Felix Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn was a musical child prodigy who also excelled in art and linguistics.

Mendelssohn's older sister Fanny was every bit the musician and composer her brother was.

The famous Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn, was Felix's grandfather.

A prolific composer, Mendelssohn had one of his piano quartets published when he was only thirteen years old; by the age of fifteen, he had written his first symphony.

Mendelssohn was an art enthusiast and enjoyed painting in watercolors.

Mendelssohn composed many of his best-known works before he was twenty.

Mendelssohn founded the Leipzig Conservatory, the first of its kind in Germany.

Mendelssohn organized an incredibly popular concert of Bach's St. Matthew Passion that was credited with kick-starting Bach's posthumous career.

Mendelssohn's correspondence was witty and sometimes accompanied by humorous sketches or cartoons.

Mendelssohn had five children with his wife, Cecile.

After a series of strokes, Mendelssohn died at the age of 38.  His grandfather Moses, sister Fanny, and both his parents had all died from similar apoplexies.