门德尔松出生在一个德国不寻常的犹太家庭,知识和财富都很充裕的家庭,非常快音乐的家庭 祖父Moses Mendelssohn是哲学家, 像很多犹太家庭, 他父亲常组织家庭周末音乐会, 门德尔松和姐姐Fanny常能表演,他父亲很开明,并没有让他的子女在严格的犹太教环境下成长,门德尔松甚至后来的洗礼成为路德基督教徒,
像门德尔松这样的天才,基因,家庭环境和浪漫时代都促成了他的音乐成就,他这样超凡的天才和敏感在艺术里更能得到发挥和保护,而不至于被世俗埋没他的艺术才能
可以看到他画的一些水彩画:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Felix_Mendelssohn_Bartholdy
有一首他17岁时给他母亲生日时写的一首诗:http://www.creativekeyboard.com/feb09/smith.pdf
http://www.creativekeyboard.com/feb09/smith.html
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.
If the composer’s tune is long
Pity the mangy cur;
If the composer’s tune is short,
Why then it doesn’t stir.
If the composer’s line is clear,
Plainly he’s a fool;
If the composer is obscure
Send him back to school.
No matter how he turns his phrase,
Nobody’s content;
Therefore the composer must
Follow his own bent.