Mendelssohn dedicated his Song Without Words in E-flat major, Op. 67, No. 1, to Queen Victoria, arranging it for piano four hands at her request.
Critical Reception
Johannes Brahms greatly admired Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, stating he would 'gladly give all my works' if he had composed such a piece.
Composer Biography
Felix Mendelssohn wrote the Sonata movement for two pianos in G minor at the age of eleven.
Composition History
Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20, was written when he was 16 and features the unusual instrumentation of two string quartets.
Critical Reception
The Scherzo from Mendelssohn's Octet was so popular with his contemporaries that it often had to be repeated at performances.
Composer Biography
Mendelssohn received inspiration for his Scottish Symphony and the Hebrides Overture during a trip to Scotland in 1829, even heading a letter 'On one of the Hebrides' with 20 bars of music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mendelssohn considered his piano four-hand transcription of the Octet to be an equally valid musical version and a labor of love, actively participating in its publication.
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