Please read Mr. Cosmo’s essay on Felix Mendelssohn first.

The composer Felix Mendelssohn is remembered for many works, among them his Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and his Hebrides Overture, along with Elijah and Saint Paul, two of his oratorios.

One thing that stands out for me however is the fact that historians also credit him with reviving the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.  By staging the first performances of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion outside of Leipzig when he was only twenty years old, Mendelssohn prompted great public interest in Bach’s works and started what has been called a “Bach Revival.”

Already being so popular, there was no need for Mendelssohn to devote so much time and effort to celebrating the works of another composer who had died nearly sixty years before he was even born.

Still, he would also be responsible for publicizing Bach’s piano and choral works, all of which led to the founding of the Bach-Gesellschaft (Bach Society) in 1850, a century after Bach’s death.

There is a lesson in all of this for me which forms The Lightbulb Moment this week. 

Our job as musicians is not just to serve ourselves through thoughts of wealth and celebrity, and the affirmation by audiences whenever and wherever we are heard.  Instead, our greatest rewards artistically, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally come when we can use our talents to uplift the world through our music, while serving as the vehicle by which this happens.

When I think about how many people might not have even ever heard of Bach, or worse still, not experienced his music had it not been for Mendelssohn, it makes me realize that all of the our own careers are not just about becoming famous, but rather bringing joy and inspiration to as many people as we can by celebrating and sharing the music, and the ways in which it creates opportunities for us to become our best selves.

Mendelssohn’s generosity towards Bach was more a reflection of the power of the late composer to influence and reinforce the majesty of music, and not just to provide more celebrity for Mendelssohn himself.  The same could be said of Liszt, another extremely generous composer who wrote many transcriptions based on works other than his own, which in turn expanded awareness of composers like Chopin, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, and yes, even Bach.

Don’t let the music be about your using it just to draw attention to yourself.  Instead, use it as a way to show people how their spirits can be uplifted, their hearts transformed, and their lives changed.

The music is much larger, much more powerful, and much greater than any of us can ever be.  Artists are remembered and celebrated long after their deaths, but their talent is appreciated because of the music they perform.  Knowing that, submitting to the power of the music, and giving it the best we have to offer as musicians is the point where celebrity, no matter how great, leaves off, and true artistry begins.