*1809 Hamburg - †1847 Leipzig
In 1822, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy met Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885) and Johann Nepomuk Schelble (1789-1837) in Frankfurt. Hiller went on to become a composer; Schelble to become the founder and conductor of the Frankfurt oratorio society, the Cäcilienverein.
When Schelble fell ill in 1836, Mendelssohn took over as the conductor of the Cäcilienverein for his friend. The composer dedicated several choral works to Schelble and the Cäcilienverein, which was one of the foremost choirs of the time, on a par with the Berlin Singakademie. The original manuscripts now form part of the historical Cäcilienverein collection of the Frankfurt University Library.
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy writing to Carl Friedrich Zelter, Paris, 15.2.1832:
Life in Frankfurt is altogether more elegant, businesslike, and cosmopolitan, but so much less agreeable for that. However, they have the Cäcilienverein here, which alone is reason enough to make one glad to be in Frankfurt; the people here sing with so much spirit and are so dedicated to their choir, one cannot help but feel uplifted by it.
Further information:
Mendelssohn Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main e. V. https://www.mendelssohn-gesellschaft.de
www.saw-leipzig.de/forschung/projekte/leipziger-ausgabe-der-werke-von-felix-mendelssohn-bartholdy