinely accessible, all musically substantial. The Violin Concerto is a cornerstone of that instrument's repertoire, and Elijah of the choral one.

He also wrote a great deal of organ music, including six sonatas, which sits in the small category of nineteenth-century organ repertoire that is neither Bach nor French.

Life and musical career

Occupations: composer; pianist; organist; conductor; musicologist; music educator; university teacher; painter; writer; musician
Education: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Teachers: Carl Friedrich Zelter; Ludwig Berger; Marie Bigot; Lea Mendelssohn Bartholdy; Franz Lauska; Ignaz Moscheles
Career institutions / employers: University of Music and Theatre Leipzig
Recorded memberships: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Instruments played: organ; piano; violin
Genres: opera; classical music; symphonic music
Movements: Romantic music
Notable works: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 4; Violin Concerto in E minor; The Hebrides; St. Paul; Elijah
Awards: Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order; honorary citizen of Leipzig; Pour le Mérite
Official website: https://www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de/de/
Languages used: German; French; English
VIAF ID: 2665666
ISNI: 0000000121181195
GND ID: 118580779
Library of Congress ID: n79139515
MusicBrainz ID: 0e85eb79-1c05-44ba-827c-7b259a3d941a

Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.

In this catalogue

Common listed instruments: Piano, Choir, Voice, Organ, percussion
Genres represented: Classical, Christmas, pop, Pop, Jazz
Works with composition dates: 120 of 4,109

These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.

Catalogue

Works page 45 of 86

Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.

Works and available sheet music details
Work	Year composed	Catalogue / opus	Key in title	Listed instruments	Genre	Editions
Song Without Words, Opus 53, No. 4	—	Opus 53, No. 4	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 53, No. 5 (Folk Song)	—	Opus 53, No. 5	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 53, No. 6	—	Opus 53, No. 6	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 62, No. 1	—	Opus 62, No. 1	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 62, No. 2	—	Opus 62, No. 2	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 62, No. 3	—	Opus 62, No. 3	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 62, No. 4	—	Opus 62, No. 4	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 62, No. 5 (Venetian Boat Song No. 3)	—	Opus 62, No. 5	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 67, No. 1	—	Opus 67, No. 1	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 67, No. 2	—	Opus 67, No. 2	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 67, No. 3	—	Opus 67, No. 3	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 67, No. 4 (Spinner's Song)	—	Opus 67, No. 4	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 67, No. 5	—	Opus 67, No. 5	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 67, No. 6	—	Opus 67, No. 6	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 85, No. 1	—	Opus 85, No. 1	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 85, No. 2	—	Opus 85, No. 2	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 85, No. 3	—	Opus 85, No. 3	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 85, No. 4	—	Opus 85, No. 4	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 85, No. 5	—	Opus 85, No. 5	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 85, No. 6	—	Opus 85, No. 6	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 1	—	Opus 102, No. 1	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 2	—	Opus 102, No. 2	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 3	—	Opus 102, No. 3	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 4	—	Opus 102, No. 4	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 5	—	Opus 102, No. 5	—	Piano	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 6	—	Opus 102, No. 6	—	Piano	—	1
Gondellied, WoO 10	—	WoO 10	—	Piano	—	1
Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72 No. 1	—	Op. 72 No. 1	—	Piano	—	1
Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72 No. 2	—	Op. 72 No. 2	—	Piano	—	1
Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72 No. 3	—	Op. 72 No. 3	—	Piano	—	1
Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72 No. 4	—	Op. 72 No. 4	—	Piano	—	1
Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72 No. 5	—	Op. 72 No. 5	—	Piano	—	1
Six Children's Pieces, Op. 72 No. 6	—	Op. 72 No. 6	—	Piano	—	1
March, Op. 108: Score	—	Op. 108	—	—	—	1
Mendelssohn: Sonata	—	—	—	—	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 6 (Faith): 1st Violin	—	Opus 102, No. 6	—	Orchestra	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 6 (Faith): 2nd Violin	—	Opus 102, No. 6	—	Orchestra	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 6 (Faith): 3rd Violin (Viola )	—	Opus 102, No. 6	—	Orchestra	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 6 (Faith): Viola	—	Opus 102, No. 6	—	Orchestra	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 6 (Faith): Cello	—	Opus 102, No. 6	—	Orchestra	—	1
Song Without Words, Opus 102, No. 6 (Faith): String Bass	—	Opus 102, No. 6	—	Orchestra	—	1
String Quartets, Op. 12; Op. 44, Nos. 1, 2 & 3: 1st Violin	—	Op. 12; Op. 44	—	String Quartet	—	1
String Quartets, Op. 12; Op. 44, Nos. 1, 2 & 3: 2nd Violin	—	Op. 12; Op. 44	—	String Quartet	—	1
String Quartets, Op. 12; Op. 44, Nos. 1, 2 & 3: Viola	—	Op. 12; Op. 44	—	String Quartet	—	1
String Quartets, Op. 12; Op. 44, Nos. 1, 2 & 3: Cello	—	Op. 12; Op. 44	—	String Quartet	—	1
Symphony No. 5 "Reformation" (4th Movement): Flute	—	—	—	Orchestra	—	1
Symphony No. 5 "Reformation" (4th Movement): Oboe	—	—	—	Orchestra	—	1
Symphony No. 5 "Reformation" (4th Movement): Bassoon	—	—	—	Orchestra	—	1

Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. The biography above is our own. Authority record: VIAF 2665666. Portrait: Eduard Magnus, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.