Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a German Jewish composer and one of the most-celebrated figures of the early Romantic period. In his music Mendelssohn observed Classical models and practices while initiating aspects of Romanticism-the artistic movement that exalted feeling above rigid forms and traditions.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. Born in Salzburg, he showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his death.