Although Mendelssohn died before he was 40, his life was filled with activity and achievement, and perhaps only Mozart equalled his startling precocity. Mozart, however, was never a skilled painter and caricaturist, a subtle student of philosophy and literature, or an admired musicologist - and Mendelssohn was all of these things. This biography draws together memoirs and reminiscences from many sources to give a flavour of the esteem in which Mendelssohn was held. It includes extracts from Queen Victoria's journal, in which she records her meetings with the composer, as well as Mendelssohn's own views on teaching, composition and philosophy. Roger Nichols is the author of Debussy Remembered and Conversations with Madeleine Milhaud.