Felix Mendelssohn (German: Felix Mendelssohn, full name: Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy; February 3, 1809 - November 4, 1847) was a German composer of the Romantic era, conductor, musical and public figure.

He was born on February 3, 1809 in Hamburg, in the family of banker Abraham Mendelssohn, who, together with his wife Leah, adopted Lutheranism, and their children were baptized under the surname Mendelssohn - Bartholdi. Had a sister, Fanny Mendelsohn. Felix's grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, was a famous philosopher in Germany. In 1812, the Mendelssohn family moved to Berlin, where in 1817 Felix began to practice music with K. Zelter. In 1821, he met Y.-V. Goethe.

Communication with prominent representatives of scientific and artistic thought (V. Humboldt, H. Heine, E. T. A. Hoffmann, K. M. Weber, N. Paganini) significantly influenced the formation of Mendelssohn's aesthetic views. a great role in the formation of the future composer was played by long-term contact with Goethe, who instilled in Mendelssohn sympathies for classical art, as well as a course of lectures by H. Hegel on aesthetics, which Mendelssohn listened to at the University of Berlin.

The creation of the overture to V. Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1826) is evidence of Mendelssohn's early creative maturity. In 1829, under Mendelssohn's baton, "The Matthew Passion" by J.-S. Bach, which became a real event, since the "Passion" was forgotten and not performed for a long time. At the same time, Mendelssohn gained fame as a composer, pianist, and violinist. In 1829-1832, the composer traveled through Europe, the impressions of his travels were reflected in the "Italian", "Scottish" symphonies and other works.

In 1833, Mendelssohn directed the Lower Rhine Music Festivals, in 1833-1835 he was music director in Dusseldorf (under Mendelssohn's conducting, many works by H. F. Handel, J. S. Bach, V. A. Mozart, L. Beethoven were performed for the first time ). Since 1835, he has been the conductor and leader of the Gewandhaus orchestra in Leipzig, which, thanks to Mendelssohn, gained world fame. In 1843, on the initiative of Mendelssohn, the Leipzig Conservatory was opened.

Among his students is the Belgian violinist and music teacher Hubert Leonard.