Felix Mendelssohn Lodging Place In London Commemorated With English Heritage Blue Plaque

Felix Mendelssohn, a famous German composer was recently commemorated in London when the place he stayed in on numerous visits to London received an English Heritage blue plaque.

Queen Victoria's favorite musician Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), visited London at heights of his popularity and stayed approximately four months at 4 Hobart Place, City of Westminster, London, UK, which has been honored with the blue plaque.

Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Managing Director of the Barbican Centre, former director of BBC Proms and also a member of the blue plaques panel said, "Mendelssohn was so beloved by the English that he virtually became one of our composers. He was a favourite of Queen Victoria who sang for him, many of his greatest works like Elijah were premiered here, our Philharmonic Society commissioned him, and he spent much time in London, conducting and composing. In return we made his music, from A Midsummer Night's Dream to the Hebrides Overture, part of our national tradition. It is very appropriate that a blue plaque should mark one of his regular London lodgings."

According to the BBC.co.uk, Suzy Klein from BBC Radio 3 who was at the ceremony commented, "Then it was the home of the Hanoverian Embassy Secretary Carl Klingerman. Mendelssohn went on all sorts of jaunts from here. He had dinner with [engineer] Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who he apparently didn't get on with, [author] Charles Dickens, who he did get on with and he had an audience with Queen Victoria and then rushed back here to tell everyone delightedly about it."

The blue plaque has been approved over a century ago however it was placed just recently. According to the BBC.co.uk, Sir Nicholas Kenyon explained the delay saying, "The people at that time who owned the building didn't want a blue plaque on it and the file simply mouldered [sic] away until Howard Spencer of the blue plaque team had a new discussion about it and revived the idea."

Jacob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn lived only 38 years, however during his short life he became an internationally known composer. His musical talent was first revealed at university in Berlin, Germany. One of his most famous works is overture to a A Midsummer Night's Dream which he completed when he was only 17.