Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847); DEU

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805–1847) was a German composer and pianist born in Hamburg, the elder sister of Felix Mendelssohn. She received an exceptional musical education and displayed gifts comparable to her brother’s, but the social expectations placed on women of her class sharply restricted her prospects for a public professional career. In 1829 she married the artist Wilhelm Hensel. At the family’s Berlin home she directed influential Sunday musicales, performing and presenting music by herself, Felix, and many other composers.

Hensel composed more than four hundred works, particularly songs and piano pieces, but also chamber, choral, and orchestral music. Six of her songs were originally published under Felix’s name in his Opp. 8 and 9. Her major works include the piano cycle Das Jahr, the Piano Trio in D minor, the String Quartet in E-flat major, and the Easter Sonata. Long overshadowed by her brother, she is now recognized as an important and individual voice in early Romantic music.

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Read biography at allmusic.com.