Skip to content


 Select a Chapter |       RSS  Today in Music History |             Online Listening Lab


"If the composer's tone is grave,
He puts us all to sleep;
If the composer's tone is gay,
He isn't one bit deep.
No matter how he turns his phrase,
Nobody's content;
Therefore the composer must
Follow his own bent."

Key Points

  • Felix Mendelssohn preserves many Classical elements in his compositions.
  • A composer, conductor, educator, and pianist, Felix Mendelssohn was in part responsible for the revival of J. S. Bach's music.
  • Mendelssohn is known for his orchestral music (five symphonies, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and several concertos) as well as for his chamber and choral music.
  • His last orchestral work, the Violin Concerto in E minor, generally conforms to Classical structures.

Section Menu

Norton Gradebook

Instructors now have an easy way to collect students’ online quizzes with the Norton Gradebook without flooding their inboxes with e-mails.

Students can track their online quiz scores by setting up their own Student Gradebook.