Mendelssohn became a famous composer while still a teenager and later a foremost conductor, organist, violinist and pianist. From an early age he composed music and had his own personal orchestra and concert hall his parents gave him. Felix and his older sister put on weekly musicales to which European celebrities flocked. As a conductor he re-discovered and reintroduced Bach to the world. He wrote all kinds of music from String Quartets to symphonies and excelled in every form he tried. 
Two of his most popular pieces are A Midsummer Night's Dream and theHebrides or Fingal's Cave Overture which are on the first playlist below. Fingals cave is a giant wild cave off the Scottish Coast. This piece was one of the first tone poems - music that attempts to portray or paint a scene. Although called an Overture, it is a complete self-contained piece. From that same trip to Scotland emerged Symphony #3, the Scottish.
Three of his popular symphonies are the "Scottish" (3rd), "Italian" (4th) and "Reformation" 5th. Note than between ages of 12 and 14 Mendelssohn also wrote 13 String Symphonies not to be confused with these later major symphonies.
Mendelssohn was a wonderful writer and his letters provide a glimpse of the golden age of German and European classical music and upper class Berlin society in the first half of the 1800's. He would certainly make the short list of the most creative, educated, talented and thoughtful humans who ever lived.
Mendelssohn was extremely devoted to his sister and tragically when he was 38 he heard she had a stroke and died, whereupon he also had a stroke and died.
The wikipedia entry on Mendelssohn is at:
(Midsummers Night Dream Track 1-11, Fingals Cave is track is 14)
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