孟德尔颂

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Mendelssohn(-Bartholdy), (Jakob Ludwig) Felix

德国作曲家。他是哲学家摩西.孟德尔颂的孙子,成长於一个富裕的犹太人家庭,他们已转信新教。早年在母亲的沙龙上受到启发,十一岁开始作曲,十六岁时作出了自己的第一首成名曲《降E调八重奏》和《仲夏夜之梦序曲》。他在1829年指挥演出了巴哈的《马太受难曲》,这是一百年来的首次演出,为巴哈艺术的复活作出了重大贡献。《宗教改革交响曲》(1832)和《义大利交响曲》(1833)也是这一时期所作。在天主教城市杜塞尔多夫担任音乐总监(1833~1835)後,他在新教城市莱比锡担任了同样的职位。他在那里成立了布商大厦管弦乐团,并同该乐团一起建立了历史协奏曲的基本编制,至今仍为大家遵守的一个标准。他曾在柏林担任管弦乐队指挥(1841~1845),但却受挫不少。他一生的最後十年创作了包括《苏格兰交响曲》(1842)、《小提琴协奏曲》(1844)和宗教剧《以利亚》(1846)。他最亲爱的姐姐芬妮(1805~1847)被认为与他一样具有相等的音乐天赋,但在同画家亨泽尔(1794~1861)结婚前一直没得到鼓励,之後创作了五百余部作品。她的去世对孟德尔颂而言无疑是一个沈重的打击,多年来超负荷的工作一时之间将他击垮,他在姐姐去世六个月後也不幸离开人世,享年三十八岁。其他作品还包括宗教剧《圣保罗》,几首音乐会序曲,大型钢琴组曲《无词歌》,以及两首钢琴协奏曲。

1809~1847年

Mendelssohn(-Bartholdy), (Jakob Ludwig) Felix

German composer. Grandson of Moses Mendelssohn, he grew up in a wealthy Jewish family that had converted to Protestantism. He was exposed early to his mother's glittering salon, and began to compose at 11. At 16 he wrote his first masterpieces, the Octet in E-flat and the overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 1829 he conducted the first performance of J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 100 years, greatly contributing to the Bach revival. His “Reformation” (1832) and “Italian” (1833) symphonies date from this period. After serving as music director of the Catholic city of Düsseldorf 1833-35, he took the parallel position in Protestant Leipzig. There he built up the Gewandhaus Orchestra, with which he established the historical concert programming that has remained standard to the present day. His appointment as kapellmeister in Berlin (1841-45) was a source of much frustration. His last decade produced such great works as the “Scottish” Symphony (1842), the violin concerto (1844), and the oratorio Elijah (1846). His beloved sister, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847), had been considered his equal in musical talent as a girl, but was discouraged from composing until her marriage to the painter Wilhelm Hensel (1794-1861), and eventually wrote more than 500 works. Her death was a severe shock to Mendelssohn; years of overwork simultaneously caught up with him, and he died six months after her at 38. His other works include the oratorio St. Paul, several concert overtures, the large piano set Songs Without Words, and two piano concertos.