1832 Mendelssohn offered Raymund Härtel his Octet, his Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This was followed shortly thereafter by the Overture to "Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt." The steady collaboration between the composer and the publisher ultimately resulted in the publication of Mendelssohn's orchestral works, oratorios and psalm arrangements for large scorings. In letters to his main publisher, Mendelssohn expressed his thanks in such statements: "The make-up of the works is so elegant and graceful that I cannot imagine a more beautiful presentation. Whenever I shall bring out something new, I shall most certainly, and with great pleasure, ask you before all others whether you wish to publish it, and I would be most sincerely delighted if you were to accept."

Breitkopf & Härtel remained obligated to Mendelssohn's oeuvre even after the composer's death. In 1874/77 Julius Rietz presented the first complete edition of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's works in a "critically revised edition."

Breitkopf & Härtel feels that it is its duty to maintain this tradition now more than ever before. The reputable Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig (which was founded during Mendelssohn's lifetime) began issuing the "Leipzig Edition of the Works of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in 1997. It has published not only overtures, solo concertos, symphonies, chamber music and the incidental music to "A Midsummer Night's Dream," but also the organ works, which were honored with the German Music Edition Prize in 2006. Another milestone was the study edition of the Mendelssohn Work Catalogue (MWV) which is under the editorial supervision of Ralf Wehner in 2009.