ABSTRACT
On 21 April 1829, a seasick Felix Mendelssohn arrived at London's docks after a difficult crossing from Hamburg. At the age of 20 Mendelssohn had embarked upon a European tour: a series of voyages intended for his general education, for the cultivation of his musical taste and, at his father's urging, to help him decide upon a suitable location to establish his career. In documenting his visit, Mendelssohn was by no means alone. England had a long tradition of attracting Europe's finest musicians, and in the 1820s many foreign composers and performers travelled to London, some of whom wrote letters, articles and memoirs about their experiences. Similarly, choral and church music were aspects of London's musical culture that Mendelssohn encountered in 1829, and which in later years would become central to his career in England.
