IntroductionFelix Mendelssohn was one of the most famous composers of the 19th century. Although he showed some characteristics of romanticism in his music, he was strongly influenced by traditional genres such as counterpoint etc. In this essay the composer's biography, the background of the genre and the analysis of the piece will be analyzedBiographical sketch of MendelssohnMendelssohn was born in Hamburg in 1809. His father Abraham Mendelssohn was a banker, while his mother Lea Mendelssohn was a highly educated. Mendelssohn initially received piano lessons from his mother, but was soon sent to study with the best teachers of the time such as Marie Bigot and Ludwig Burger. He also took composition lessons with Karl Zelter, a professor at the University of Berlin. Under their proper guidance, he fully displayed his musical talent: he made his debut as a pianist at nine and as a composer at ten. At the age of twelve he already composed nine fugues, five string symphonies, two operas and a large number of minor pieces. At the age of sixteen, the publication of his Octet in E flat major for strings and the Overture from A Midsummer Night's Dream marked his full maturity. In 1829 he left his hometown and began his musical tour of Italy, France and England. During this period he published many significant compositions, including the overture Die Hebriden (1829), the Reformation Symphony (1830) and the Italian Symphony (1832), etc. In addition to composing, he also worked as a conductor in Düsseldorf (1833). -35) and Leipzig (1835-40). And in 1843 he founded a new conservatory in Leipzig. Up to that point Mendelssohn was already a well-known pianist, composer and conductor. Unfortunately, ex...... half of paper ......and bass partAnother distinctive feature is the growing importance of the woodwind section. Before the 19th century, the string section played a major role in the presentation of the melody, while wind instruments were only adopted to create some orchestral colors to the piece. During the 19th century, however, the use of woodwinds changed a lot, so much so that they were not only assigned melodies, but were sometimes also accompanied by strings (Ex 4):Ex. 4 Growing importance of woodwinds in the orchestraConclusionIn short, the Sinfonia Italiana reflects the characteristics of a 19th century orchestral piece. More importantly, it totally demonstrates Mendelssohn's mature compositional style in combining both classical genres and romantic style together within one piece. This explains why he is considered one of the most important figures in the history of music.