How did Felix Mendelssohn help revive interest in Johann Sebastian Bach’s music in 1829?

In 1829, the 20-year-old composer Felix Mendelssohn played a pivotal role in reviving interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach by conducting the first performance of the St. Matthew Passion since the composer’s death in 1750.12

Working alongside the German musician Eduard Devrient, Mendelssohn led a 400-member chorus and a full orchestra in this landmark 19th-century premiere at the Berlin Sing-Akademie on March 11, 1829. This event is widely recognized as the catalyst for the 19th-century Bach revival, marking a significant moment in the history of historicism—the active, deliberate exhumation and performance of older musical works.134

Following this successful performance, the St. Matthew Passion and the St. John Passion were published in 1830, helping to reintroduce Bach’s vocal works to the public and paving the way for the eventual publication of his complete works.3