Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-07

mHRu~ n lf1lO COluHlh iuSb GuHhay thSiV
M y was a sketch Of some events in
the life of Felix Mendelssohn
Re&nwz& Bartholdy up to his 2tst year.
v0&TNS6R Continuing therefrom-after a
SS contemplation of his birthday,
which was last Wednesday, the Tooth ami
versary-we find him at Rome, where he
Is having an enjoyable time. his looking
glass stuck fun of visiting cards" and
new acquaintance every evening. Here he
met Horace Vernet, the famous French
painter of military subjects, and Thor
waldsen, the celebrated Danish sculptor.
Mendelssohn did not love antiquity for it's
own sake, he said Of a certain place: ''The
sea lay between the islands, and the rocks
covered with vegetation, bent over II then,
lust as they do now" CThe then refers
10 the time of Brutus and Cioero.) He says.
'The outline of the Alban hills remain I'M
changed. There they can scribble no names
and compose no inscriptions-and to these
l cling" The "Walpurgis-night" is dated
this period, 1891, the composer being %
years old. The Italian and Scotch SYM
phonies are also on the way towards devel-
opment and perfecting.
Berlioz, Benedict and Donizetti amongst
others now cross the young masters path
and are frequently mentioned. Sketch MAX
Ing and organ playing take up much time
and we find him in Munich again, playing
his G minor concerto; his Symphony in c
minor and his midsummer Nights Dream
overture are also heard at this concert.
Christmas of this year he spends in Paris,
and seems to have spent much time with
Chopin, Meyerbeer, Liszt, ole Bull and
others.
But there were three shadows on this
period OF otherwise deep enjoyment in the
pleasures of Partisan life i'm good society
first. the rejection of his Reformation Sym
phony; second, the death of his great
friend. Edward Ritz, and, third, the death
of Goethe. He was received everywhere in
Paris with applause and hearty accord. but
he left no lasting impression and never
again visited there.
In 1872. when he was g, we find him back
again I'm his beloved London whore he
writes his Capriccio brilliant in b. op %.
His teacher zelter died in May, Prof, Zel-
ter, conductor of the ~Singakadimic; and
Mendelssohn was defeated by just so out of
26 votes for the position vacant.
In 1888 the Italian symphony was finished
in response TO an offer from the London
Philharmonic society. The lower Rhine
festival at Dusseldorf now claims the
ATTENTION OF TINS Young composer ana
40 great was his success that the authori-
ties made him an offer to undertake the
entire musical arrangements of the town.
Back In London, and this time with his
father who has a good deal of fun at The
expense of Felix, on account of the absepc'
Of the sun and the presence of fog. w,
have a record of him at this time playing
the organ at st. Paul's cathedral, Klinse-
mann and other friends at the bellows, and
the church empty.
When he returned to Dusseldorf he rev0l
utionized things, and at first all went wen
until he began to grow tired Of the theatre
cal part of his work, which was irksom'
to him by nature. He gave this part up in
1854, not without having exerted a goo'
Influence. while in church music mucl
progress was made. Chopin visited hin
here.
In the spring of the same year he wa
made a member Of the Berlin academy o
Fine Arts.
He always had n great desire to writ
a grand opera and It is in the vain attemp
to get good librettos OF a high morale
that we hear him say that he will for
sake opera and write oratOrios."
The o~ratorio OF st. Paul. was begun &C
ooTdingly in 1884.
In the closing months Of this year QS34
MendelssOhn had further unpleasant diff
eulties to contend with and gave up tn
whole thing. and came 20 Leipzig as con