Felix Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20, was composed in the autumn of 1825 and completed on October 15, when the composer was 16. He wrote it as a birthday gift for his friend and violin teacher Eduard Ritz (1802-1832); it was slightly revised in 1832 before the first public performance on 30 January 1836 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. Conrad Wilson summarizes much of its reception ever since: "Its youthful verve, brilliance and perfection make it one of the miracles of nineteenth-century music."
| Date of composition | 1825 (composed in the autumn of 1825 and completed on October 15) |
| Premiered | 1936, January 30th in Leipzig, Germany |
| Type | Octet |
| Tonality | E Major |
| Catalogue | Op. 20 |
| Instruments |
4x
Violin
2x Cello 2x Viola |
| Autotranslations beta |
Felix Mendelssohn: String Octet en mi majeur, Op. 20 Felix Mendelssohn: String Octet in mi maggiore, Op. 20 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: String Octet E-dur, Op. 20 |