Composer Profile - Activefolio

The Early Romantic Period 91
interest that has endured to this day. In 1837 when he was twenty-eight, he
married seventeen-year-old Cecile Charlotte Sophie. Their marriage was extremely
happy, and they had five children, all of whom Felix openly adored.
Mendelssohn composed in every genre from piano music and chamber
music, to symphonies and operas. He held several important conducting posts,
especially as conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, and was one of
the founders of the Leipzig Conservatory.
Early in 1847, upon learning of the sudden death of his beloved sister,
Mendelssohn fell to the floor in shock and broke a blood vessel in his head. He
never fully recovered from that incident. Finally, on November 4, 1847, Felix
Mendelssohn died after suffering two serious strokes. He was thirty-eight years
old. He is still remembered for his prodigious talent and his happy, outgoing
personality. Among his most famous works are five symphonies, a violin concerto,
incidental music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the opera
Die Hochzeit des Camacho, and many chamber works for a variety of ensembles.
He is also credited with developing the idea of the concert overture, a single
movement work that does not precede an opera, but which might be used in an
orchestral concert as strict entertainment.
Composer Profile
Frederic Chopin, Poet of the Piano
S ometimes the right person gets teamed up with the right instrument at the
right time in history. So it was with Frederic Chopin (1810–1849), the piano,
and the Romantic period. Born near Warsaw, Poland on March 1, 1810, Chopin
was a fine child-pianist; not a prodigy, but a solid player nonetheless. After showing
some interest in composition, his parents hired Joseph Elsner, the finest composition
teacher in Warsaw, to coach Chopin.
When Chopin was in his late teens, he traveled to a few cities such as Berlin
and Vienna, but he eventually settled permanently in Paris. Chopin made his
living by teaching private lessons and publishing his works for piano. He had no
love for large concert halls; he preferred to perform in the salons of Paris high
society. He soon became recognized as one of the finest musicians of his time.
Franz Liszt was extremely impressed with Chopin, as were Schumann and others.
Chopin had a talent for drawing subtle nuances of dynamic shading out of
the keyboard. He could play simple melodies and inject into them a poetry and
artistry that made them irresistible. Chopin also knew how to play to his strengths
as a composer; after a couple of early piano concertos and some lesser works,
he concentrated solely on sonatas and piano character pieces. The small dimensions
of character pieces were perfect for his poetic, intimate style.
The elite society of Paris adored him. He was small and frail looking, but he
had no lack of female company. Eventually he embarked on a romantic affair
with Madame Aurore Dudevant, who was a feminist and a very successful novelist
with the pen name of George Sand. Their passionate affair was stormy to
say the least, and the couple looked quite strange: the thin, frail Chopin accompanied
by Dudevant, who often wore men’s clothing and smoked cigars. Still,
they remained together for ten years. After that, Chopin’s health began to