The Symphony No. 4 by Felix Mendelssohn is probably his most well known symphony. It is more commonly known as “The Italian” symphony. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-47), one of the world’s great and romantic composers was born in Hamburg, Germany. Even before he was fifteen he had composed dozens of works, including symphonies. He grew up in a cultured and well to do family and received lessons in piano, harmony, violin and languages. He was probably the most widely travelled composers of his time. During his relatively short life he travelled to Austria, Switzerland, France and ten times to England, where he became the most popular of the 19th century composers – his music was held to be remarkable for its charm and elegance.
The first sketches for his Symphony No. 4 (the “Italian”) were made when Mendelssohn was in Italy in 1830. But not before the London Philharmonic Society commissioned him to write a new symphony did Mendelssohn make use of those sketches.
The 4th symphony was first performed in London in 1932. It is also called the “Italian” because it is strongly influenced by Southern-European life. In the second movement one can clearly hear the sounds of a procession and in the fourth  movement, which Mendelssohn gave the name “Saltarello”, which is the name of an Italian folk dance, southern dance rhythms delight the ears of the listeners.