 In 1829 , with the backing of Zelter and the assistance of actor Eduard Devrient , Mendelssohn arranged and conducted a performance in Berlin of Bach 's St Matthew Passion . Four years previously his grandmother , Bella Salomon , had given him a copy of the manuscript of this ( by then all @-@ but @-@ forgotten ) masterpiece . The orchestra and choir for the performance were provided by the Berlin <unk> . The success of this performance , one of the very few since Bach 's death and the first ever outside of Leipzig , was the central event in the revival of J. S. Bach 's music in Germany and , eventually , throughout Europe . It earned Mendelssohn widespread acclaim at the age of 20 . It also led to one of the few references which Mendelssohn made to his origins : " To think that it took an actor and a Jew 's son to revive the greatest Christian music for the world ! " 
