Composer. Born Felix Mendelssohn in Hamburg. Later became Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Bartholdy was a name already adopted by a member of his mother's family who had converted to Christianity and the Mendelssohn family added it to their name to dissociate themselves from the father's Jewish heritage.
First visited England in 1829 and was a regular visitor to London.
In a comparatively short life, he produced a prolific number of compositions, most famously, the oratorio 'Elijah', incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Hebrides Overture. A frequent visitor to Britain, he became a favourite of Queen Victoria. Died in Leipzig after a series of strokes.
Sources include: Heritage of London.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
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