FELIX MENDELSSOHN - EARLY WORKS FOR PIANO

When the opus primum of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, a piano quartet, appeared in
1823, the composer already had to his credit a substantial number of compositions,
just as the young Brahms in the 1850s applied himself diligently to composition
before releasing his 'first' work, the C major Piano Sonata. In the case of Brahms,
few of the student works have survived; in fact, many were destroyed by Brahms
himself. Though Mendelssohn was no less critical of his own work, he was more
careful to preserve his early manuscripts. Indeed, a substantial portion of manuscripts
from Mendelssohn's student period has come down to us, though not all the
early compositions are yet available. Gathered here is a collection of several pieces
for piano solo from Mendelssohn's formative decade, the 1820s.

The first 4 pieces are from Margaret Deneke Mendelssohn Collection in Bodleian Library while the last 2 are from Pierpont Morgan Library.