Young Mendelssohn, Young Love, and a Piece That Tastes Like Sugar Lifted by Air
There are some pieces of music that don’t just sound — they taste.
Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso tastes like sugar lifted by air — sweet, delicate, and in motion.
The Spark of Genius at Sixteen
Felix Mendelssohn was only sixteen when he composed the Andante in E major — a piece of astonishing sensitivity and maturity.
It began as a stand-alone work: poised and reflective, revealing a young composer who already understood grace, balance, and emotional depth far beyond his age.
This early work hums with restraint — a quiet, lyrical expression of tenderness that feels both youthful and timeless.
A Meeting in Munich
A few years later, Mendelssohn met Delphine von Schauroth, a gifted young pianist in Munich. His sister, Fanny Mendelssohn, mentioned Delphine in her letters and hinted at Felix’s admiration.
After that meeting, Mendelssohn revisited his earlier Andante, added a brilliant Presto section, and published the completed work as Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14, dedicating it to Delphine.
Whether that dedication reflected affection, inspiration, or simple artistic respect — we can only guess.
What’s certain is that the finished work captures both poise and passion — a dialogue between inward reflection and radiant freedom.
A Taste Like a Madeleine
I like to imagine this music as a Madeleine — elegant, European, and sweet without weight.
The kind of sweetness that lingers, then disappears into a trace of warmth rather than sugar.
The Andante feels like a quiet confession — poised, mature, and deeply emotional for a sixteen-year-old.
The Rondo (Presto) bursts forth with brilliance and vitality, like cotton candy spun into motion — light, dazzling, and impossible to hold still.
Each phrase gleams with joy and clarity, as if Mendelssohn were celebrating the sheer pleasure of motion itself.
A Whisper Across Time
I first learned Rondo Capriccioso when I was ten years old — long before I knew its history.
Even then, it felt alive, as though Mendelssohn’s youthful spirit had reached across time to whisper:
“Play with joy.”
