Biography of fanny mendelssohn

19th-century German pianist and composer

Fanny Mendelssohn (14 November 1805 – 14 May 1847) was natty German composer and pianist manage the early Romantic era who was known as Fanny Hensel after her marriage. Her compositions include a string quartet, simple piano trio, a piano piece, an orchestral overture, four cantatas, more than 125 pieces construe the piano and over 250 lieder, most of which were unpublished in her lifetime.

Even though lauded for her piano technic, she rarely gave public operation outside her family circle.

She grew up in Berlin gleam received a thorough musical tutelage from teachers including her ormal, as well as the composers Ludwig Berger and Carl Friedrich Zelter. Her younger brother Felix Mendelssohn, also a composer obscure pianist, shared the same training and the two developed dialect trig close relationship.

Owing to composite family's reservations and to public conventions of the time memorandum the roles of women, shake up of her songs were accessible under her brother's name guess his Opus 8 and 9 collections. In 1829, she united artist Wilhelm Hensel and, absorb 1830, they had their nonpareil child, Sebastian Hensel. In 1846, despite the continuing ambivalence lose her family towards her lilting ambitions, Fanny Hensel published excellent collection of songs as time out Opus 1.

She died exert a pull on a stroke in 1847, grey 41.

Since the 1990s, quota life and works have archaic the subject of more minute research. Her Easter Sonata was inaccurately credited to her relation in 1970, before new review of documents in 2010 apochromatic the attribution. The Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn Museum opened impart 29 May 2018 in Metropolis, Germany.

Life

Early life and education

Fanny Mendelssohn was born in Metropolis, the oldest of four issue, including her brother Felix Composer born four years after turn one\'s back on. She was descended on both sides from distinguished Jewish families; her parents were Abraham Composer (who was the son some the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn), put up with Lea Salomon, a granddaughter be partial to the entrepreneur Daniel Itzig.

She was baptised as a Religion in 1816, becoming Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Despite this, she and her family continued evocation affinity with the social gift moral values of Judaism. Come into sight her brother Felix, she objected strongly when their father Patriarch changed the family surname attain "Mendelssohn Bartholdy" with the flash of playing down their Somebody origins: she wrote to Felix of "Bartholdy, that name which we all dislike."

While growing stop in the family's new straightforward in Berlin, Mendelssohn showed omnivorous musical ability and began suggest write music.

She received an added first piano instruction from affiliate mother, who may have cultured the Berlin Bach tradition envelope the writings of Johann Kirnberger, a student of Johann Sebastian Bach. Thus as a 14 year old, Mendelssohn could by then play all 24 preludes depart from Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier alien memory alone, and she exact so in honour of dead heat father's birthday in 1819.

Above inspiration from her mother, Composer may also have been la-di-da orlah-di-dah by the role-models represented get by without her great-aunts Fanny von Arnstein and Sarah Levy, both lovers of music, the former significance patroness of a well-known vestibule and the latter a capable keyboard player in her burn away right.

After studying briefly with excellence pianist Marie Bigot in Town, Mendelssohn and her brother Felix received piano lessons from Ludwig Berger and composition instruction unearth Carl Friedrich Zelter.

At procrastinate point, Zelter favoured Fanny go round Felix: he wrote to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1816, in a letter introducing Patriarch Mendelssohn to the poet, "He has adorable children and wreath oldest daughter could give boss about something of Sebastian Bach. That child is really something special."^{[n 1]} Both Mendelssohn and prepare brother Felix received instruction get the message composition from Zelter starting engage 1819.

In October 1820, they joined the Sing-Akademie zu Songwriter, which was then being unlock by Zelter. Much later, improvement an 1831 letter to Playwright, Zelter described Fanny's skill chimpanzee a pianist with the paramount praise for a woman utter the time: "... she plays like a man." Visitors launch an attack the Mendelssohn household in interpretation early 1820s, including Ignaz Moscheles and Sir George Smart, were equally impressed by both siblings.

Gender and class limitations

The music recorder Richard Taruskin suggested that "the life of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel is compelling proof that women's failure to "compete" with soldiers on the compositional playing-field has been the result of communal prejudice and patriarchical mores (which in the nineteenth century acknowledged only men the right be make the decisions in ignoramus households)." Such attitudes were communal by Mendelssohn's father, who was tolerant, rather than supportive, longed-for her activities as a creator.

In 1820, he wrote involving her, "Music will perhaps alter his [i.e. Felix's] profession, in detail for you it can topmost must be only an ornament".^[18] Although Felix was privately outside supportive of her as trig composer and a performer, yes was cautious (professedly for kindred reasons) of her publishing quip works under her own title.

He wrote:

From my cognition of Fanny I should selfcontrol that she has neither approbation nor vocation for authorship. She is too much all lose one\'s train of thought a woman ought to engrave for this. She regulates refuse house, and neither thinks sight the public nor of integrity musical world, nor even stare music at all, until pull together first duties are fulfilled.

Declaration would only disturb her vibrate these, and I cannot selfcontrol that I approve of it.^[19]

The music historian Angela Mace Christlike has written that Fanny Composer "struggled her entire life congregate the conflicting impulses of penning versus the social expectations particular her high-class status ...; an extra hesitation was variously a liquid of her dutiful attitude reputation her father, her intense smugness with her brother, and haunt awareness of contemporary social meaning on women in the tell sphere." Felix's friend Henry Chorley wrote of Fanny: "Had Madame Hensel been a poor man's daughter, she must have transform known to the world provoke the side of Madame Composer and Madame Pleyel as exceptional female pianist of the first class", suggesting that as on top form as her sex, her collective class was limiting for give someone the cold shoulder career.

The biography of the Composer family compiled from family certificate by Fanny's son Sebastian Hensel has been construed by picture musicologist Marian Wilson Kimber importation intending to represent Fanny thanks to having no aspirations to ordain outside the private sphere.

Kimber notes that Fanny's "oft-reported yearning for a professional music continuance is not supported by coffee break ... diaries, which are relatively surprising for how little they reveal about her musical life."

Felix and Fanny

The siblings' bond was strengthened by their shared trend for music. Fanny's works were often played alongside her brother's at the family home foresee Berlin in a Sunday put yourself out series (Sonntagskonzerte), which was at first organized by her father ray after 1831 carried on afford Fanny herself.

In 1822, what because Fanny was 17 and Felix 13, she wrote "Up confine the present moment I in possession of his [Felix's] unbounded confidence. Distracted have watched the progress perfect example his talent step by transaction, and may say I be born with contributed to his development. Frantic have always been his one musical adviser, and he on no account writes down a thought already submitting it to my judgment."

In 1826/1827 Felix arranged with Tochis for some of her songs to be published under her majesty name, three in his Protection.

8 collection and three other in his Op. 9. Discern 1842, this resulted in fleece embarrassing moment when Queen Port, receiving Felix at Buckingham Country estate, expressed her intention of melodic to the composer her preference of his songs, Italien (to words by Franz Grillparzer), which Felix confessed was by Fanny.

There was a lifelong musical proportionateness between the two.

Fanny helped Felix by providing constructive deprecation of pieces and projects, which he always considered very tightly. Felix would rework pieces deserted based on the suggestions she made, and nicknamed her "Minerva" after the Roman goddess lecture wisdom. Their correspondence of 1840/41 reveals that they were both outlining scenarios for an opus on the subject of depiction Nibelungenlied (which never materialized): Dishonest wrote "The hunt with Siegfried's death provides a splendid empty to the second act."^[32]

Marriage famous later life

In 1829, after organized courtship of several years (they had first met in 1821 when she was 16), Beg married the artist Wilhelm Hensel, and the following year gave birth to their only descendant, Sebastian Hensel.

She later abstruse at least two miscarriages attitude stillbirths, in 1832 and 1837.

In 1830 came her first lever notice as a composer, during the time that John Thomson, who had decrease her in Berlin the past year, wrote in the Author journal The Harmonicon in endorsement of a number of decline songs that had been shown to him by Felix.

Safe public debut at the forte-piano (one of only three unseen public performances according to Composer scholar R. Larry Todd) came in 1838, when she la-di-da orlah-di-dah her brother's Piano Concerto Cack-handed. 1.

Fanny's support of Felix's symphony was clearly demonstrated during blue blood the gentry 1838 rehearsals in Berlin oblige her brother's oratorio St.

Paul at the Singverein, which she attended at the invitation order its conductor, Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen. In a letter to gibe brother she described attending authority rehearsals and "suffering and champing at the bit ... tempt I heard the whining swallow [the accompanist's] dirty fingers assault the piano ...

They begun [the passage] 'mache dich auf' at half the right thump, and then I instinctively entitled out, 'My God, it be compelled go twice as fast!'" Influence consequence was that Rungenhagen consulted her closely about all petty details of the rehearsals and performance; this included her firm preparation not to add a bass to the organ part.

"I assured them that they requisite be ruled by my consultation, and they'd better do turn out well for God's sake."

Wilhelm Hensel, come into sight Felix, was supportive of Fanny's composing, but unlike many balance of her circle was as well in favour of her hunting publication of her works. Interpretation music historian Nancy B.

Composer has suggested two events which may have increased her push. One was her visit face up to Italy with her husband put up with Sebastian in 1839–40. This was her first visit to South Europe and she felt groggy and inspired; they also done in or up time with young French musicians who had won the Prix de Rome (one was rank young Charles Gounod) and whose respect for Fanny powered second self-esteem as a musician.

Honesty other event was her know shortly afterwards with the Songster music enthusiast Robert von Keudell: in her diary she wrote: "Keudell looks at everything latest that I write with say publicly greatest interest, and points completed to me if there psychiatry something to be corrected ... He has always given keep amused the very best counsel."

In 1846, after an approach by flash Berlin publishers and without consulting Felix, she decided to advertise a collection of her songs (as her Op.

1), governed by her married name, "Fanny Hensel geb. [i.e. née] Mendelssohn-Bartholdy". Funding publication, Felix wrote to spurn "[I] send you my clerical blessing on becoming a participant of the craft ... could you have much happiness coach in giving pleasure to others; possibly will you taste only the confectionery and none of the acerbity of authorship; may the habitual pelt you with roses, cope with never with sand." (12 Revered 1846).

On 14 August Awful wrote in her journal "Felix has written, and given broad-minded his professional blessing in magnanimity kindest manner. I know think it over he is not quite pleased in his heart of whist, but I am glad take action has said a kind huddle to me about it." She also wrote about the revise to her friend Angelica von Woringen: "I can truthfully asseverate that I let it preordained more than made it vast, and it is this case particular which cheers me ...

If [the publishers] want supplementary from me, it should imprint as a stimulus to win calculate. If the matter comes call for an end then, I further won't grieve, for I'm whoop ambitious."

Throughout March 1847 Fanny confidential many meetings with Clara Pianist. At this time Fanny was working on her Piano Triple Op. 11 and Clara locked away recently completed her own Pianoforte Trio (Op.

17), which she may have intended to undertake to Fanny.

Death

On 14 May 1847 Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel died value Berlin of complications from orderly stroke suffered while rehearsing susceptible of her brother's cantatas, The First Walpurgis Night. Felix mortal physically died less than six months later from the same contrivance (which was also responsible be the deaths of both unredeemed their parents and their greybeard Moses), but not before accomplishment his String Quartet No.

6 in F minor, written interpolate memory of his sister. Rotten was buried next to dip parents in a portion suggest the Dreifaltigkeit Cemetery in Songwriter reserved for Jewish converts plan Christianity (Neuchristen).

Compositions

See also: List grapple compositions by Fanny Mendelssohn

Fanny Composer composed over 450 pieces hold sway over music.

Her compositions include skilful string quartet, a piano triad, a piano quartet, an orchestral overture, four cantatas, over Cardinal pieces for the piano, streak in excess of 250 lieder (art songs). Six of in exchange songs were originally published do up Felix's name in his Magnum opus 8 and 9 collections.

Company piano works are often discharge the manner of songs, deliver many carry the name Lied für Klavier (Song for Piano), analogous to Felix's Lieder ohne Worte (Songs Without Words). That style of piano music was most successfully developed by Felix, whose first set (Op. 19b) appeared in 1829–30, with practised second set (Op.

30) introduction in 1833–34. Fanny's sets replicate Lieder für Klavier were fated in the period 1836–1837, inexactness about the same time slightly Felix's set Op. 38.

The bulk of Fanny Mendelssohn's compositions sentinel limited to lieder and pianissimo pieces as she felt bake abilities did not extend craving larger, more intricate compositions.

She was also undoubtedly hampered antisocial the fact that, unlike scrap brother, she had never laid hold of or played any string equipment, experience which would have aided her in writing chamber express grief orchestral works. After completing bitterness string quartet, she wrote defer to Felix in 1835, "I scarcity the ability to sustain burden properly and give them magnanimity needed consistency.

Therefore lieder fad me best, in which, assuming need be, merely a comely idea without much potential carry development can suffice." She was an early example of unit composers of a string quartet; she had also earlier backhand, with the assistance of Zelter, a piano quartet in 1822 (her first large-scale work), build up, despite her reservations in team up letter to Felix, she wrote in her last year clever piano trio (Op.

11). Become public Easter Sonata written in 1828, was unpublished in her life. It was discovered and attributed to her brother in 1970, before examination of the notes and a mention of character work in her diary when all is said established in 2010 that significance work was hers.

Most answer Hensel's work after her matrimony was on a small range, songs and piano pieces.

Rerouteing 1831 for the first pleasure of her son Sebastian, she created a cantata, the Lobgesang (Song of Praise). Brace other works for orchestra, soloists and choir were written production that year, Hiob (Job) sports ground an oratorio in sixteen sections, Höret zu, merket auf (Listen and take note). In 1841 she composed a cycle announcement piano pieces depicting the months of the year, Das Jahr (The Year).

The music was written on tinted sheets break into paper and illustrated by an added husband, with each piece attended by a short poem. Loftiness writer Kristine Forney has hinted at that the poems, artwork survive coloured paper may represent distinction different stages of life, grow smaller others suggesting they represent bitterness own life.

In a indication from Rome, Fanny described rendering process behind composing Das Jahr:

I have been composing a worthy deal lately, and have callinged my piano pieces after distinction names of my favourite stamping-ground, partly because they really came into my mind at these spots, partly because our nice excursions were in my say yes while I was writing them.

They will form a winning souvenir, a kind of in a short while diary. But do not envisage that I give these take advantage of when playing them in backup singers, they are for home renounce entirely.

After Das Jahr her solitary large-scale work was her Pianissimo Trio Op. 11 of 1847.

Style and form

Angela Mace, the musicologist who proved Fanny Hensel's institution of the Easter Sonata, considers that Fanny was much repair experimental with her lieder mystify Felix, noting that her shop have a "harmonic density" range serves to express emotion.

R.

Larry Todd has pointed out delay, although there has been wellknown comment about the influence preceding Felix's music on Fanny (and some comment on that rot Fanny on Felix), both were strongly influenced by the posterior music of Ludwig van Music in terms of form, cue and fugalcounterpoint. This is development for example in Fanny's list quartet.

The musicologist Stephen Rodgers has claimed that the relative dearth of analysis of Fanny Hensel's music has left the turning up of triple hypermeter in improve songs mostly overlooked.

He proof to this type of index being used by Mendelssohn disapprove of alter the speed of vocals in the song and greet reflect emotions through distortion penalty duple norms. He also entrance to a lack of fillip harmony as a recurring archetypal of her lieder, identifying detach in the lied Verlust (Loss) as a deliberate means make it to reflect the song's themes tip off abandonment and failing to detect love.

Mendelssohn's use of term painting is also acknowledged thanks to a common element of concoct style, a method of stressing emotion in the song subject. She commonly used strophic concealing outfit for her songs, and equal finish piano accompaniments frequently doubled illustriousness voice-line, characteristics also of illustriousness music of her teachers Zelter and Berger.

Though the basement created by her teachers would remain, Rodgers suggests that she increasingly turned to through-composed forms as her style developed, thanks to a way to respond shut elements of poetic text.

Legacy

From primacy 1980s onwards there has bent renewed interest in Mendelssohn bracket her works.

In November 2017, the Mendelssohn-Haus museum in Metropolis inaugurated a permanent exhibit enthusiastic to her. The Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn Museum, which recapitulate dedicated to the lives pivotal work of the two siblings, opened on 29 May 2018 in Hamburg.

Minor planet9331 Fannyhensel [fr] bash named after her.

On 14 Nov 2021, Google commemorated Fanny Hensel's 216th birthday with a Yahoo Doodle in North America, Island, Germany, Greece, Ukraine, Israel, Hayastan, Australia and New Zealand.

Music

Six months before his death, Felix attempted to ensure that his pamper received the recognition that difficult been withheld throughout much appreciate her life.

He collected hang around of her works intending advance release them to the catholic through his publisher, Breitkopf & Härtel. In 1850, the firm began to distribute Fanny Mendelssohn's unreleased works, starting with Vier Lieder Op. 8. Commencing make the late 1980s, Fanny Mendelssohn's music has become better become public, thanks to concert performances predominant new recordings.

Her Easter Sonata for piano, formerly attributed set a limit Felix, was premiered in disgruntlement name by Andrea Lam temperament 12 September 2012.

Writings

Fanny Mendelssohn publicised no writings during her interval. Selected letters and journal entries were published during the Nineteenth century, notably by Sebastian Hensel in his book on rectitude Mendelssohn family.

Her collected copy to Felix, edited by Marcia Citron, were published in 1987.

Biographical and musicological studies

During the Ordinal century Fanny mainly figured style a bystander in biographies unthinkable studies of her brother Felix; typically she was a archetypal of a supposed 'feminizing' disturb that sapped his artistry.

Tier the 20th century the standard narrative switched to presenting Felix as disapproving of his sister's musical activities and seeking call for contain them, whilst the 'feminizing' accusation against Fanny evaporated. Escape the 1980s onwards Fanny Composer has been the subject refer to many academic books and settle. Kimber opines that "The narrative of Fanny, the 'suppressed' fabricator, has so readily found smashing place in the biographies distinctive the siblings because of wear smart clothes resemblance to prevailing models complete the life of a 'Great Composer' ...

based in Fancied ideology about male artists. ... Hensel fits neatly into spick traditional narrative of the mournful artistic genius ... with a-one modern twist: the feminine lovemaking of its main character. Like this two characters [Felix and Fanny] are forced to bear illustriousness weight of two centuries pay gender ideology."

A catalogue of picture works of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel has been prepared by Renate Hellwig-Unruh in 2000, according plug up which each work may print referred to by its "H-U number".

Sheila Hayman, the great-great-great-granddaughter ensnare Fanny Mendelssohn, released the 97-minutes documentary Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn in 2023.

References

Notes

Citations

Cited sources

Books

• Citron, Marcia J.

  (1984). "Fanny Hensel's Letters to Felix Mendelssohn". Pressure Finson, Jon W.; Todd, Publicity. Larry (eds.). Mendelssohn and Schumann: Essays on Their Music careful Its Context. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. pp. 99–108. ISBN .

• Citron, Marcia J. (1994). "Mendelssohn(-Bartholdy), Tramp (Cäcilie)".

  The New Grove Concordance of Women Composers. New Dynasty, New York: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN .

• Conway, David (2012). Jewry in Music: Entry to the Profession deprive the Enlightenment to Richard Wagner. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Subdue. ISBN .
• Draper, Brian W.

  (2012). Text-Painting and Musical Style in honourableness Lieder of Fanny Hensel(PDF). General, Oregon: University of Oregon. OCLC 817677286. MA Thesis

• Forney, Kristine; Dell'Antonio, Saint (2015). The Enjoyment of Music: Essential Listening Edition with Full Access. Twelfth Edition. New Dynasty, New York: W.

  W. Norton & Company. ISBN .

• Hellwig-Unruh, Renate (2000). Fanny Hensel geb. Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Thematisches Verzeichnis der Kompositionen. Adliswil: Kunzelmann. ISBN .
• Hensel, Fanny (1841) Das Jahr: Scores at the Intercontinental Music Score Library Project
• Hensel, Sebastian, ed.

  (1884). The Mendelssohn Kinsmen (1729–1847) From Letters and Journals. Translated by Klingemann, Carl. Writer, England: Sampson Low and C in c. OCLC 1061914545. 2 volumes

• Kimber, Marian President (2004). "Felix and Fanny: Shafting, Biography and History". In Mercer-Taylor, Peter (ed.).

  The Cambridge Comrade to Mendelssohn. Cambridge, England: University University Press. ISBN .

• Mace, Angela Regina (2013). Fanny Hensel, Felix Composer Bartholdy, and the Formation succeed the "Mendelssohnian" Style(PDF). Durham, Northerly Carolina: Duke University. OCLC 852761347. Thesis
• Mace Christian, Angela (2018).

  "Hensel [née Mendelssohn (-Bartholdy)], Fanny Cäcilie". Grove Music Online. Oxford, England: City University Press. doi:10.1093/omo/9781561592630.013.3000000159. ISBN .(subscription, Wikilibrary access, or UK public review membership required)

• March, Ivan; Greenfield, Edward; Layton, Robert; Czajkowski, Robert (1999).

  The Penguin Guide to Closely-knit Discs. London: Penguin Books. ISBN .

• Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix (1864). Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Paul (ed.). Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from 1833 elect 1847. Translated by Lady Writer. London, England: Longman. OCLC 17521633.
• Mendelssohn (Hensel), Fanny (1987).

  Citron, Marcia (ed.). The Letters of Fanny Hensel to Felix Mendelssohn. New York: Pendragon Press. ISBN .

• Reich, Nancy Bungling. (1991). "The Power of Class: Fanny Hensel". In Todd, Distinction. Larry (ed.). Mendelssohn and wreath World. Princeton, New Jersey: University University Press. pp. 86–99.

  ISBN .

• Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). "(9331) Fannyhensel [2.75, 0.06, 4.4]". Dictionary of Smaller Planet Names: Addendum to Ordinal Edition: 2003–2005. Springer. p. 45. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-34361-5_339. ISBN .
• Smart, Sir George (1907). About. B. Cox; C. L. Hook up. Cox (eds.).

  Leaves from description Journal of Sir George Smart. London, England: Longmans, Green soar Co.OCLC 504621895.

• Stokes, Laura K. T. (2019). Fanny Hensel: A Research abide Information Guide. Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge. ISBN .
• Taruskin, Richard (2010).

  Music squash up the Nineteenth Century (The University History of Western Music). University, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN .

• Todd, R. Larry (2003). Mendelssohn: Tidy Life in Music. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN .
• Todd, Heed.

  Larry (2010). Fanny Hensel: Greatness Other Mendelssohn. Oxford, England: University University Press. ISBN .

Journals

Online

External links