Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: a Life of Music Within Domestic Limits by Eugene Gates
Volume 5, Issue 2 The Kapralova Society Journal Fall 2007 A Journal of Women in Music Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: A Life of Music within Domestic Limits By Eugene Gates Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, the Mendelssohn (1777-1842), was a tal- elder sister of Felix Mendelssohn, was ented pianist and a good singer; she deemed by her contemporaries to be as spoke French and English fluently, musically gifted as Felix. She was not could read Homer in the original only a superb pianist, but also an ex- Greek,2 and was, by all accounts, a ceptionally fine composer. Fanny's charming and witty hostess. In an- compositional style is very similar to nouncing Fanny's birth to his that of her more famous brother. Her mother-in-law, Abraham wrote: "Lea more than 400 works include lieder, pi- says that the child has Bach-fugue fin- ano and organ pieces, chamber music, gers"3--a statement which proved to Special points of interest: cantatas, dramatic scenes, an oratorio be prophetic. and an orchestral overture. Despite her Before leaving Hamburg, • prolific creative output, however, few Abraham and Lea had two more chil- Fanny Mendelssohn’s 1 of her compositions were published, dren. Felix, their first son, was born story and, until very recently, historians have on February 3, 1809, and another limited her importance to the fact that daughter, Rebecca, was born on April her diaries and letters provide valuable 11, 1811. The Mendelssohn family Inside this issue: source material for biographical studies moved to Berlin the following year, of Felix Mendelssohn. This article dis- where Paul, their youngest child, was 4 Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: 1 cusses the life and creative achieve- born on October 30, 1813.
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