How did Felix Mendelssohn help revive interest in Johann Sebastian Bach’s music?

Felix Mendelssohn played a pivotal role in reviving interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, which had been largely neglected for nearly eight decades following the composer's death in 1750.1

Mendelssohn’s most significant contribution to this revival occurred on March 11, 1829, when the 20-year-old conductor led a 400-member chorus and a full orchestra in a performance of the St. Matthew Passion at the Berlin Sing-Akademie. This event marked the first performance of the work since Bach’s lifetime and is widely credited with inaugurating the 19th-century Bach revival.12

Beyond this landmark performance, Mendelssohn continued to champion Bach’s work throughout his career. For instance, during his tenure as music director in Düsseldorf starting in 1833, he actively introduced Bach’s cantatas into church services. By reintroducing these complex and profound compositions to the public, Mendelssohn successfully brought Bach’s music out of obscurity and back into the active musical repertoire.21