Women in music - Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel

Women as musicians were always present but did not have the opportunity to prove themselves to the same extent as their male colleagues. In the past, these were most often women who belonged to nobility or were born into a musical family. One of the most famous pianists of the Romantic era was Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of the well-known Felix, an artist who grew up in an extremely stimulating environment. Thanks to her husband's understanding, she was able to cultivate her musicality even after her marriage, although she was not able to conquer concert stages across Europe, such as her brother or other artists of the time.

Music education

Fanny was born on 14th of November 1805 in Hamburg to a wealthy Jewish family. Along with her brothers and sisters Felix, Rebecca and Paul, she received an excellent general and music education. As parents recognized their children's musical gift, they provided them with lessons in piano and music theory. Fanny and Felix studied piano with Ludwig Berger and music theory and composition with Carl Friedrich Zelter. For a few months in 1816, while in Paris, they received piano lessons from Marie Bigot, a renowned pianist who was especially appreciated by Beethoven and Haydn.

Given that the European intellectual elite gathered in the home of the Mendelssohn's in Berlin, no doubt it can be concluded that Fanny and Felix have been moving in a privileged artistic circles since they were young. This fact have certainly contributed to their overall education.

Since she studied with some of the most prominent teachers in Berlin, Fanny received an outstanding music education. She could display her talents as a performer and composer only in the narrow circle of her family and their friends or acquaintances. In a book written after her untimely death, music critic Ludwig Rellstab noted that she was just as talented as her famous brother and had reached a level of music education that only a handful of artists who dedicated their lives to music could achieve. 

Music soirees 

Although Fanny encountered many limitations in life, her desire to create music still came to fruition during concerts held at the homes of the Mendelssohn and Hensel family.

Her works were presented to a select audience during music events held every other week at the Mendelssohn home. These concerts named Sonntagsmusiken were established in the early 1820s and for these occasions Abraham Mendelssohn hired musicians to play every other Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Felix and Fanny also performed at these concerts. When Felix embarked on his first major trip to England, which favorably affected his career, the weekly concerts were suspended.

In the spring of 1831, Fanny restored that family tradition, but now within the framework of her home with the support of her husband Wilhelm Hensel. These famous music gatherings, according to Rellstab's testimony, were a small music festival where the works of composers of the past and present were performed. The enjoyment was guaranteed because during these concerts the best Berlin musicians played.

Fanny received an outstanding music education from the most prominent Berlin pedagogues, but she could display her talent only within family circles. In a book written after her untimely death, music critic Ludwig Rellstab noted that she was just as talented as her famous brother. He also said that she had reached a level of music education that was available only to a handful of artists who dedicated their lives to music.

Fanny's reputation among musicians

From 1839 to 1840, Fanny traveled with her husband through Italy and it was one of the most beautiful periods of her life. She finally received recognition for her work outside family circles and was able to meet various musicians who were highly opinionated about her works. Rellstab's words that speak of Fanny's talent and good music education are further corroborated by the following words written by Charles Gounod:

"Mrs. Hensel was a very knowledgeable musician and played the piano very well. Despite being small, she was a woman of excellent intellect and full of energy, 

which could be seen in her fiery eyes. "

Fanny's opus

As her creativity could only be expressed in family circles, much of her work encompasses genres such as piano pieces and solo songs, though there were also chamber works and even larger vocal and instrumental works. The concerts held at her house eventually grew into notable cultural events and were attended by well-known people such as the Humboldt brothers, Franz Liszt, Clara Schumann, Heinrich Heine and others. Fanny then assembled an orchestra and a choir and organized performances of oratorios, opera arias and chamber music written by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Weber and Mendelssohn. It was then when the opportunity appeared to compose more complex genres that needed more performers. According to Rellstab, these concerts at the Hensel's enriched Berlin's musical life and represented the way in which Fanny could deal with the limitations she had to accept as a woman. 

Fanny's works in print

Fanny's father Abraham wanted his daughter to concentrate on her future role of a wife and a mother, so public concerts and the publication of her works were out of the question, although he was aware of her talent. However, in 1827 and 1830, she nevertheless published five songs and a duet with a piano accompaniment under Felix's name. The systematic publication of her compositions began only in the last year of her short life. She was assisted in this by her family friend and in 1846 her compositions for piano and choir were printed under opus numbers from one to seven. Several other works by Fanny at the request of her husband Wilhelm Hensel were published posthumously by her brother Felix in 1850. Printing of this artist's complete oeuvre occurred only in the 1980s.