Mendelssohn's Manor
is fully booked for 2010.
We will be closed in 2011
until further notice.
The Ancient Arms of Mendelson
The name Mendelson is a proud symbol of an ancient Jewish culture that began at least 3,000years ago with the patriarch Abraham. Until the end of the Middle Ages people were generally still known only by a single name. However, that was beginning to change as the population increased dramatically and people began to both urbanize and travel more.
Jewish surnames generally have large number of spelling variations because they were influenced by the different languages of the countries in which the bearers lived. The surname Mendelson is a patronymic surname, which derives from the Hebrew given name of Menagem, which means ‘comforter.’
This name was given to boys born during the week after Tisha B’Av, and was also a name used for the messiah. Some of the other varients of this name include: Mendel, Mandel, Mendelson,
Mendelsson, Mendelsohn, Mendelssohn and many more.
Although the ancient homeland of the Jewish people is Palestine, the Jews were expelled from this region after the Roman Empire conquered it in the 1st century BC. Despite this dispersion, the Jews maintained their language, religion, culture and traditions throughout the Middle Ages. The Jews were again forced to migrate when they were expelled from England in 1290, France in 1306, Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1497. In 1950, Israel passed a law that gave every Jew the right to immigrate and the
population of Israel doubled between 1948 and 1959.
Over the years, especially during times of increased persecution, Jewish families have migrated between European nations in search of religious tolerance and greater opportunities. Many have, of
course, migrated to the state of Israel since its creation in 1948. Jewish settlers were among those who settled and built the New World, and members of the Mendelson family were also among them.
There are many prominent bearers of the surname Mendelson, dating back for centuries., Perhaps the most well known member of the Mendelson family was the German composer, Felix Mendelssohn.
He made his first public appearance a the age of ten, and became an acquaintance of Goethe, Carl Weber, and Iganaz Moscheles. He attained musical maturity with the composition of the overture
“Midsummer Nights Dream,” in 1826. His grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn (1729 – 1786), was German Jewish philosopher, who studied in Berlin. He was an important figure in the history of the Jewish philosophy, and his main works reflected his belief in Judaism and rationalism.
Some other notables to bare this name include: Gregor Johnann Mendel (1822 – 1884),who was an Austrian biologist and botanist, and was the son of a peasant farmer. His experiments into the
hybridization of plants led to the formulation of Mendel’s Law of Segregation and his Law of Independent Assortment. His principle of factorial inheritance and the quantitive investigation of single characters have become the basis for modern genetics. Erich Mendelsohn was a German-born American architect, who designed the Eienstein Tower in Potsdam, and the Hebrew University at Jerusalem. In the United States, he designed several synagogues and hospitals. Lafayette Benedict Mendel (1872 – 1935), was
a renowned American chemist.
Jews in Europe , like everyone else, used heraldry and have been using coats of arms as far back as the 14th century. Unfortunately, most of the sources used do not let us know if the bearer of arms was Jewish, Christian or otherwise. So these arms may or may not have belonged to a Jewish family.
Mendelssohn's 'The Wedding March'
The triumphal Wedding March, from the incidental music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written. It begins with a fanfare and then plunges majestically into the splendid processional music to which many a bride has walked happily to the altar.
A lighter, less stately march then takes over, as if Shakespeare’s fairies, too, were tripping down the aisle. The processional music is repeated twice more, combined with a gentler, more lyrical passage.
The final repeat is heard in the distance and gradually fades away to merge perfectly into the shimmering fairy music represented by the woodwind.
Felix Mendelssohn was also a well-accomplished artist, i.e. the Durham Cathedral that was inspired by his frequent visits to England and Scotland. His concert tour of England was extremely successful, while his first visit to Scotland, in 1829, sowed the seeds of this famous “Scottish’ Symphony and ‘Hebrides’ Overture, also known as ‘Fingal’s Cave’. When commitments allowed, he would ride his carriage through Hyde Park, delighting in the open-air concerts there. He thoroughly enjoyed attending evening balls and entertaining the young society ladies, who were attracted to the tall, handsome German. England fell in love with him, too. He was adored everywhere he went, not only for his talent but also for his perfect manners. Eventually, he moved on to Italy, here the vitality and depth of historical colour inspired his ‘Italian’ symphony.
Felix Mendelssohn eventually married Cecile Jeanrenaud in March 1837 and produced five children.
Mendelssohn was unique. With his exclusive upbringing, he could have confined his talents to the parlours of the rich and titled. He chose instead to found centres of musical education and to compose colourful, imaginative music which was – and still is – loved all over the world.
Felix Mendelssohn died from a stroke on 4 November 1847 at the early age of 37. His music, however, will always live on.
