1823: Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, age 14

Mr. Peabody Says:

This is the last of the string symphonies that is complete. There is a 13th, with only one movement. The 1st movement is Bach-like, with a very fugal sound. The 2nd movement moves to Eb major. There are only four instruments, and only three movements, so this is more basic. Mendelssohn was exploring fundamentals.

Lev Markiz/Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam

1. Fuga: Grave – Allegro
2. Andante – Eb major
3. Allegro molto

This is the best I’ve found for the music.

Nicholas Ward/Northern Chamber Orchestra

This is the best resource for watching the score.

Felix Mendelssohn wrote thirteen string symphonies between 1821 and 1823, when he was between 12 and 14 years old. They were tributes to symphonies by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714), Joseph Haydn (1732), Johann Christian Bach (1735), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756).