Mendelssohn (-Bartholdy), (Jakob Ludwig) Felix (b. Feb. 3, 1809, Hamburg—d. Nov. 4, 1847, Leipzig) German composer. Grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, he grew up in a wealthy Jewish family that had converted to Protestantism. He began to compose at age 11; at 16 he wrote his first masterpiece, the String Octet in E Flat Major (1825), followed by the Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1826). In 1829 he conducted the first performance in 100 years of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, greatly contributing to the Bach revival. He wrote the first of a series of elegant piano works, Songs Without Words, in 1830. His Reformation (1832) and Italian (1833) symphonies date from this period. He observed Classical models and practices while initiating key aspects of Romanticism, which exalted emotions and the imagination above rigid forms and traditions. After serving as music director of the Catholic city of Dusseldorf (1833-35), he took the parallel position in Protestant Leipzig. There he built up the Gewandhaus Orchestra, making Leipzig the musical capital of Germany. In his last decade he produced great works such as the Scottish Symphony ( 1842), the violin concerto (1844), and the oratorio Eli¬ jah (1846). His beloved sister, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-47), had been considered his equal in musical talent as a girl, but she was discour¬ aged from composing until her marriage to the painter Wilhelm Hensel (1794-1861); she eventually wrote more than 500 works. Her death was a severe shock to Mendelssohn; years of overwork simultaneously caught up with him, and he died six months after her.
Mendelssohn, Moses orig. Moses ben Menachem (b. Sept. 26, 1729, Dessau, Anhalt—d. Jan. 4, 1786, Berlin, Prussia) German Jewish philosopher and scholar. The son of an impoverished scribe, he began his career as a tutor but eventually won fame for his philosophical writings, which would become influential among the 19th-century U.S. Transcen- dentalists. He combined Judaism with the rationalism of the Enlighten¬ ment, becoming one of the principal figures in the Haskala, which helped bring Jews into the mainstream of European culture. His works include Phadon (1767), a defense of the immortality of the soul, and Jerusalem (1783), on the relationship of religion and the state. His friend Gotthold Lessing based the protagonist of his celebrated drama Nathan the Wise on Mendelssohn. He was the grandfather of the composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Mendenhall Glacier Blue ice sheet, 12 mi (19 km) long, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) wide, and more than 100 ft (30 m) high. It flows from the southern half of the huge Juneau Icefield, which lies in the Boundary Ranges in southeastern Alaska, U.S. A relic of the Little Ice Age (16th century to the mid-19th century), it recedes about 100-150 ft (30-45 m) a year. The adjacent Mendenhall Lake began to form about 1900 and is now 1.5 mi (2.4 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) wide.
Mencius, detail, ink and colour on silk; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM, TAIPEI, TAIWAN, REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Sept. 12, 1880, Baltimore, Md.,
H.L. Mencken.
COURTESY OF THE ENOCH PRATT FREE LIBRARY, BALTIMORE; PHOTOGRAPH, ROBERT KNIESCHE
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Menderes ► Menindee Lakes I 1235
Menderes Nmen-'der-osV Adnan (b. 1899, Aydin, Ottoman
Empire—d. Sept. 17, 1961, imrali, Tur.) Turkish prime minister (1950- 60). Son of an aristocrat, he entered parliament as a member of Mustafa Kemal AtatOrk’s Republican People’s Party (1930). In 1945 he cofounded the first opposition party, the Democrat Party, and won the premiership in the 1950, 1954, and 1957 elections. His policies included seeking closer ties with Muslim states, encouraging private enterprise, and lifting restraint on religious expression. Intolerant of critics, he instituted press censorship. In challenging Atatiirk’s ideals, he earned the enmity of the army and was overthrown (1960) and executed.
Menderes \,men-de-'res\ River Name of two rivers in Turkey. The first (Turkish: Biiyiik Menderes) runs through southwestern Turkey. It empties into the Aegean Sea after a course of 363 mi (584 km). Its Classical name, Maeander (whence the English meander), is derived from the winding course of its lower reaches. The second (Turkish: Kii^iik Menderes) was known in antiquity as the Scamander; it rises in northwestern Turkey and flows 60 mi (97 km) west across the plain of ancient Troy, emptying into the Dardanelles.
Mendes-France \ma n -des-'fra n s\, Pierre (b. Jan. 11, 1907, Paris, France—d. Oct. 18, 1982, Paris) French politician and premier (1954- 55). Born into a Jewish family, he became a lawyer and served in the Chamber of Deputies (1932^-0). In World War II he was imprisoned by the Vichy government but escaped to London, where he joined the Free French air force and served in finance posts in Charles de Gaulle’s pro¬ visional government. As a legislator in postwar France (1946-58), he criticized government policies on economics and the wars in Indochina and North Africa. In 1954 he became premier; he ended France’s involve¬ ment in Indochina and also helped effect autonomy for Tunisia. His pro¬ posed economic reforms led to his defeat in 1955. He sought without success to make the Radical-Socialist Party the centre of the noncommu¬ nist left and opposed de Gaulle’s presidency.
Menelaus \,me-n9-'la-9s\ In Greek mythology, the king of Sparta and the younger son of Atreus. When his wife, Helen, was abducted by Paris, he asked the other Greek kings to join him in an expedition against Troy, thus beginning the Trojan War. He served under his brother Agamemnon. At the war’s end he recovered Helen and brought her back to Sparta instead of killing her as he had intended. Having forgotten to appease the gods of defeated Troy, he endured a hard voyage home, and many of his ships were lost.
Menem Vme-nem\, Carlos (Saul) (b. July 2, 1930, Anillaco, Arg.) President of Argentina (1989-99). The son of Syrian immigrants, he con¬ verted to Roman Catholicism and joined the Peronist movement in 1956. He held typical Peronist views, favouring nationalism, expansion of the government, large raises for wage earners, and tax breaks for businesses. By the time he took office, however, inflation had risen to 28,000% and Argentina was in crisis; he consequently abandoned his party orthodoxy in favour of a fiscally conservative policy and succeeded in stabilizing the economy. A flamboyant figure, he enjoyed great popularity despite his controversial pardoning of convicted human-rights violators connected with the period of military rule. In 2001 Menem was placed under house arrest after he was indicted for illegal arms dealing, but he was released in 2002.
Menendez de Aviles Xmo-'nen-dos-da-.a-vo-'lasV Pedro (b. Feb. 15, 1519, Aviles, Spain—d. Sept. 17, 1574, Santander) Spanish conquistador. He ran away to sea at 14 and rose to captain of the Indies fleet (1554- 63). He was sent to Florida to establish a colony and remove a potential threat to Spain’s American possessions posed by a French settlement on the St. Johns River. In 1565 he entered the bay of St. Augustine, where he built a fort. He attacked the French colony at Fort Caroline and mas¬ sacred its entire population, calling its members heretics. He then explored the Atlantic coast and built a string of forts, firmly establishing Spain’s control of Florida.
Menendez Pidal Nma-.nan-dath-pe-'thalX, Ramon (b. March 13, 1869, La Coruna, Spain—d. Nov. 14, 1968, Madrid) Spanish language scholar. His work on the origins of the Spanish language and his critical editions of literary texts generated a revival of the study of medieval Spanish poetry and chronicles. His writings include Manual of Histori¬ cal Spanish Grammar (1904), The Cid and His Spain (1929), and The Spaniards in Their History (1947). He was twice president of the Span¬ ish Academy.